Traumatic experiences can have profound effects on the mind and the body leaving lasting imprints that impact our physical and mental health.
"Trauma is not what happens to us, trauma is what happens inside of us, when what happens to us, happens" Dr Gabor Mate
Human stress response is basic at its root level, we all have an immediate response, such as Fight - Flight - Freeze or Fawn, but will also oscillate between them all, depending on how fast or slow we can regain our capacity for logic & rational.
Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, explains how our autonomic nervous system (ANS) responds to perceived safety or threat, impacting our social behaviour, emotions, and physical state.
The polyvagal ladder in the above diagram presents us with a traffic light sequence for us to easily identify which Vagal State we are in, It also highlights the role of the vagus nerve in regulating these responses and proposes a hierarchy of three neural circuits that govern our reactions.
Green, Ventral vagal - Safety (social engagement),
Amber, Sympathetic - Danger (fight/flight)
Red, Dorsal vagal Danger & Collapse. (immobilisation/freeze).
The Body Keeps The Score, a book written by Dutch-American psychiatrist, author, researcher and educator, Professor Bessel Van der Kolk explores relationships and overall psychological and physiological well-being using the neuroscience behind trauma, and explaining how it disrupts crucial areas of the brain, body and nervous system, affecting everything from memory and emotion regulation to immune function.
Professor Van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of recognizing and treating the complex effects of trauma; not only the visible symptoms, but the deeper disruptions to self-perception, attachment styles, and developmental processes.
Kaizen coaching offers insights into innovative therapeutic approaches, which aid in processing traumatic memories, rebuilding secure bonds, and reclaiming a cohesive sense of self.
At Kaizen Wirral Mindset CiC we have combined both practical & theoretic elements of Polyvagal Theory with The body keeps the score into an easy to understand traffic light sequence and overlaid the Thriving or Surviving Life State Pyramid into a single diagram which, again, you can see above.
When we are living in a Stress State (Sympathetic) or a Distress State (Dorsal vagal) we are maladaptive and living in a Survival Life Pyramid.
When we are living in a Safety State (Ventral vagal) we are adaptive and living in a Thriving Life Pyramid.
"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless and intelligence cannot be applied"