Would you believe me if I said that your autonomic nervous system operates much like a ladder?? Neuroception is a newish, fancy term for the body’s ability to detect risk outside of our conscious awareness and shifting the body up and down the ladder to respond to this risk (Porges, 2011).
Let me put it another way; Trauma is largely a physiological response to danger. Mammals can adjust to safety and danger, by shifting to various states of autonomic system.
There are 3 main steps on our metaphoric ladder:
Top step is the safe and social step - this is where the heart and facial muscles connect. This step unlocks pro social behavior, eye contact, touch and playfulness. In this state we are safe and happy to connect and socialize.
As we go down the ladder, we enter the flight and fight step - this is where the limbs come into play. This happens when there’s a perception of threat.
At the bottom of the ladder lies the shut down or freeze mode- we utalise the system that’s in our gut - this step unlocks the freeze mode.
In healthy neuroception the nervous system shifts accurately to the correct level of threat. However in an unhealthy state of neuroception- the body does not respond accurately to the level of danger. Ie does not raise red flags when it needs to or it overreacts to minor threats.
Chronic trauma can lead to us being “stuck” in the lower part of our autonomic ladder.
If you recognize in yourself a sense of being “stuck” lower on your ladder - consider seeing a therapist who will help you move through that stuckness and move towards top of your ladder - the safe and social part 🌺🌺
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