The Nervous System
This System is activated in fight/flight
The Sympathetic Nervous System
The vessel in which we express our emotions
The muscles
The 4 Trauma Responses
Fight, Flight, Freeze, & Fawn
the release of the body’s holding pattern of a person’s psychological experiences both in the conscious and unconscious mind
An emotional release
The Activates a Freeze Response
True or False: Neuroception is the process by which we voluntarily and consciously search our environment for cues of danger
False. The process in which our neural circuits are reading cues of danger in our environment is neuroception. Through this process of neuroception, we are experiencing the world in a way in which we are involuntarily scanning situations and people to determine if they are safe or dangerous.
As part of our autonomic nervous system, this process is happening without us even being aware that it is happening. Just as we are able to breathe without having to intentionally tell ourselves to take a breath, we are able to scan our environment for cues without telling ourselves to do so.
During Trauma this part of the brain shutsdown that is linked to processing and reasoning
The Prefrontal Cortex
This is contagious (not a germ!) and will determine the outcome of any given interaction.
Regulation/emotions
What are the two main branches of the ANS
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
The WORST thing a massage therapist can do during an emotional release
Withdrawal
After trauma, when the brain responses to sensory input that is similar to something experienced during the trauma
A Trigger
An emotional response to an unbearable and overwhelming experience that has a lasting effect on the brain and body
Trauma
The hormone that is lowered by safe touch
Cortisol
To stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, and cause a person to relax do you want the inhales to be longer than the exhales, or the exhales to longer than the inhales?
Slower respiration rates and longer exhalations physically and tonically stimulate the vagus nerve. Therefore, to help a person relax, you want the exhales to be longer than the inhales. Longer exhalations are an easy way to hack the vagus nerve, combat fight-or-flight stress responses, and improve HRV.
Fill in the blanks. Negative childhood experiences can set our brains to constantly feel _______ and ____
a) overstimulated / excited
b) stressed / overwhelmed
c) danger / fear
Negative childhood experiences can set our brains to constantly feel danger and fear
A Chronic, Involuntary, and Defensive pattern throughout the body
Armoring
What are the three parts, and their descriptors, of the ANS ladder?
Ventral Vagal - safe and social
Sympathetic - mobilized and fight/flight
Dorsal Vagal (parasympathetic) - immobilized and collapsed
What happens to the pupils of the eye during the fight-or-flight response?
They dilate to allow more light to enter the eye
The adrenal glands release what as part of the fight-or-flight response?
Cortisol
Sweat
Serotonin
Cortisol
Categorize the following under the correct label (fight / flight / freeze).
Fight:
Flight:
Freeze: