On the Importance of Reconnecting with Our Nervous System
When I think back to my journey in my graduate program learning about mental health experiences, community care, assessment training, and the whole bit, I can’t even recall a single class that expressed the importance of the nervous system in regards to mental health, let alone spoke about the mind and body connection. The closest topic that covered these connections was, in my Cultural Diversity course, the chapters discussing how different cultures experience emotion and how it shows up in the body…well yeah, obviously! The fact that there wasn’t one whole class devoted to exploring the mind and body connection baffles me—not focusing on different emotional experiences of people of varied cultures, but just focusing on our universal, shared experience as human beings.
the importance of embodiment
In my personal work with clients, we spend a good amount of time sensing and tracking (paying close attention to) their embodied experience. This looks like me pausing to inquire what may be coming up for them, what they felt shifted in their bodies, and what they notice about their subjective inner experience. Often, I interject in a gentle way (for clients reading this, you know these times very well!) and bring their attention back to what their bodies are whispering or even shouting, and we move slowly through this experience, together.
Tracking our embodiment is important because it helps us integrate and make meaning of our emotional experience. Emotions live in our body—without paying attention to what sensations arise in our bodies we are mostly thoughts, content, and analysis with no grounding in our authentic feelings. Our bodies tell us when we are proud or elated, when we may be making a decision that isn’t truly aligned with our values, and when something or someone isn’t safe to bring our vulnerability to.
the lymbic system & staying emotionally safe
We have an intricate system that has evolved over time—the limbic system. I’d go into the neurobabble but instead I’ll try to keep this short and concise: Certain regions of the limbic system, which is connected to the nervous system, are focused on two things: detecting potential threats and keeping us safe. If at any second (actually milli-seconds) the brain detects any potential threat, which induces a fear response, our bodies adapt by fighting, freezing, fleeing. The behaviors in which we subjectively act on fear-based responses are varyingly different and can often overlap. In the same way that these are subjective, so are our experiences of what we perceive as threatening.
Here are examples of what threat response may appear as:
Fighting - we use our bodies to physically protect or fight against and may engage physically with the environment or we increase the prosody in our voices to appear bigger, more intimidating to others.
Freezing - we may dissociate and disconnect from reality, or the overwhelming experience, by turning inward which is inherently protective. We may become still, quiet, shutdown, or numb.
Fleeing - we (quite literally) move away, ignore, or distance ourselves.
“Be gentle with your body. It has endured challenges only you know about”
soothing the nervous system
As I write this out, I am overwhelmed by thinking I need to condense this into a neat box in order to provide help or comfort to you, the reader. In reality, there is no ONE thing, action, resource we need to help ourselves when feeling overwhelmed, emotionally dysregulated, highly anxious or chronically stressed—instead, it is a multitude and ever changing combination of things. You read that right, it’s several resources that can change throughout time. Because what worked last week with one experience may not work this week with another, but if we have a variety of different supports that are available, effective, and helpful all we need to do is remember they are there for us to choose and connect to.
If you are reading this and are thinking how do I know what soothes me or you are unsure what helps you, I’d like to invite you to do the following:
Find a space that you feel comfortable in (this part is important because whether we know this or not, your body is picking up on all stimulus through your senses and making instant connections regarding your safety!)
If you feel at ease and engaged you can move to the next step.
Write (yes, get it out of your mind and onto paper!) out the people, places, objects, resources that make you feel soothed, at ease, and supported. There is no expectation here to make this list long, be honest with yourself here.
Next, write the events, circumstances, people, that have caused you increased distress recently.
If you can, try to remember what you did after those stressful experiences to soothe yourself. Check to see if what you did or chose to do to soothe your nervous system aligns with the list you made in step 2. If they do not, think about what made it difficult to choose the things that help you, or add them to the list if they were helpful.
Revisit this list and add to it as much as you want to!
Be gentle with your body. It has endured challenges only you know about. With the support of all those resources, you will know when it feels safe and soothed and then you can connect with gratitude for all that your body does for you.
Gaby Ramos is passionate about the process of becoming and knowing oneself and she believes that as our self awareness increases, the quality of our communication improves; fostering self-esteem, confidence, and resiliency in our relationships. She is mindful of the unfolding process in the present moment and take a gentle yet active approach in helping individuals recognize and embrace a genuine experience of self. As you collaborate, she will support and help guide you in being an embodied participant of your present emotions.
Gaby brings her inherent values of cultural awareness and diversity to the room with her. She works from a relational, culturally sensitive, and embodied perspective. As a highly sensitive person and former national and international professional performer, she strongly enjoys helping individuals access their creative potentials.
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