Nervous System & Polyvagal

Everybody has a nervous system.

The job of the nervous system is to activate, maintain, or deactivate energy through our sense of neuroception to keep us alive.

Our survival depends on our nervous system.

Some folks are born with very sensitive nervous systems.

Others develop sensitive nervous systems in response to life events.

In this moment, this is not good, nor is it bad. It simply is.

(We can talk another time about the way society values or devalues certain nervous system responses. There is plenty to say.)

Some of the images below use the colors red, yellow/orange, and green.

Red is not bad, nor is it good.

Yellow/orange is not bad, nor is it good.

Green is not good, nor is it bad.

They simply are.

What your nervous system experiences as “red” may be experienced by someone else’s nervous system as “green” or “yellow.”

This is not wrong or bad. It is simply information.

The purpose of my sharing this information is to equip you with tools and/or language to understand the way your body-mind responds to different types of stimuli (“stuff”).

“Neuroception” describes the “felt sense” of safety and danger.

This is called the “window of tolerance.” Some folks dislike the name, stating that the job of a nervous system is not merely to tolerate.

Nervous system responses through the “attachment style” lens.

Hope this helps, and take good care!