Polyvagal theory applied to therapy Your autonomic nervous system writes the history of your life without being aware

Your autonomic nervous system is something like the wiring that connects your brain to your body.. That way your brain can know what's going on down below..

He 80% of these nerve fibers are in charge of carrying information from bottom to top and only the 20% It is descending information., engine.

This means that there is a 80% of nerve fibers constantly sending information from your body to the brain so that it can interpret it.

It's kind of like I'm constantly asking:

Is it safe?

And that's what you ask:

• inside your body: detecting if there is any problem in your internal organs.
• In your environment: looking for safety and danger signs in the places you are.
• In other people: reading gestures and non-verbal language to detect if they are safe for you or not.

If everything indicates that you can be sure, Your nervous system will activate the most evolved branch and your system will be able to connect socially and ask for help if you need it., in addition to being in an optimal state to maintain your health, your growth and repair of damage.

In this state, learning and access to our best qualities is possible..

If your system detects any sign of danger, it will launch the different defense responses it has to return you to safety.. And it will automatically block social engagement (no one and nothing is trustworthy in those states).

Can you imagine the implications this has for things like learning?, the treatment of diseases, to therapy…?

So far so good, However, there is a key that is important to keep in mind..

This security is subjective, It is not a security in absolute terms but it is a perceived security, well the correct term is actually 'neurocepted'’ since we don't even perceive it, goes directly to the brain.

Since this nervous system has been configured during the first years of life through experiences, Different people may have different interpretations of what is safe or unsafe for them..

Therefore we could find very diverse nervous systems., some very developed to respond defensively and get trapped in those states and others however, easily adjustable that are capable of responding in more effective ways to the circumstances that life presents them.

Your nervous system grew up in the same house and went to the same school that you went to..

All of these decisions that our autonomic nervous system makes happen before we can have any control over them.. For that reason, no matter how much you have worked on your behaviors, Although you have tried to control your behaviors, your success may have been limited or temporary..

Modifying these automatic responses requires other ways to which we are accustomed..

Working at the level of the autonomic nervous system requires acquiring detective skills to detect your different states and learn to regulate them.. Practice to tone it and make it more fluid.

The benefit is immense since when your autonomous state changes, your thoughts, emotions and sensations change with it.

Therefore your way of seeing what is happening and relating to it is transformed., giving you access to your creativity, trust, perseverance…

Since the story your brain tells you follows the autonomous state you are in.