How’s your social/emotional health?-WBL Chiropractor

I was out sunning on my dock this past weekend, and a man and his son fishing by the dock, struck up a conversation. What started as a short “Hello, how are you?”, turned into a deep meaningful conversation about human connection and emotions.

Wow, I thought to myself. In the current state of world, where human connection is being challenged, this man showed up with true vulnerability and desire for connecting. What was different?

I reflected on this later to see and really pick a part how some interactions can be so cold and uncomfortable and some can be so heart-filling and lovely. Here’s what I came up with.

We know that all humans contain a sympathetic nervous system responsible for a “Fight or Flight” response. This is activated when an event is PERCEIVED harmful, attacking, or threatening survival. When faced with something frightening, you can feel your heartbeat quicken, you may start breathing faster, and your entire body becomes tense and ready to take action. What you may not know, is that you have another portion of your vagus system which is responsible for most aspects of social contact and pleasure. Called the Ventral Vagal System or “Social Engagement”. The ventral vagal network runs upward from the diaphragm area to the brain stem, crossing over nerves in the lungs, neck, throat, and eyes sending messages to the brain that it’s okay to R-E-L-A-X.

This activation can have a snowball effect. Dr. Ruth Lanius, professor of psychiatry and director of the post-traumatic stress disorder research unit at the University of Western Ontario, says activating the ventral vagus nerve also activates the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that deals with logic. Calming yourself allows you to think clearly and process your difficult circumstances — which will further resolve stress. It guides eye contact, speech, hearing, singing, and direct heart to heart contact. Because of it’s role in making contact between different people favorable, the ventral-vagal system is a way of achieving personal safety and self regulating. That is why prolonged stress or danger, or danger and stress early on in life, can impair the development of this system.

The Social Engagement system is a two-way interaction of reception and expression; based mainly in the eyes, larynx, ears and mouth, but some in the chest and upper torso. Eye contact, tone of voice and smiling and have always been understood to be pivotal in good relationships. Without this understanding of how things are happening socially, the sympathetic network takes the lead and and any slight sense of hostility will seem exaggerated and perceived as negative.

Defensiveness- the inability to employ the Social Engagement System when a social challenge arises.

Instead, a sympathetically-mediated response is evoked that seems overdone and out of place. But defensiveness often arises in response to an actual social threat that is just a small part of the overall situation. In a sympathetically-shifted person, the threat becomes of survival significance and activates a fight-or-flight response. But if the social engagement system is available, a phenomenon called ventral discrimination can occur, in which finely nuanced responses are possible depending on the severity of the threat.

Autonomic Flexibility

The goal for Autonomic flexibility is a self-regulation goal with flexibility, range, and versatility. Some situations require a high parasympathetic tone (digesting), some a high sympathetic tone (chopping wood), and some both simultaneously (play, sex). At best, the autonomic system interacts with the environment for best adaptation to present circumstances.

Bedroom Eyes

The eyelids give an important clue as to your autonomic balance. The eyelids are raised by two muscles: the levator palpebrae superioris, and the superior tarsal muscle. The levator is innervated by the third cranial nerve (parasympathetic) and has the main job of keeping the eyes open. The superior tarsal muscle is innervated by the sympathetic system and has the role of scrunching the eyelid up further, as in alarm or surprise. This wide eyed look is rather the norm these days with the current state of affairs and how the eyes are our main point of contact. Where there is good autonomic balance, in a state of relaxation, the eyelid is lower but not closed. After satisfying sex, in the relaxation that ensues, the eyelids are sometimes noted to be lower, hence the term 'bedroom eyes.' Such eyes, whether sex has been recent or not indicate the capacity for pleasure.

***Your Turn: Try these out at home and notice what happens in your body.

THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO VENTRAL VAGAL SHIFT

1.     Eye contact- the ‘truth’ of a persons emotional and energy state is conveyed in the eyes

2.     Touch- touch releases oxytocin, and perhaps transfers something from person to person

3.     Human voice- the voice of another will be comforting for many, but for others may be a threat

4.     Crying- crying is an outpouring through all ventral-vagal outlets

5.     Listening- it is more than taking information, it requires an attunement

6.     Music

7.     Sun- All energy from on Earth comes from the Sun

8.     Moderate Exercise- can discharge tension without a struggle

9.     Warmth- relaxes muscles and promotes peripheral vaso-dilation

10.  Functional breathing- this is slow belly-breathing

11.  Closing eyes- most threats are perceived by vision

12.  Screaming- by producing vibrations that release tension

13.  Rhythmic movement- dance is a good example

14.  Familiar rituals- associates good feelings by association