05/12/2025
Our body is constantly on alert:
“Am I safe? Can I relax?”
According to the polyvagal theory, there is what is called a neural sense of safety, a state in which our nervous system believes there is no danger.
This is not a thought, but a biological reaction: the vagus nerve, breathing, heart rate, and hormone system working together in a finely tuned interaction.
Slow, conscious touch supports this state.
It helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system and sends signals to the body such as:
“You are safe now. You can relax.”
This is the same neural mechanism that creates the experience of trust.
Trust is not a decision, but a physiological process: when the body relaxes, the shoulders drop, breathing deepens, and the nervous system no longer scans for threats.
A well-held space, with gentle touch and presence, does more than calm, it creates a state of trust naturally, without pressure, through biological processes.
This is how the body works:
Where there is safety, trust emerges.
And where trust exists, true relaxation begins.
