I vividly remember a conversation with my Mum at a really early age about something I didn’t understand in school, and she encouraged me to ask more questions “If you don’t get it, it’s likely that others won’t too”.
Tag: #nervoussystemregulation Page 3 of 5
If you haven’t been taught, or you’ve spent a long time disconnected, how would you know what “being in your body” actually means? What does it look like?
These ideas can be a bit abstract and mystical.
Here are 5 simple steps which might allow you to gently and gradually notice and inhabit your physical body.
The three R’s
These three steps come from Bruce Perry, a neuroscientist working in the field of trauma, and are offered as a guide for how adults can best support vulnerable children to learn, think and reflect. But I see absolutely no reason why these steps should be saved for children only.
PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS
If we view the physical manifestations of stress, fear and anxiety with an evolutionary lens (i.e that our nervous systems are preparing us to fight or flee in response to a perceived threat) then naturally the clever human system has an effective process of discharging these physiological changes (using up stress hormones etc). The whole point of the threat state is the system preparing you to fight for your rights or run for your life) so the body anticipates movement.
When we run, dance, hug or laugh we send a very simple and clear message through our whole system: not only am I safe in this moment, I am thriving. The system rewards us by increasing our capacity to engage, share, learn and love.
We can learn to send the same messages through the system in any moment via our breath.
My favorite definition of Embodiment comes from Hillary McBride, in The Wisdom of your Body, who describes it as:
the experience of being a body in a social context
Dr Hillary McBride
It can be helpful to know that your reactions, behaviour, emotional responses and thought patterns in any moment will likely occur much faster than you can control with any positive thinking or snazzy distraction technique. Its really helpful to have strategies available, but the truth is, your experience is determined much less via conscious choice and much more by your early experience and the way your nervous system learned to respond to the world.
We rely on our senses to pick up on cues of danger or safety in our environment. Much of this happens out of our conscious awareness. A smell, even if it’s fleeting or faint, can quickly whip us far away from the present moment into a thousand different places, stories created from memories of long ago. Sometimes these places are kind, familiar, warm and safe. Sometimes less so.
There is lots of information and discussion out there about mindfulness and the impact that learning to be more present and in the moment, has on our health.