In this blog, I am going to give you a small overview of the nervous system. Why? Because, with a clear understanding of all the different components and how they interact with each other, we can’t determine what ‘state’ we’re in. If we know that we’re in a specific state, we can then use certain processes (mainly breathwork) to move from a sub-optimal state to a more optimal state. But, for today’s blog, we’re just going to outline the main features.
- Sympathetic Nervous System – I view this as my ‘accelerator’. It’s what I need to engage in when I’m in danger. When in danger, it produces adrenaline to increase heart rate and respiration, causing muscles to tense and provide a surge of energy to prepares us for action. The logical/executive functioning part of the brain goes offline to increase the speed of response. This supports the Fight-Fight response.
- Parasympathetic Nervous System – I view this as my ‘brake’ – it’s what I need to do to slow down when I’m in danger AND the fight-flight response above is not safe. Neurochemicals are produced to slow everything down – including heart rate and respiration. You will feel exhausted, weak, shaking and trembling, gut issues and at the extreme end total submission and playing dead. This supports the Freeze response.
The optimal state is a small combination of both – called ‘coherence’. It’s where you maintain a calm, balanced and yet alert state of the nervous system. Yes, it’s the ‘goldilocks’ of the nervous system.
