Tips to Regulate your Nervous System
How are you doing out there? Hoping you are safe and healthy. I thought I'd drop you a line to let you know what's been helping me to adjust to this novel situation we're all facing (see what I did there?) I also wanted to let you know that I adjusted the online scheduling system so that you may now schedule telehealth somatic experiencing sessions directly from the site. If you are a technophobe, know that entering a telehealth session with the system I use is as simple as clicking a link to a webpage from a device with a camera and microphone (like a phone or laptop.)
You might wonder if doing an SE session from a distance will be as helpful as an in person meeting. While these sessions differ from face to face meetings in many ways, there are benefits to receiving a session in the comfort of your home and at a physical distance. Opportunities to explore nervous system responses in a variety of unique ways open up as a result of being physically alone but still in connection with another. Telehealth work is a helpful adjunct to face-to-face meetings, and from what I've experienced thus far in working with more clients via this channel, I expect I will be suggesting clients combine both types of sessions for optimal results once the safer at home order passes.Here are some practices that have been helpful to me in improving my own regulation of late:
Orienting to pleasure. If you have had any SE sessions with me, you are already familiar with this idea. As I move through my day, I direct my attention to pleasant experiences, like the feeling of warm water as I wash my hands, or the aroma of a home-cooked meal wafting through the house, or how quiet the neighborhood is with less air and road traffic. I might ask myself, "What is working in my life right now?" which orients me to the parts of my life that foster a sense of well-being like having more time to read and play piano, and to bake and do art projects with my daughter.
Presence & Movement. As much as possible, I endeavor to immerse myself in the experience of this moment, rather than imagining a projected future outcome. I do that through multiple channels, such as: meditation, journaling, and the above mentioned practice of orienting to pleasure. Another avenue of accessing awareness has been movement: yoga, dance, workouts, and walks. I've been really mindfully moving... letting the sensations register deeply. When the nervous system perceives threat, it triggers the body to generate energy to fight or to flee. By engaging our bodies in mindful movement during times of stress and perceived threat, we are utilizing the energy that the nervous system has mobilized for our self-protective responses. If we don't burn that energy through movement, a more primitive response, called the immobility response may engage, creating a sense of paralysis and overwhelm. It's like having the gas and the brakes on at the same time, and it is hard on our bodies and minds. Pleasurable, mindful movement does wonders to counter this tendency.
Structure. Our brains are anticipation machines, constantly predicting what will come next and allocating resources to attend to the anticipated future. If we have no structure, we are prone to be in a perpetual defensive orienting response, provoking the release of stress hormones that rev us up as we await the unknown. By introducing routine and structure, the nervous system can settle. Fewer variables increase the perception of safety during times when there are so many external unknowns. One useful structure I have established during this time is mindfulness of when, for how long and from where I access news about our current situation. Now more than ever, it's hard to know whom and what to believe. I won't pretend to be an authority on where to access reliable media, but I seek peer reviewed studies and articles that cite sources in favor of emails my uncle forwarded from friend who works with someone who knows an ER doctor in Italy who posted something in a Facebook group. You know the kind of email I'm talking about. Also, I set aside a time to get current each day. The situation is not evolving so rapidly that I need up to the minute alerts, so why subject my nervous system multiple times a day to the inevitable stress that goes along with reading threatening news?
Connection and Expression. I have been having some great deep talks with friends. I've also been playing more music and singing more. These activities engage the ventral vagal response and shift the nervous system out of fight, flight and freeze patterns. I've also been concluding each of my meditation sessions with Metta, a Buddhist practice of sending loving kindness to all living beings throughout the universe. This practice cultivates compassion and a deeper awareness of our interconnectedness. Here is a version of Metta that I love to practice. Although you may feel alone right now, you're not. We are all in this together!
I hope some of that helps. If you are finding you would like additional support beyond the tips in this email, I invite you to schedule a telehealth session with me. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas, and look forward to staying connected.
Warmly,
Joe