What is Co Regulation?

Transcript

what is co-regulation in this video i'm going to tell you how your brain is being programmed by everyone around you sort of [Music] i'm suki baxter founder of whole body revolution where i help you to rewire yourself for greater health happiness and success if you're new here make sure you click that button so you never miss a video update and all the things that i mentioned in this video you can find linked in the description box below let's get into it so what is co-regulation whether you call it nervous system regulation or brain entrainment co-regulation is something that all mammals do it's the process of harmonizing with another nervous system so if you're in a room with another person your brain and your nervous system are reading the state of that person taking in many cues about how calm or stressed they are we do this through facial expressions body language and even respiratory rate when you're relating to a person who is in a stress or survival state your body will sort of take on that stress by mirroring their patterns of tension it's sort of like if you had two harps in a room and you plucked a string on one harp without touching it the same string on the other harp would start to vibrate because they are resonating with each other in the same way your nervous system will harmonize with another person's that means that being with someone who is calm and centered will have a grounding effect on your nervous system but being with someone who's a nervous wreck can cause you to feel chaotic and scattered and even anxious co-regulation is actually something that's necessary for us as mammals we are social creatures and our brains need the stimulation of personal interaction we need to see the faces of other people and we need to view their expressions and touch is also important for co-regulation because it's another way that your brain gets information and co-regulation isn't just something that's happening moment by moment you experience a sort of brainwave entrainment from the time you're a tiny baby humans are social creatures and we look to our parents to give us clues about safety and connection if your early life caregivers were carrying stress and trauma in their nervous systems then you likely took on the same pattern this is one of the ways that our nervous system shortcut the learning curve we take on habits that seem to have worked for our parents caregivers and our communities the interesting thing about this is that if your nervous system co-regulation was based on someone who was carrying a lot of stress and tension and was highly activated or they were deeply shut down you may live that way too but be completely unaware of it because to you it just simply feels normal however living in this state will have a profound effect on your experience of life not only does nervous system dysregulation predispose you to negative health outcomes like chronic pain fatigue and stress related diseases but it also affects how you perceive the world when your brain is stuck in survival there are actually physiological changes to your body your hearing for example will shift to tune into low frequency sounds that would be similar to the growls of a predator and even neutral facial expressions can come across as angry or aggressive basically the whole world appears to be dangerous threatening and out to get you as you can imagine this makes for a stressful anxious and unfulfilling life not only do people with anxiety and depression often suffer from chronic pain migraines and fatigue but living in a dysregulated state impairs your ability to connect with and empathize with others that makes it really hard to have deep personal relationships whether with friends and family or with a romantic partner but don't worry if you've got a less than ideal start in the nervous system department you're not stuck with a lifetime of stress and worry there are things you can do to self-regulate and bring your nervous system back into balance i cover these tools much more in depth in my pain-free at any age video series it's totally free and you can click the link on your screen or in the description box below to head on over and get instant access to the complete series including many tools to help you self-regulate your own nervous system so that you can break the pattern of pain stress and tension in your body and in your life thanks so much for watching if you found this video helpful make sure you so you never miss a video update and i'll see you in the next one [Music] [Applause] [Music] you