03/31/2026
While on Instagram one day I saw a Threads post stating that if their therapist uses the words nervous system that is a red flag.
My first reaction was confusion. I assumed the person who posted this was from the United States so possibly therapists where they live should not be discussing nervous system in session. I looked through some of the comments and there wasn’t further explanation of what they meant. Though, there were other people agreeing with them.
Siting with my reaction further and comparing my own lived experience maybe their therapist did not have any education in neuroscience. I have a degree in neuroscience and mental health, so I am not weary of using the words nervous system.
Here is my own concise definition of the nervous system. I will reference Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (2023). There will be some things I will be leaving out.
The nervous system comprises all the nerve cells in the body. These nerves are connected and make a system. This system helps us interpret the outside world by our senses collecting information and this same system controls the body’s functioning. These nerve cells or neurons have a particular structure to be able to pass along signals neuron to neuron.
I am touching my keyboard to type every word you are reading. My fingertips do not have damaged nerve cells, so I feel the heat, since I am on a laptop, and the smooth texture of each key. The neurons by way of me feeling my keyboard, send information quickly to my brain. I use my past experiences, which is stored in my nervous system to interpret this as typing.
Two main parts are the central and peripheral nervous system. They are differentiated due to where it’s located in our body. The central nervous system are the nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is all the nerves outside of these two areas. Within the peripheral nervous system there are the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system. In the autonomic nervous system, which regulates automatic bodily functions like breathing and your heart beating, this is where the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) lies.
The somatic nervous system regulates things we are, usually quite, aware of and can change like the muscles that move our arms.
I hope the term nervous system is less ambiguous. Now with that said, I still wondered how this could be a red flag. Maybe this person’s therapist misused it? I do not want to assume the therapist was doing this maliciously, one because I do not know how one would do that, and two I do not want to assume intent. I am missing so much information!
I have a therapist myself. I do not think the discovery of my therapist misusing a term is something that would stop me from seeing them.
A red flag a therapist could demonstrate in my opinion is one who does not ‘walk the walk’. They are rude, they are not open to feedback, they do not try their best to repair ruptures, they are revealing client’s private information, and they forcefully push their personal beliefs on clients.
Through experience and communication, we can understand if something, if it is not blatantly harmful, is not right for us. Through experiencing things we make errors, make the right decision at the right time or have a neutral result. Through communication, even if uncomfortable, we can get information to make a decision. The way to refine our warning systems is to be curious and to communicate.
Would a therapist using the term nervous system make you worry? Would you communicate that worry to them?
Protecting yourself is neutral: it can be great to listen to that internal warning system we have, or it can be unnecessary. Slowing down will help to figure out which will be most helpful to you.
