23/11/2021
The Involuntary System
I often refer to the ‘Involuntary System’ interchangeably as the unconscious or the non-rational. The Involuntary System according to the ‘National Institutes of Health’ is “the part of the nervous system that controls muscles of internal organs (such as the heart, blood vessels, lungs, stomach, and intestines) and glands (such as salivary glands and sweat glands)”. This dimension of the nervous system is known as the ‘Autonomic Nervous System’ which also helps the flight, fight, freeze mechanisms associated with survival.
Survival can be;
1. Rational (instinctual) which informs that a person’s life is in imminent danger of harm or death; and
2. Non-Rational (conditioned) which causes a person to perceive imminent threat or death when they are in fact, actually safe. A common term for an emotional reaction to a perceived threat is ‘trigger’.
We can sometimes use voluntary actions to override the involuntary systems. I often use the terms ‘conscious’ or ‘rational’ self interchangeably for voluntary systems. For instance, we can purposely blink or hold onto our breath, however, at some point the involuntary actions of blinking and breathing will cut back in. I’ve observed in my own practice and the shared stories of other therapists that, more often than not, we are similarly trying to use voluntary processes to support a client’s involuntary triggers and negative states of being. Consider affirmations, thought replacement, Socratic reasoning, mindfulness, diarizing, time in nature or just being alone. These are examples of voluntary interventions.
A person’s will power, desire to be well and environment can often predict some degree of benefit obtained from voluntary interventions. On some occasions there can be breakthroughs and salient moments. Over time however for many, as life does what it does with relationship distresses, redundancies, loss of a loved one etc., a person can become fatigued using voluntary methods to offset involuntary internally ‘charged’ moments. For many, when fatigue meets exhaustion, those involuntary fight, flight and freeze movements will resurface, often to a point of overwhelm. That autonomic nervous system is the constant fall back position.
Many can get to a point where it is like they are fighting to get to the surface and breath in a swimming pool that holds no water. The perception is that there is water all around them and they are destined to drown. Everything and everyone can present as a perceived threat or danger (hyper-vigilance) so symptomatically people develop high anxiety, depression and/or other conditions and make their world so small in order to avoid being harmed.
The art of therapy is to turn off the conditioned survival states and return to instinct. This means directly working with what is trapped in the involuntary system. To return people to a place of instinct and trust in self (internal/secure) rather than fear being used as the primary agent of survival where trust is placed with everything and everybody else (external/insecure).
The Richards Trauma Process works directly with the conditioned states trapped in the involuntary system to return people to a place of instinct by addressing:
1. The negative beliefs about ourselves we take on in early life; and
2. The trapped charge (It’s not over and I’m not safe) from historical distressful events so the autonomic nervous system's fall back position is ‘It’s over and I’m safe now’.
See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOPezA-87nQ
If you’re interested, and would like to find out more about TRTP, please contact Poppy Seed Counselling on 0422 053 522 or email admin@poppyseedcounselling.com to book a free 15 Minute Consult.
Why are health professionals talking about TRTP (The Richards Trauma Process)? Because it's fast, effective and safe. Because it works in just 3 - 4 sessions...
