The number one goal when working with a somatically based trauma psychotherapist is to restore or gain healthy self-regulation. Regulation, in this case, means having control over our emotions, impulses, and body states in order to maintain a healthy balance. That means being able to up-regulate from states of depression, sadness, fatigued, or spacey, down-regulate from states of panic, anxiety, and stress, and resist impulsive behavioral urges that may make the situation worse.
Processing the painful memories that may have brought you to therapy in Dallas could actually do more harm than good if you aren’t able to do this.
Processing your story + regulation = healing
Thankfully, our bodies are designed to keep us in balance. The autonomic nervous system works all of the time without our conscious knowledge to keep our energy levels and emotions in equilibrium and manage our threat responses. The problem comes in when these responses are out of sync with our environments.
- Fight or Flight
When the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, our emotional responses can be totally out of proportion to the situation at hand.
There is no bear. There is no serial killer. We are just trying to check out at the grocery store or study for a test or talk with a friend we haven’t seen in a while. And yet, our hearts are going a million miles a minute, we can’t catch a breath to save our lives, sweat is pouring down our backs, our hands are trembling and going a little numb, and everything is going fuzzy. Suddenly, anxiety is screaming at you to get out!
This is our bodies doing their best to try to protect us. Some past learning experiences are telling you at a subconscious level that there is danger. Some external or internal stimulus has become a trigger for the fear response even when we are perfectly safe in the present moment.
- So, What Can We Do?
The cool thing about our bodies is that while these processes happen automatically, we can also take over using the power of our breath and bodies to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Rest and Digest
When the parasympathetic system is activated, everything opens up. Our muscles relax, our heart rates and breathing slow down, and our minds and vision expand. We can access connection, creativity, and critical thinking. In this state, our bodies are at ease.
By harnessing the power of our breath or moving our bodies in supportive ways, we can anchor ourselves into a deep sense of safety and peace even amidst chaos or stressful situations. We can get to the eye of the storm.
- How Will Your Therapist Help?
When people are easily and often dysregulated, the best way to change this pattern is through co-regulation with a safe other. This knowledge means your trauma therapist in Dallas will first model regulation for you and then regulate with you until, finally, you can self-regulate all on your own. They will teach you tons of tools and techniques to be able to self-rescue when overwhelmed or triggered and practice over and over again in session with you. Just like any other skill in life, regulation takes practice, so you will also need to practice in your life between sessions as well.
When you know how to activate your parasympathetic nervous system effectively, you have the power to make space for your physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts and act in a way that is in alignment with your values. You can change unhealthy patterns. And you can safely work through some of the painful stuff that brought you to therapy in the first place. Regulation first, then everything else.
So now that you understand just how important self-regulation is, it may be time to connect with one of our therapists at AUM Integral Wellness. Give us a call.
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