The nervous system is EVERYWHERE in health conversations right now.
And honestly, I am really glad we’re talking about it.
For so many years people with chronic health problems were told that nothing was wrong because their labs were “normal.” Or that it was just stress. Now we are finally talking about the nervous system, trauma, the vagus nerve, fight or flight, somatic work and all the ways the body can stay on high alert long after we think it should have settled down.
This is important stuff.
But there is something I keep wondering about.
WHY is the nervous system doing this in the first place?
I work with people who can become so sensitive that almost everything seems to bother them. A supplement that is supposed to help makes them feel worse. Foods they’ve eaten forever suddenly don’t agree with them. Sleep gets weird. Digestion changes. Their energy can disappear. Eventually they can become afraid to try anything because they have no idea how their body is going to respond.
I know how easy it is to look at someone like this and say their nervous system needs to calm down.
Maybe.
But what if that nervous system has some very good reasons for being on high alert?
Trauma can absolutely be one of them. Years of emotional wounding can be one of them too. And I think being a deeply sensitive person in a world that can be pretty overwhelming matters more than we sometimes realize.
But I don’t want to stop there.
I want to know what is happening in the BODY too.
Is this person making enough energy? Are they digesting and actually absorbing the beautiful food they’re eating? What is happening with their hormones? Is there inflammation? What are they being exposed to every day in their home or work environment? Mold? Chemicals? Electromagnetic radiation?
And what if there isn’t one big answer? This is something I see so often. There can be one thing, and then another thing gets piled on, and then something else happens, until this poor body is dealing with SO much at once.
Of course the nervous system is involved. How could it not be?
The nervous system is connected to everything that is happening inside us and around us. Our digestion, immune system, hormones, brain, emotions, environment, our history, the things that have happened to us. None of these are living in separate little boxes.
This is why I have a hard time when everything gets called “nervous system dysregulation.”
I don’t want to look at someone whose body seems to be sounding an alarm and only ask how we can make the alarm quieter. I want to know why it’s ringing.
Maybe we can help the nervous system feel calmer. Wonderful. I want that too.
But I also want to understand what this wonderful, intelligent body has been dealing with that made it feel like it needed so much protection in the first place.
Because THAT may change where we begin.
I’m curious to hear your experience.
and I’m glad you’re here.
Warmly,
—Dr. Lisa Raskin 💙
If this resonates, I offer a 20-minute Clarity Call to explore whether this path fits what your body is asking for. $50, applied to your care if you move forward. No pressure, just listening.
Book a Clarity Call here: somaradiantwellness.com/book
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