This diagram depicts what can be thought of as our resilient zone. Between the blue and red dotted lines is our optimal zone for health and well-being. The green wavy line demonstrates how a regulated nervous system might fluctuate throughout a period of time. A stressor is experienced and our sympathetic nervous system (think of the SNS as  the gas pedal of the nervous system) engages which helps us prepare to act- to fight or flee. When the activating event is over, the parasympathetic nervous system comes on board to calm us down. 

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 If we encounter a  life-threatening or overwhelming event, our parasympathetic nervous system will abruptly come in to try to "save our life" and cause us to freeze or shutdown (when this happens, it is like having the brakes slammed on while at flooring the gas at the same time).  We notice this in the wild when animals "play dead" or freeze in the midst of a predator. It is a wonderful thing that our nervous system is able to react quickly to keep us safe.

 

When our nervous system is well regulated, we are able to navigate life with increased ease and flexibility. We bounce back from stress without much difficulty. We feel connected with others, engaged with life, have the ability to think clearly, critically and creatively with a zest for life. Our overall health is positively impacted when our nervous system is functioning well.

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However, when our bodies can no longer handle stress efficiently (usually due to overwhelming trauma, chronic stress, chronic pain, or an accumulation of unresolved traumas over time) we start having a whole host of unwanted symptoms and conditions. We are cast out of our resilient zone and get stuck either in "fight/flight" or "freeze/shutdown". We may find ourselves fluctuating  between the two - being anxious, tense, and irritable for a period of time and then collapsing into depression, lacking in motivation and feeling disconnected from ourselves and others. All aspects of our lives- physical, emotional, mental and spiritual - can be negatively impacted.  

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Fortunately, there is a remedy and a way to find relief from this spiral of suffering. There are ways to intervene to bring coherence and balance back into your life. That's where I can help.

 

I am a somatic psychotherapist - somatic meaning "relating to the body". I combine a body based approach along with my training in psychotherapy, so my approach is both mind and body. What I have learned from years of personal healing and professional training is that by bringing the nervous system back into regulation, it also brings mental and emotional health back into better balance. When the body is no longer sending distress signals to the brain, the mind can quiet down. When the body is in a state of greater ease, the mind can relax. 

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I've seen this play out time and again. Healing is possible. 

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Contact me today to start your journey to ease and well-being. 

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