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Writer's pictureYin-Yee Yip

Thank you Nervous System

Why on earth would I need to thank my nervous system?

Our nervous system is the command centre for our body, controlling our movements, thoughts, and our memories. It originates in our brain and moves throughout our body, sending signals to and from our cells and simultaneously receives information from the world around you. These nerves interpret the received information and determine a response, at times automatically if it identifies the external environment as presenting a threat. The challenge of our nervous system interpreting and responding to perceived threat, is that it is unable to differentiate between an emotional threat or a physical threat and responds in the exact same way, preparing the body for survival; flight, fight or flee.


For anyone who has an experience of trauma in their life, especially when something occurred that was too much, too fast, or too soon, and/or inescapable, your nervous system responded in a way to helped you survive but may continue to respond instinctually with any similarly perceived threat. This is to acknowledge that your nervous system is incredibly effective and efficient at helping you stay alive but may be impacting you now in a way that you find intrusive and affecting your quality of life negatively.


For anyone who experienced trauma over a prolonged period of time, or as part of their profession/career experienced multiple traumatic events, there is a cumulative impact to this experiencing. The developer of Somatic Experiencing, Dr. Peter A. Levine, describes the experience of trauma, as flooding your system with adrenaline to help mobilize your body in a survival response. Once the threat is removed, in an ideal situation, the individual would be moved to an environment of safety, and supported to release that pent-up adrenaline to complete the cycle of activation. Trauma remains when there is no environment of safety, and/or the threat remains, and then continued experiencing of trauma accumulates until the nervous system is in a constant state of adrenaline and cortisol; your body's stress hormone, and you function until you cannot anymore because all of your body's resources and energy is directed to suppressing all of that accumulated trauma. The profession of frontline workers, police, military, children protective services, mental health clinicians, individuals in abusive relationships, children in abusive households, etc. just to name a few examples of individuals who may remain in a state of arousal due to their ongoing experience of threat without any relief/reprieve of safety.


Somatic Experiencing with a skilled practitioner allows for supported release of accumulated trauma. Somatic complaints is often a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD symptom) from gastrointestinal upset, headaches, migraines, muscle tension/tightness/strain, as a few examples. This is not to discount real injuries and chronic pain, but these may also be exacerbated by trapped energy being held in certain parts of your body, on account of how you physically experienced your trauma. The goal is to restore mind-body connection and building body attunement which will allow for freed up energy in your body to be devoted to more pleasurable pursuits and improved day-to-day functioning and interpersonal relationships.

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