Exploring the “Swirly” Nature of our Nervous System

One of the most exciting things for me about the brain and the nervous system is that we just keep learning more about what it is, what it does, and how it operates – unveiling this intricate web of complexities that govern our inner world.

What has particularly intrigued me lately is that within our autonomic nervous system, we exist in multiple states of activation simultaneously at any given moment … It challenges the conventional notion that we’re merely in one state or another. Instead, various patterns of activation coexist within us, like a symphony of responses to our ever-shifting perceptions.

And so as I feel into my body, and as I move through the world, I’ve been trying to find a word that really encapsulates this dynamic experience, and the word that I’ve landed on is “Swirly.”

Picture it like a fluid dance … As we navigate through life, our perceptions ebb and flow, influencing our states of activation in the autonomic nervous system. These states, in turn, mirror our conscious and subconscious thoughts, constantly shifting and morphing, much like a beautiful, ever-changing swirl … so cool!

Consider this….

….your perception can trigger sympathetic arousal, where you feel capable of tackling a challenge, and simultaneously, another part of you may go into a dorsal response, expressing uncertainty. Then, in the next moment, your perception might change, evoking a sense of safety and ventral activation.

This ever-present movement and transition in response to your perceptions make the nervous system “swirly” (…this is the word I’m playing with, and you may have a different word )

I invite you to join me in this exploration of our inner worlds this month … Take a moment to feel your own states of activation and get curious about the internal dual states that reside within you.