The Evolution of Our Nervous System
learning the language of your Nervous System
My Dear Fellow Writers,
When I started diving into the Nervous System work, it felt like someone had given me a lifeboat. I had been in what I refer to as the “void” for more than 4 years. But that month particularly, I had hit a wall. And nothing I knew was working. So, when I began to understand my nervous system's language, it felt like a map unfurled in front of me. I could finally understand it. I wasn’t free falling into this void anymore. Now, I could read this map and get back to safety, connection, and my sense of Self. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to getting fluent in the language of my Nervous System.
Deb Dana writes in her book, Anchored “When the inner workings of our biology are a mystery, we feel as if we’re at the mercy of unknown, unexplainable, and unpredictable experiences. Once we know how our nervous system works, we can work with it”
Knowledge is power, but self-knowledge is self-empowerment. I hope this newsletter helps you get fluent in the language of your nervous system.
Last week, in Volume I, we understood what Polyvagal Theory is. To recap, Polyvagal Theory, also known as The Science of Safety, helps us understand the impact of the autonomic nervous system on our biological and social behavior. It also explains how we can shift our nervous system to feel safe and creative.
Polyvagal Theory has 3 main principles that have changed how we approach mental health and trauma therapy and can change how you and I approach our creative writing practice.
This week, we will explore the first principle in our What the Nerv Segment (2nd and 3rd are coming up in Vol. III & IV).
As always, this newsletter will be divided into three segments. You can jump around or return to any segment whenever you need to.
What the Nerv?
The first principle of PVT states that our Nervous System is Hierarchical. Dr. Porges discovered that our nervous system evolved in a sequential order. The hierarchical nature of our Nervous System is key to understanding how we can regulate ourselves and react to challenges in our lives.
Let’s look at the 3 building blocks of this hierarchical system and then we’ll explore it further.
Think of these building blocks (we’ll call them the three states or stages of the Nervous System moving forward) as a traffic light.
🟢 Green (Safe & Social) – When we feel safe, we connect with others, feel creative, and think clearly.
🟡 Yellow (Fight or Flight) – When we sense danger, our body gets ready to fight or run away.
🔴 Red (Shutdown or Freeze) – If the danger feels too big, we shut down, feel numb, or stuck.
Each of these states has its characteristics and a specific, predictable way in which it works. I call it the flavor of every state. Let’s explore that further.
🟢 Green (Safe & Social) - The newest of the 3 States, we’ll call it Connect and Play Mode*, gives us a pathway to health, healing, well-being, connection, and creativity. We connect and communicate with others. You may “play” and get creative ideas. The common irritants of daily life, like a missed turn, a coffee spill, or a longer hold time on a call, don’t feel so big. This state helps us access states of Flow. Your writing flows, you lose the sense of space and time, and you look at the piece of work you created and think, “Wow, I don’t know where that came from.”
🟡 Yellow (Fight or Flight) - When we face an overwhelming challenge or get triggered by something that happens inside or in our environment or when life feels like a series of never-ending challenges, we move down a step on the Polyvagal Ladder into Fight or Flight mode. We lose our sense of being safe in the present moment and react by attacking or escaping. We feel anxious, angry, overwhelmed, and have a chaotic energy inside of us. Writers (and artists) spend a lot of time here. We know this space. We think we thrive here. This stage does produce some good work, but there are disastrous consequences of staying here in the long term.
🔴 Red (Shutdown or Freeze) - If we continue to feel trapped in a cycle of endless challenges with no way out and no way to manage, we further go down to the final step of the Polyvagal ladder, we’ll call it Shutdown and Preserve Mode. Here, we begin to shut down and disconnect. We may still go through the motions but with no energy to care. We become hopeless and may find that world is unwelcoming, dark, or empty. This is where we abandon our writing projects or just have no energy for them. We may also experience Writer’s Block. We have a “what’s the point anyway” attitude. We shut down and close ourselves from social circles.
Because our Nervous System is Hierarchical and follows a predictable sequence, we dysregulate by coming down the Polyvagal Ladder one step at a time, with each state giving us a unique flavor and offering a different experience. We also come back to the safety of regulation in the same way. One step at a time.
Stay with me here, coz we will get a little bit more nerdy here and understand how our Nervous System evolved.
The story of our Nervous System began 500 Million Years ago with a prehistoric fish called a placoderm. This fish had a nervous system similar to that of a Turtle. When it got scared, it disappeared into its shell and waited until it felt safe to peek out. Freezing (also called immobilization) and disappearing are the survival strategies of this Nervous System stage.
Around 400 Million Years Ago, the sympathetic nervous system evolved in a fish that’s now extinct called acanthodian. With this new and upgraded system, this fish could not only freeze but also now fight or escape its predator. Think of a Shark attacking or a fish darting to escape.
Finally, around 200 Million Years ago, the Nervous System got another upgrade and evolved into what we call the Connect and Play Mode. This was around the time when a new species emerged called Mammals (know them?). This unique mammalian system allowed us to feel safe, connect and communicate with our offspring, and be part of a tribe.
This is where we are today. We have the nervous system of our prehistoric ancestors within us. As each new system emerged, it didn’t just replace the older system but rather included it. Not only can we stay in Play and Connect Mode, but our nervous system makes it possible for us to defend ourselves by fighting, escaping, or hiding.
But that’s not just it! The beauty of this Heirarchial nature is that when we learn to anchor in safety (in the Play and Connect Mode), we can also use the flavors of the other nervous system states. For example, when in Play and Connect Mode, we can use the sympathetic energy of the second state to move our bodies and use the adrenaline to create art and go for those big, scary goals.
Further, we can also use the flavor of the immobilization (Freeze) energy and use it to rest, cuddle with a loved one, and sit in silence.
Polyvagal Theory talks about this evolution of The Nervous System in steps (like steps on a ladder), but I see it as three triangles enclosed within each other (seen in The Muse Master logo). Take a look at the diagram below.
With this knowledge, we can track our journey into dysregulation and also have a roadmap to find our way back to the safety of regulation.
Regulate & Create
Today, we will switch our segments and do some writing before we get into Love Your Nerv.
My goal is to simplify the complex constructs of Polyvagal Theory in an easy-to-understand manner and in a language that’s accessible to you.
Although our Nervous Systems are similar, they speak a different language. The story of my nervous system will be very different from yours. The key to learning how to regulate is knowing your language. So let’s try to do that with our Writing Prompt for today.
You can always skip this part or come back to it later (don’t forget to bookmark this email). Although I really hope you’ll do this exercise.
If you’re ready, then set yourself first:
Put your feet on the ground and breathe into them for a few minutes
Take 3 deep inhales and exhale
Smile
Pick 1 of the 3 Nervous System State. It could be the one you’re in right now. If you’re feeling brave, pick a survival state of either Fight/Flight or Freeze, if you are feeling Safe and Social right now.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and start moving your pen. Answer these 2 statements.
With my Writing, when I am in (name of state), the world is……..
And, I am……..
Don’t judge, don’t edit, don’t stop. Just write.
For example;
With my Writing, when I am in a Shutdown and Preserve State, the world is dark and empty. No one cares about me. No one is reading anyway, so what’s the point of writing? My story/my work doesn’t matter. I should just quit.
I am all alone. I feel invisible. I have no energy for my work. I actually don’t even care what happens to it. I am not even that good. Why am I so tired all the time? I feel worthless. I shouldn’t exist. My work shouldn’t exist.
I know how hard this exercise is, so if you did it, Bravo 👏. You can do this exercise for each of the three Stages. It’s an excellent way to understand how you behave, feel, and think in each state.
Love Your Nerv
Phew! I bet that exercise brought out some tender feelings. You might have felt those states come alive inside of you. The example I shared with you is from a similar exercise I did back when I was completely shut down. So I don’t know about you, but I am feeling pretty vulnerable right now, and my Nerv needs some lovin’. So let’s get into it, shall we?
We are going to send some loving-kindness to us, knowing that it was and never will be our fault that we dysregulated into a Survival State. That part of us was only trying to keep it safe.
This practice is called Metta, or loving-kindness. I’ll give you directions on how to do this. If you’re on the go right now, skip the closing eyes part and go to speaking the statements.
Sit on a chair in a comfortable position with your feet on the floor or you can even lie down.
Close your eyes. You can keep your hands on your belly, your lap, your heart, or by your sides.
Take 3 deep belly breaths. Inhale fully and sense your belly fill up and then exhale completely and sense your belly deflate. Do this 3 times.
Say these statements aloud or in your mind “May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be strong. May my life unfold with ease.” Repeat 3-5 times and really feel the intention of these words.
When you feel complete, take another deep inhale and exhale. You can bring your hands to heart and notice the effects of your words. When you’re ready you can float your eyes open.
You can practice sending Metta to yourself as many times as you want or whenever you feel you’re shifting out of regulation. I do it in the shower, at bedtime, or sometimes even in the grocery line. You don’t always have to close your eyes or sit in stillness. You can simply say the words.
Next week, we’ll explore the second principle of Polyvagal Theory, and we will begin to see why it is and was never our fault that we dysregulated to a survival state.
For now, I want to end today’s newsletter by sending Metta to you.
May you be safe. May you be happy. May you be strong. May your life unfold with ease.
Questions and comments are welcome below or hit reply to connect with me.
Much love,
Deepshikha
*I’ve changed the words of certain terms to make them more relatable for me such as I call Safe & Social, Connect and Play. And Freeze, Shutdown, and Preserve. This has helped me understand my Nervous System better. As you become fluent in its language, I strongly recommend making new words or even inventing them to make them relatable to you.