Transcription
Hi everyone, and welcome to another coffee talk. Today, I want to talk about something that I find particularly fascinating: the connection between the polyvagal theory, the limbic system, and how it affects our well-being.
You see, our nervous system is constantly working to keep us safe. Think of it like a radar; it's constantly scanning the environment to make sure that we're safe and sending signals throughout our body based on what it perceives.
You see, when we feel safe and secure, our nervous system naturally relaxes, allowing us to connect with others and enjoy life. However, when the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotions, memory, and evaluating safety, is impaired, we can get stuck in survival mode. It's like having a faulty alarm system that's a bit too oversensitive and sends threat signals basically throughout our entire brain, and it's misinterpreting non-threatening stimuli as extremely dangerous.
Now, this affects many systems of our body, not just our brain. And if the brain remains in a high-alert state, the body will chronically release stress hormones that affect the autonomic nervous system (that's like automatic body functions), the immune system (so that's our protection against disease), and the endocrine system (that's our hormone production).
So, let's look beyond the physical symptoms for a moment and explore how this threat response affects us emotionally. I mean, it really makes sense that if we're stuck in a threat response, that we will be stuck in emotions related to fear and feeling unsafe.
Now, this is where the polyvagal theory comes in. Developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, the polyvagal theory is a concept that explains how our nervous system responds to different situations, especially when it comes to emotions. It suggests that our nervous system has three different states that I can switch between based on how safe or how threatened we feel.
This is visualized as different rungs on a ladder. And at the top of the ladder is the ventral vagal state. This is the safe and social state, where we feel safe and connected. Now, our vagus nerve communicates calming signals to allow us to relax, digest food properly, socially engage with others, and to freely experience emotions.
The middle rung of that ladder is called the sympathetic state, and you've heard of that fight-or-flight state. This is a state when we perceive a threat, and our nervous system revs up, preparing us to either confront the danger or run away. And our body gears up for action, increasing our heart rate and breathing to help us respond to this. And this is a normal response to immediate threats, but if it's triggered too often, you can understand how that would be exhausting.
Finally, on the bottom rung of the ladder, we find the dorsal vagal state. Now, this is the freeze state. And if the threat feels overwhelming, our nervous system may shut down as a last resort. And this can manifest as feeling dissociated, or feeling numb, or even physically collapsing.
Understanding these three states of the polyvagal ladder is important because with limbic system impairment, it can alter the messages that the vagus nerve is sending. The brain's alarm system is stuck in high alert, affecting the way that all communication is delivered throughout the entire body, including the communication signals to and from the vagus nerve.
So, what, what can we do? Well, the good news is that by actively engaging in the five pillars of the of the DNRS program, we can send cues of safety to our brain and nervous system, allowing for a neurological reset that regulates threat responses. Through understanding how the brain and nervous system are involved in chronic and complex illnesses and implementing daily exercises that help help cool down overactive threat centers in the limbic system, we can regulate survival responses and rewire neural circuits for healthier and more adaptive responses.
Now, here's an example of how limbic system impairment is connected to the polyvagal theory. Let's take Shelly, for example. Shelly is a mother of two school-aged children and suffers from various symptoms included with limbic system impairment. On top of brain fog and feeling chronically tired, she also suffers from chronic pain and sensory sensitivities.
Now, part of her perfect storm in developing limbic system impairment involved injuries that she sustained in a car accident. Her limbic system is absolutely stuck in a trauma response, and rather than adapting to changing conditions and being able to relax and enjoy driving, she's always fearful that something bad might happen. Even with a short drive to drop her children off at school, she finds that her breathing is rapid and her heart is racing. Shelly is clearly in a sympathetic response or fight-or-flight state while driving.
Now, one morning, when she was driving her children to school, Shelly suddenly saw bright flashing lights and heard the wailing sounds of an ambulance approaching quickly behind her. Her sensory input was so bright and loud and intense that she could barely stand it. She quickly pulled over and covered her ears while the ambulance passed, but by this time, she was feeling quite distressed and panicked. It's as if she almost felt detached from herself, like she was on the outside looking in.
This stress of driving and the bright flashing lights and loud sounds of the siren were overwhelming to her. Shelly had moved into a freeze response where she felt disassociated and shut down, known as the dorsal vagal state. And almost like on automatic pilot, she continued to drive and dropped her children off, but by the time she got back home, she was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. She needed to immediately go back to bed and sleep for four hours, and after she woke up, she still felt exhausted, her pain was flaring, and she didn't know how she would manage the rest of her day.
Now, Shelly's limbic system is obviously stuck in a threat response, and instead of transitioning into a state of calm and secure state, she constantly feels overwhelmed, in pain, and drained. Rather than utilizing energy for healing and growth, her body directs it towards defensive reactions. Shelly seldom experiences the relaxed and connected state associated with the ventral vagal state, and due to the impairment in her limbic system, she frequently oscillates between feeling ready to fight or flee or completely shutting down in a freeze response.
Now, the beautiful thing is that the vagus nerve is a two-way communication highway between the brain and body, and we can provide ourselves with cues of safety through the thoughts that we think, through the emotions that we entertain, or the behaviors that we choose to engage in. And through simple practices like deep breathing, humming, laughing, yawning, singing, or even self-hugging gestures, we can help transmit signals of safety through the vagus nerve to the brain and body, allowing us to move up the polyvagal ladder towards a calmer state.
In addition to these simple tools that transmit a cue of safety, we need to ensure that we are addressing the threat response through implementing the five pillars of recovery using the DNRS program. Shelly could also develop an incremental training plan to address fatigue and sensory sensitivities, improving her energy levels and the ability to handle things like light and sound.
Now, by embracing all aspects of the DNRS program, she can rewire her limbic system's response to threat and regulate her survival instincts, leading to increased energy, reduced sensitivities, and better vagal tone.
I want you to know that if you are feeling overwhelmed by common everyday life stressors and feel like you are stuck in a fight, flight, or freeze response, you're not alone, and there are ways to help your brain's alarm system get back to its best state where you can feel calm, connected, and truly alive.
DNRS is a journey, not a quick fix. By consistently implementing the program, you can gradually retrain your limbic system and regulate your nervous system. With the right tools, consistent effort, and the support of the DNRS community, you can overcome the challenges of limbic system impairment and move towards a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life.