09/04/2024
From my recent Newsletter
How safe our bodies feel determines how we can respond to treatment.
This insight is from the work of Stephen Porges and his Polyvagal Theory.
His work looked at the activity inside the body called the autonomic nervous system. How we respond to the outside world will be influenced by the setting of this nervous system. In short: we respond differently if we are stressed or relaxed. This theory has become hugely helpful in Trauma and Psychological Therapies.
This Autonomic Nervous System is like a traffic light.
Green - Safe mode: relaxed, open socially engaged, and adaptive.
Amber - Unsafe mode: mobilised for action, anxious, determined, and fight or flight.
Red- Deeply unsafe: immobilised, total shut-down, and in shock.
In life we shift between these modes, often using social engagement to help us shift.
Humans and other mammals are dependent on social engagement for growth and survival, so it makes sense for a large part of the brain to be dedicated to this. The parts of our brain that control facial expression, tone of voice, receptivity to hear human speech, and digestion are intricatley connected. So when we are in the amber or red mode we find it hard to hear or understand instructions, and a smile may be unhelpful. This is why we talk with friends or loved ones to help us move between the states – ultimately aiming for states of Safe and Unsafe and away from Deeply unsafe. Because these body states or emotional states are not logical to others; if I said to someone “it is ONLY a driving test!”, that would not shift them from feeling Deeply unsafe to feeling Safe.
People come to osteopaths because they want something to change, usually pain.
•In the clinic I look to see what is causing the pain or discomfort.
•Then I look to see if the patient is safe/relaxed enough to allow their bodies to make the changes for themselves or allow me to make changes for them.
•Then we work together, sometimes with more talk or teaching or calming treatment or more action such as exercise or manipulation.
