Understand Your Nervous System
Today, I want to help you better understand your nervous system.
Deb Dana is a clinician who specializes in the treatment of complex trauma. She helps people to engage with their nervous system by translating Dr. Steven Porges’ Polyvagal theory for clinical and general audiences.
Dr. Porges’ Polyvagal theory of the nervous system involves 3 basic parts - Ventral, Sympathetic, and Dorsal. Dr. Porges notes that the vagus nerve seems responsible for sensations of being safe (ventral-vagal) as well as shut-down (dorsal-vagal.) The Sympathetic nervous system sort of rests between these two branches of the vagus nerve and provides energy to move us. If we are feeling safe, the Sympathetic system provides positive energy, but if we are feeling unsafe, it can lead to Fight or Flight as a way to reestablish a sense of safety. However, if we get to a place of feeling overwhelmed, dorsal-vagal may engage as a way to help us disengage from the overwhelm. The only problem is that it pulls us out of the present and disconnects us from ourselves and others, such that we feel shut down, depressed, immobilized, etc.
Deb Dana uses the analogy of a ladder where Ventral (safe, connected, warm, playful, relational) is at the top, Sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) is in the middle, and Dorsal (shut-down, disconnect) is at the bottom.
None of these parts of your nervous system is “bad.” They just are what they are, and they have developed to help you have a sense of safety and agency in the world. However, some people feel like they are at the mercy of their nervous systems. Sometimes they get hit with anxiety or anger - or totally shut-down - even when they don’t want to. It can feel discouraging to seem so out of control.
Deb Dana says that we can learn from our nervous system, befriend it, and learn how to engage with it in new ways such that it doesn’t control so much of our lives.
One tool she teaches is a mindfulness practice where you process a difficult moment by walking through four themes: React, Return, Respect, Reflect. You can do this through meditation, journaling, or processing with a safe person.
React: Think of a moment where you felt anxiety, anger, or shut-down. This is a moment of either Sympathetic or Dorsal activation. Ask yourself some questions. What happened? What did you feel in your body? And how did your body react?
Return: Notice that you were able to return to a sense of safety again. How does that feel in your body? What helped you return to a sense of safety (Ventral)?
Respect: Offer some respect for how your nervous system was trying to help you in that moment when you got triggered. Don’t shame or fight this part of you. Offer it understanding and compassion.
Reflect: What is there to learn from your experience of getting triggered? What is your body trying to tell you? Is there a way to better care for yourself in the future?
Give this practice a try today. Pick a small moment of activation to process first. Then, in the future, as you get more comfortable with the tool, you can work with more intense moments.
You can check out an 11 min video of Deb Dana talking about Polyvagal theory here. You can also find her book Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory here.
Pay attention to your body today and be a good friend to your nervous system!
Happy to be in your corner,
Tom Page, LCPC
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