Do nervous system regulation techniques really work?
Or are they the spiritual equivalent of drinking every weekend?
And is reliance on these approaches the reason that so many people - who are open to holistic and complimentary approaches - still have anxiety and/or chronic conditions?
Let’s see…
Everyone (well, with the exception of the majority of Western Medicine) is now catching on to the link between emotional and physical health - the mind-body connection - and how a nervous system that is out of whack is the cause of lots of physical symptoms and chronic conditions, and have therefore been promoting and offering lots of ways to “reset” it and “regulate” it.
Things like:
- Cold water/ice bath therapy
- Breathing techniques
- Vagus nerve stimulation
- Grounding/mindfulness exercises
- Tapping
- Using weighted blankets
- Complimentary and holistic therapies like Reiki, Bowen Therapy, Sound Baths etc…
But your nervous system didn’t just fall out of whack all by itself!
The idea of resetting it is a fantastic one - but without giving it a different route to go down, you are just going to find yourself in the same place - again and again and again!
Simply resetting it, without addressing the root cause, isn’t even looking at the problem, nevermind fixing it.
The above techniques can be brilliant, especially if you need something in the moment as they may well get you out of fight or flight and feel better right there and then, but I believe they should be used as complimentary techniques, alongside doing what’s really going to make a fucking difference. By that I mean what is going to put you in control of staying out of fight or flight and feeling good most of the time.
Otherwise, what - do you just keep endlessly going back to these things, every time you feel a bit out of whack?
“Shit, I’m so stressed and overwhelmed. I know, I’ll tap myself silly, list 5 things I can see around me whilst drinking lemon water under a weighted blanket until I feel slightly less stressed.”...
Because, the thing about having all of these techniques shoved in your face all the time is that it gives the perception that a quick fix is all you need and is going to make a difference.
Spoiler alert: it’s not.
These things are the spiritual equivalent of drinking in the evenings or weekends to “relax”, stepping out for a “much-needed” smoke, or going on shopping sprees and calling it therapy…
Okay, so the spiritual/holistic options are healthier and usually good for you in the moment, but don’t be fooled into thinking that relying on them is much better for your emotional health, long-term - not if you aren’t making the changes within your life that stop you getting so stressed and overwhelmed in the first place.
Because many people who avoid properly dealing with this stuff end up with debilitating anxiety or chronic conditions like ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia (and, if you’re reading this, you might already be in one, or both, of these places).
And, for those who are in this category already, there is also the issue (that many people offering the above advice or therapies don’t realise) that when you have been stuck in fight or flight for a prolonged period of time, simply hitting reset will often have no effect and can, in some circumstances, actually push you further into it and make symptoms worse.
Therefore, working on the root cause is absolutely essential to start bringing yourself out of that state of being.
Emotional safety doesn’t happen without living a life that you feel good about.
Then you have advice that does go further but tends to be too generalised and vague…
“Focus on getting more sleep” - well, duh - but it isn’t that easy when you are constantly in a state of hypervigilance - your brain won’t let it happen!
“Exercise” - yep, we all need to move - it’s a massive part of our emotional health. But not everyone wants to do yoga and many people think they hate exercise. Then there are those with chronic conditions who have been taught to believe in “post-exertional malaise”, so they think that doing more physically will result in a crash or a flare up.
“Reduce stress" - again, fucking duh! But there is the question of just HOW one does this!
The answer is quite simple, yet quite complex all at once.
The simple version is to meet your needs and disallow unfair treatment through boundaries as, when you do this, you are no longer suppressing your emotions and parts of yourself.
Instead, you are doing what your emotional brain wants you to do, therefore, it will stop sounding the alarm bells that tell your Hypothalamus to stay in Fight or Flight mode.
This means it can go back to keeping your whole body regulated, which obviously includes your nervous system!
How about that? Nervous system regulation that you are properly in control of!
The more complex part? Well, that’s in the doing, rather than just the theory…
We’re talking about things like knowing what all of your needs are and the practicalities of managing to start meeting them, recognising boundary issues in your everyday life and knowing how to deal with them effectively, tuning into your emotions and learning healthy ways of acknowledging and expressing them…
In other words, learning to break patterns that have served you before but no longer are, and replacing them with habits and a way of being that will absolutely serve you now, in your current life and going forward.
Now, if only there was a handy online programme that you could easily join and work through, at your own pace, which shows you how to do all of this.
Oh, that’s right, there is! I made it!
It’s right here and you can sign up and get instant access, right now: