Welcome back to the blog!
And welcome back to the somatic series, where I’m helping people use somatic psych theory to:
- Learn and map out their autonomic nervous system
- Connect with their intuition
- Develop a healthier relationship with their bodies
- Build stronger community relationships
This post is going to be an introduction to somatic exercises that you can use to learn how your autonomic nervous system specifically works and how to go about mapping it out.
But before we get into that, I’ll lay out how we got here for anyone new to this series. Up until this point, we have been in Unit 1 of this somatic series, which focused on learning the basics of the autonomic nervous system.
In Chapter 1, I cover the basics of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which, in my professional opinion, is the starting point to having a better understanding of the connection between your mind and body and learning how to figure out your emotions.
For the visual learners, Chapter 2 is a video (plus transcription) where I use Daniel Siegel’s Hand Model as a visual to cover the basics of the ANS from another angle.
In Chapter 3, I circle back and go deeper into explaining our sympathetic nervous system’s fight/flight response.
Chapter 4 is where I explain more about the 1st and oldest part of our parasympathetic nervous system, our dorsal vagus and its shutdown response.
And Chapter 5 is where I get more into the youngest part of our parasympathetic nervous system, our ventral vagus, and the ways it helps us connect with ourselves and build community with others.
Then, in Chapter 6, I talk about situations when your autonomic nervous system (ANS) activates 2 parts at the same time, collaborating to help you handle situations that are emotionally complex.
Ch. 6 Part 1 covers how our sympathetic nervous system and ventral vagus work together when we play.
Ch. 6 Part 2 explains how our dorsal vagus and sympathetic nervous system collaborate in emergency situations aka our Freeze and Fawn survival responses.
And Ch. 6 Part 3 focuses on how our entire vagus nerve, both the ventral vagus and dorsal vagus team up so we can experience stillness (rest, intimacy, reflection, etc), awe, and elevation.
And finally, we closed out Unit 1 with Chapter 7 where I use the NYC Subway Map as a visual to explain how our bodies generally move from 1 part of our ANS to another and how we can start to influence this movement.
So, congratulations on completing Unit 1 of the Somatic Series!
Now that we have covered the basics, we are ready to move forward. Unit 2 will focus on mapping out your autonomic nervous system and using specific somatic exercises to learn how your ANS works. My plan for this Unit is to show y’all a few intro somatic exercises, specifically Grounding, Body Scan/Check-in, and Notice and Name. There’s more than 3 somatic exercises that help people map out their ANS, obviously, but for ethical reasons, I chose these 3 because they definitely can be safely used alone without the guidance of a professional.
And then I’ll show you how to apply these exercises practically in various scenarios before dipping back into the theory to cover trauma, triggers, etc. There’s no point in giving you new theory to learn if we don’t practice how to apply what you already know in real life.
This post, Chapter 8, is an introduction to these beginning somatic exercises. I want to take time in this chapter to briefly explain how to approach these exercises and how to set yourself up for success.
[Video version of Chapter 8 here]
Why Map Out Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)?
Without a foundation of theory and self-knowledge, the exercises and your somatic journey just won’t hit the same. First, let me say that I’m not saying that you need to go out there and get a PhD in neurobiology in order to do somatic work. That’s just not realistic. What I am saying and have been saying is that having a solid foundation of basic theory is the essential part to make sure you and your body are on the same page.
Once you understand the basics of what’s going on in your autonomic nervous system, it becomes easier to connect with your body and understand what it is trying to communicate with you. This sets the scene for you to be able to develop a stronger relationship with yourself and to start addressing your emotions, thoughts, behaviors, etc.
Like I’ve said before, these somatic exercises, especially these first ones, work much better after you have a foundation of somatic understanding. Remember these somatic exercises are not magic. They are just tools to support your inner and community work. The true power is always in your relationships: with yourself, with your community, and with your environment. How else would you know which exercises best fit the situation if you don’t understand fully what time your body is on? Even how you go about doing the exercises depends on you knowing the parts of your ANS and being aware of the kind of energy and/or support you need.
Somatic Exercise Overview
Below is an overview of what makes each exercise important, so you have an idea of what to expect in this unit and how I plan to use these exercises (Grounding, Body Scan/Body “Check-ins”, and Notice & Name) to support getting to know your own autonomic nervous system and body.
Grounding
The 1st step of this Unit is learning how to be in the present moment.
Learning how to be present without your body activating fight/flight and/or going right into shutdown is key. Because you can’t connect with what your ANS is doing and what your body needs from you (and/or your community) if you are too deep into survival mode to be fully present.
Being present is easier said than done. Like I mentioned in Chapter 7, despite getting present being the 1st step to getting out of survival mode, it doesn’t always feel like a success to be present because you can feel the anxieties, frustration, uncertainty, anger, hopelessness, etc. that your body was trying to avoid.
Let me add a different POV: Those physical sensations and emotions, like you know by now, are all connected. They are all ways that your nervous system and your body generally is trying to deal with the signs of danger it is receiving from the environment. When you remember that, it becomes easier to see the physical sensations and emotions you feel like Lassie coming to tell you a child is trapped in the well or notifications letting you know that something is going on. And with practice, it becomes easier to see the patterns in how your body communicates danger and safety to you. And it becomes easier to see how you, your body, and your community can all collaborate together.
This sounds easier said than done, especially when life is hectic and your body’s long-time trusty, handy response is checking out of reality or going on autopilot. Which is why we will be starting slow and on easy mode.
Body Scanning and/or “Body Check-ins”
So now that you are in the present moment, you are now ready to dial up your body and see what’s going on. A body scan (and mini versions that I like to call “body check-ins”) is a great tool to figure out what physical sensations you feel, what they feel like specifically, where they are located/living in your body.
Body scans also help you get more comfortable with sitting with your emotions and more comfortable with being able to identify the raw physical sensations you feel (how your body/intuition/”gut” is communicating with you) without rushing and defaulting to analyzing your feelings instead of actually feeling them.
Body scans build up your ability to check-in with your body while building up your confidence in your emotions and in yourself. Once you know how to tap into yourself and find the information you need, you rely less and less on ruminating (and getting stuck in your own head).
Notice and Name
Now, this is where the whole mapping your nervous system thing comes in. You are taking the information you gained from grounding yourself into the present and from body scanning to figure out, ultimately, where the physical sensations you feel, your emotions, and your thoughts live on the NYC subway map in your body. Am I in flight or flight? Or am I freezing or fawning? Am I shut down? Am I in awe? Am I actually having a good time right now? Is this what giving and/or receiving love feels like?
The “Notice & Name” exercise can help you learn to keep track of your nervous system and learn to respect and honor the way it moves to keep you safe. You start to keep track by noticing patterns in your body responses to the environment and how this affects your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.
Knowing where you are on the map and which parts of your ANS are active is literally the key to understanding what your body is asking for and the key to getting the most use out of these exercises. Again, you can’t do the exercises that make you feel better without checking in with yourself to know exactly what you need. Taking the time to map out your nervous system now so you have a guide in the future. So you’re not accidentally doing vagus nerve exercises during a dorsal shutdown or pushing yourself when you actually need rest or community time. How else will you know when you need to release some extra energy or when you are finally ready to connect with the world around you?
Saying All That To Say
Don’t rush through these exercises. Like I’ve said to clients, stroll through them. They seem easy but they can actually be really hard, so give yourself lots of grace and time to work on each skill.
It can take weeks or months to get a handle on just 1 of these tools and that’s ok. There’s literally no rush. There’s no pass/fail. No grades. No one to please or impress, but yourself.
This is an opportunity to learn the beat of your own drum and go at the pace of your own nervous system in your journey for somatic self-discovery.
Thanks for reading. The next part of this series will cover grounding: How it works, my favorite grounding exercise, some tried and tested ways to use it practically, and even a demonstration.