17/10/2023
To be safe
To be connected
To be active
To rest
Simple but not always easy
The 4 core needs of our nervous system:
1. SAFETY means that the nervous system feels secure, protected, resourced and able to regulate the intensity of emotional, physiological, psychological and relational responses. Safety is about having a stable somatic foundation from which to engage with the world.
When this need is not sufficiently met (embodied), the nervous system adapts through survival strategies/roles to substitute for the lack of safety. Survival means seeking safety in adaptive ways.
When this dynamic becomes ongoing, we experience an internal conflict between 2 opposing needs: the need for safety (still unmet) and the momentum to seek safety in survival ways because that's what the system did for so long.
2. CONNECTION: Humans are social beings, and our nervous system has a profound need for connection. This goes beyond human connection; The nervous system is an interconnected system. It needs to feel itself as part of Nature.
When this need is not met or insufficiently met, the nervous system will perceive the relational field (internal, external) as unsafe and adapt through isolation from Nature or codependency, for example.
3. ACTIVATION (To Be Safely Mobilized). Mobilization of energy, stimulation, excitement, curiosity, play.
4. REST (To Be Safely Deactivated). Relaxation, rejuvenation, rest, sleep, integration
Activation/Deactivation is the core cycle through which our nervous system regulates our inner life. When this cycle is disrupted, the nervous system engages more energy in self-protection.
Healing means the path of restoring and embodying these 4 core needs.
Inside the book Embodied Healing, I offer many trauma and nervous system-informed frameworks and insights to address these 4 needs and build a sustainable healing momentum. Link in bio to get your copy.
Love,
Ally.
