The Nervous System & Your Healing Journey

If you're on a healing journey, you’ve undoubtedly heard a ton about the nervous system and polyvagal theory, and you're probably looking for ways to heal and regulate your own system. In this article I’ll explain the nervous system in a way you can understand, why you should care about it, and how you can actually care for it.

Like most popular approaches to healing and wellness, nervous system regulation can feel like the magic elixir that offers the ultimate healing modality, if only you could just figure out how to do it…
Before we dive in, let me offer a gentle reminder: Healing doesn't happen all at once. Healing is actually the practice of a lifetime. 

Learning to regulate your nervous system is not something you 'do' and then check it off your to-do list. It is a skill you learn to practice and use on your healing journey.

In this article I'm going to help you understand what the nervous system is, demystify polyvagal theory, and provide a list of tools you can use to start using today, to start regulating your nervous system.

Ready? Let's dive in!

What is the Nervous System?

The nervous system is your body's command center. It governs everything from your heartbeat to your digestion and gut health, your sexual energy, thoughts and feelings. It's even connected to your spiritual experiences!  This miraculous system is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves that connect throughout your body. It has two main parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

The Central Nervous System

The CNS includes your brain and spinal cord. It processes information from your senses, produces thoughts and emotions, and sends signals to your body. This is where everything we experience is processed and interpreted.

The Peripheral Nervous System

The Peripheral Nervous System acts as the bridge between your CNS and the rest of your body, utilizing a complex network of nerves. It is further subdivided into the somatic nervous system, for voluntary actions, and the autonomic nervous system (ANS), for involuntary processes such as breathing, digestion, and stress responses. The ANS is the part of the nervous system you are probably the most familiar with; it contains three distinct divisions: sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric.

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for activating the body's fight or flight response in times of stress or danger.

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for conserving and replenishing energy in the body, aka ‘rest and digest mode’.

The Vagus Nerve

The vagus nerve is the compassionate messenger between your mind, heart, body and soul. Revered as the 'wandering nerve,' it plays a pivotal role in regulating the autonomic nervous system, particularly influencing the parasympathetic branch, which is akin to a loving, nurturing energy that whispers to your body, "It's okay, you can relax now."  Think of it as a friend who reminds you to breathe deeply during a moment of stress or helps you feel grounded amidst the chaos of daily life.

The Polyvagal Theory

Polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, provides a map of your nervous system, and illustrates how you unconsciously navigate connection and disconnection, safety and stress, in your relationships and in your life. This theory helps us understand the mind-body-spirit connection, the way our bodies respond to stress, and offers guidance for soothing and regulating our system. 

The polyvagal theory focuses on two components of your nervous system: the ventral vagal system and the dorsal vagal system, and can be envisioned like a ladder with the dorsal vagal state at the bottom, and the ventral vagal state at the top.

Depending on the state of your nervous system, you may experience different states such as:

• Ventral vagal state, also known as the social engagement system : This is a state of calm and relaxation where we feel safe and connected.

• Sympathetic state, also known as fight or flight mode: In this state, our system perceives danger, leading to increased heart rate, anxiety, and alertness.

• Dorsal vagal state, also known as the freeze response: This state is triggered by extreme stress or perceived life threat, resulting in feelings of disconnection, numbness, and dissociation.

The Polyvagal Ladder

Understanding the polyvagal ladder is like being handed a map to navigate your inner emotional landscape. The top of the ladder represents the ventral vagal state, the place where you feel most connected and at peace. It's like a warm, sunny day of the soul, where everything feels just right. Here, in this state, you're able to engage with others and feel safe and social.

As we descend the ladder, we encounter the sympathetic state, activated during stress or threat. This is where your 'fight or flight' responses kick in—it's like your body's internal alarm system is blaring, preparing you for action. This is when you are in protection mode.

At the bottom, the dorsal vagal state reflects the 'freeze' response, akin to pressing the pause button on your emotions when they feel too overwhelming. Here, it's as if your body is conserving energy, asking for a moment of respite. This might feel like being stuck or shut down, but it's another aspect of your incredible system trying to keep you safe.

Visualizing this polyvagal ladder can help you locate yourself at any given moment on your healing journey. Each step on the ladder offers unique insights and tools for climbing back to the top—slowly, purposefully, and with compassion.

Learning to track and tend to these nervous system states is an invaluable tool on your healing journey, and one of the first tools you will learn when you work with one of our therapists for individual therapy here at The Holistic Counseling Center.

How to Regulate Your Nervous System

Hopefully you are feeling a bit more confident in understanding your nervous system, and inspired about how to start caring for it. Learning to regulate your nervous system is a process and a practice, so be patient, kind and compassionate with yourself as you learn. Here are some practical tools you can start using today to practice regulating your nervous system:

• Practice mindfulness: Being mindful of your thoughts, feelings, breath and body plays a key role in tending to your nervous system. Pay attention to how your body responds to different situations and engage in grounding techniques such as deep breathing or meditation.

• Deep breathing exercises: Sometimes the breath has a bigger influence over our mental health than our thoughts. Learning how to change your thought patterns, emotions and overall nervous system functioning with the breath is a powerful tool. Breathing can influence your parasympathetic response, helping you feel calm and relaxed.

• Somatic movement: The mind and body are intricately connected, so incorporating movement into your self-care routine is essential for regulating the nervous system. Yoga, dance, or any form of gentle exercise can help release tension and bring more calm into your world.

• Havening Techniques: Havening involves gentle, therapeutic touch that offers nourishment to your system. This approach, based on neuroscience, helps to 'de-traumatize' the memory associated with stressful events and shift the brain towards more positive and peaceful states. It can be a powerful tool on your path to regulating your nervous system, offering another layer of support as you work to create a sense of safety and tranquility within. Whether applied with the guidance of one of our therapists or as a self-help strategy, Havening adds a deeply comforting and accessible option to your regulation repertoire.

• Prioritize Rest: Getting enough rest is vital for the nervous system to repair and regenerate. Make sure to prioritize quality sleep and take breaks when needed throughout the day.

• Working with a holistic therapist: Remember, you don't have to go through this alone. Don't be afraid to reach out for support. All of our therapists incorporate mindfulness and somatic modalities for healing and can help you learn skills for regulating your nervous system.

Learn How To Regulate Your Nervous System With Holistic Therapy

Your nervous system is the operating system for your life - the super conductor between your mind, body, heart and spirit. I truly believe that learning how to keep ourselves regulated and being able to track our nervous system states is one of the primary tools we need on the healing journey.

My personal healing journey has been supported by working with a holistic therapist to help me unearth my own unconscious programming and responses, and a daily spiritual practice (a combination of mindfulness, meditation, yoga asana and motherhood).

If you are tired of feeling stuck in survival mode and ready to thrive, we'd love to support you. 

Here at The Holistic Counseling Center, our licensed therapists offer compassionate and effective psychotherapy to help you make lasting changes in your life. 

We are currently accepting new clients for online counseling anywhere in California, and in-person therapy at our office in El Dorado Hills (just minutes from Folsom and short drive from Sacramento). 

If you’re ready to get started, you can book a complimentary consultation call to learn more about our practice and get matched with one of our therapists.

We look forward to supporting you!

-Kim

References:

Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Dana, D. (2020). Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices. W. W. Norton & Company.

Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.

Johnson, K. A. (2020). Call of the Wild: How We Heal Trauma, Awaken Our Own Power, and Use It For Good. Harper Wave.

Meet Kim

Kim Burris is a licensed holistic psychotherapist, founder of The Holistic Counseling Center, and author of ‘The First 90 Days After Birth.’

She honors the mind, body, spirit connection and offers evidence-based treatment with a heart centered approach, integrating the depth of western psychology with the heart and soul of eastern mysticism.

Kim and her team currently offer holistic counseling to individuals in El Dorado Hills, CA and online. Click HERE to book a no-cost consultation call.