The Basics of Nervous System Activation

This chart is a fantastic visual illustration of the nervous system to help understand the different activation states. As you go higher up in the chart, your nervous system increases in activation, first flipping into fight/flight when we perceive a threat, and then into freeze when we become overwhelmed by our perception of a threat. But there is nothing inherently wrong with being in any of these activation states. They are important mechanisms in our body- ways our nervous system works to keep us safe. The problem happens when we get stuck in a state of nervous system activation, and we lose the ability to flow smoothly and easily between states. A healthy nervous system is able to become activated in the face of a threat and then quickly return to a calm baseline once the threat is gone. A healthy nervous system stays in “rest and digest” mode the majority of the time and only activated when necessary. Responding to a threat with a fight or flight or freeze state is in fact a sign of a healthy nervous system! It is only when we are chronically stuck- unable to easily come down from these states- that shows disregulation in the nervous system. #nervoussystem #nervousystemhealth #nervoussystemregulation #nervoussystemactivation #somatictherapy #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealththerapist #mentalhealththerapy #bodybasedtherapy #bodyfocusedtherapy #fightflightfreeze #fightorflight #freezemode #flow #nervoussystemflow #flowstate #feelingstuck #polyvagaltheory