This is what it looks like when the energy behind trauma, pain and stress is being discharged from the autonomic nervous system, somatic system and body. The energy here I refer to includes glucocorticoids (cortisol, cortisone) and catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine).

Neurogenic shaking and tremoring, which you see here, happens when a trauma imprinted nervous system feels safe to let go of the pain, cellular data and neural information it has been holding deep within the physiological vessel. It is induced neurohormonally through Parasympathetic nervous system activation, which brings on the secretion of chief neurotransmitter acetylcholine (induces the anti-inflammatory response) and the production of our various pleasure neural-hormones (such as oxytocin, prolactin, nitric oxide, serotonin, melatonin, endorphins). When we are in this state in the nervous system, we can counteract the energy behind pain and stress response, and assist the body in discharging old mobilised sympathetic energy from the nervous system and body.

Animals also have the same inbuilt releasing mechanism, as shown in the video below. Psychotherapist Dr Peter Levine, who is the founder of Somatic Experiencing has dedicated much of his career to studying the science to this and has shown a plethora of research to support his studies, now which have gone global and is transforming the world of mental and physical health. As you can see, the impala moves into dorsal vagal shut down, into emergency state. But watch as the impala moves back into ventral vagal flow state, where safety is felt once the cheetah disappears.

The huge difference between us and animals in the wild being that, animals are not as cognitively developed as we are. We are too intelligent for our own good. This is why we as humans get stuck in trauma response; we are good at sabotaging ourselves. We also do not want to face the pain. Also worth mentioning is that if we have unconscious parents who are emotionally dysregulated, we’re not taught how to do this. And so we stay stuck in dis-ease, where it shows up in ill heath, ruminating mind, anxiety attacks, migraines, digestive problems, addiction issues, and so much more

The nervous system and body holds onto the pain from the past, not to punish you, but to protect you. It was a means of self preservation, to prevent you from repeating experiences that caused you deep wounding.

Inevitably, holding onto the past does not serve us. Rather it keeps us anchored in fear, in pain, in anxiety, where our lens through which we perceive and interact with the world is dangerous, unsafe, harmful, not trusting. This causes us to live in fear, where we are not living fully or freely, where we live in disconnection and disembodiment as it’s safer.

Through the vagus nerve we can retrain and re-parent our brain-body-gut axis that it is safe to release the imprints from the past. In doing this, we can defreeze, decode and declutter the traumatised system, so that we can change cellularly at a synaptic level, where we can move forward in our lives with an open heart, to live in a body that feels like home and a safe space, where our biochemistry is aligned with a much higher awareness

Pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice.

Suffering happens when we choose (consciously or unconsciously) to dissociate, numb out, deflect, to flea from our emotional baggage. wounding and pain, to distract ourselves. Suffering happens we choose, or indeed feel physically unable, not to surrender and let go… as let’s face it, it’s easier to hold on than to deep dive into the pain and chaos within

But what we run from will always chase us. It’s like the cat chasing the mouse.

Eventually, it’ll catch up

And will show up in a host of tangible issues and symptoms (chronic pain, inflammation, migraines, digestive issues, inability to orgasm, sleeplessness, skin acne, thyroid issues, panic attacks, to name a few) that will play on repeat until you look in the mirror… and see and hear yourself for the first time.. to acknowledge and accept your pain.. to love it with compassion… and release and alchemise it into the light