A
Endocrine glands located at the top of each kidney. They are important for the regulation of the stress response, blood pressure and blood volume, water homeostasis, and electrolyte levels.
ADRENAL GLANDS
ANATOMY
Science that studies the form and composition of the body’s structures.
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS)
A division of the Nervous System responsible for bodily functions that are outside our active control (unconscious): heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing, temperature regulation, heart rate variability, sexual arousal, bowel and bladder control, sweat, circulation, digestion, etc.
There are three systems within the ANS:
The Sympathetic, which governs fight-or-flight responses, and
The Parasympathetic, or “rest and digest”, and
The Enteric, which governs the gastrointestinal tract and is nicknamed the “second-brain”
B
BLOOD PRESSURE
Force exerted by the blood against the wall of a vessel or heart chamber; can be described with the more generic term hydrostatic pressure.
BRAIN
The large organ of the central nervous system, composed of white and grey matter. It is contained within the cranium and continuous with the spinal cord.
BREATHWORK
The umbrella term for intentional breathing practices used for various purposes, including stress reduction, emotional healing, and mental wellbeing.
C
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)
The CNS is part of the Nervous System and is made up of your brain and spinal cord. It collects information from your sensory nerves to process and respond to them. It regulates everything your body does.
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CONTAINMENT
The sense of being held and feeling soothed and safe; it can be achieved by various means, including self-holding exercises.
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Type of tissue that serves to hold in place, connect, and integrate the body’s organs and systems.
D
DISSAOCIATION
Where a person is physically present but experiences a sense of numbness or distance about the events taking place around them.
DORSAL VAGAL
Also known as Immobilisation; highly implicated in a dissociative or dream-like state.
E
EMOTIONS
Subconscious and instinctive intangible reactions to your internal and external state, events, and environment. Emotions carry a physiological aspect — they create sensations within the body.
EXTEROCEPTION FASCIA
Perception of the external environment. Connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscle, blood vessels and bones throughout the body. According to somatic therapy, our bodies hold pain and trauma in fascia and muscle tension.
F
FAWN RESPONSE
When feeling threatened or in danger, an individual looks to others for safety through befriending, flattering and helping. Also known as the “friend,”“please,”“appease” or “flock”response.
FEELINGS
The conscious and cognitive interpretation of an underlying emotion is called a feeling.
FLIGHT-OR-FLIGHT RESPONSE
When the Nervous System is activated and perceives a threat. The body is primed to move by either fighting or fleeing.
FREEZE RESPONSE
When the Nervous System is activated and goes into a defensive response, resulting in the body becoming immobilised.
G
H
HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV)
Measurement of the amount of time between your heartbeats. When there is high variability, the individual is said to have high (i.e. good) vagal tone.
HOMEOSTASIS
The ability for an organism to maintain a stable internal environment while adjusting to external changes in its surroundings. Homeostasis is a dynamic process that can change internal conditions as required to survive external challenges.
HYPERAROUSAL
A state of hyper-reactivity to external stimuli that can manifest in various physical and psychological symptoms (e.g. an elevated heart rate, rapid breathing and alertness).
HYPOAROUSAL
A state in which the individual experiences little-to-no arousal. It is often caused by “freezing” (Freeze Response) during a traumatic event, leading afterwards to symptoms such as numbness and a lack of feeling or emotions.
I
IMMOBILISATION
The act of limiting movement or being incapable of movement. Also known as Dorsal Vagal. Immobilisation is one of the three systems of Polyvagal Theory.
INTEROCEPTION
The ability to sense internal signals from your body, such as hunger.
J
K
L
M
MOBILISATION
Also known as the Sympathetic Nervous System. One of the three systems of Polyvagal Theory.
N
NEUROCEPTION
A neural process by which we subconsciously read cues of danger or safety from our environment.
O
P
PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS)
Also known as the rest and digest system, the Parasympathetic Nervous System is one of three branches of the Autonomic Nervous System. It sparks an immobilisation response in your brain and body.
PROPRIOCEPTION
The sense that allows us to perceive the location and movement of our limbs. It encompasses a complex array of sensations, including perception of joint position and muscle force, but it can also include things like awareness, e.g. whether or not we’ve successfully turned on a light once we have reached for it in the dark.
POLYVAGAL THEORY
Explains how our Autonomic Nervous System is related to social behaviour and our ability to feel safe and connected in our environment via its three systems: Mobilisation, social engagement or Immobilisation. It takes into account the role of the Vagus Nerve in regulating the emotions and social connection.
S
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT SYSTEM
Innate attraction to feel safe in our environment and with other people. Also known as Ventral Vagal or Parasympathetic. One of the three systems of Polyvagal Theory.
SOMATIC THERAPY
“Soma” comes from the Ancient Greek word for body. Somatic therapy is an umbrella term for therapeutic modalities that use the body as a tool to understand and heal emotional trauma.
STRESS RESPONSE CYCLE
The body’s inbuilt response when the brain and physical body perceive something as threatening. There is a beginning, middle and end; if the cycle is unable to complete, the emotion can remain stuck in the limbic part of the brain and the body may be in a constant state of alert.
SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS)
One of three systems that make up the Autonomic Nervous System. The Sympathetic Nervous System sparks a Mobilisation response in your brain and body. It works opposite of the Parasympathetic Nervous System to maintain Homeostasis (balance) between action and rest.
T
TRAUMA
Anything that happens to a person too much, too fast or too soon for them to cope with.
U
UMBRELLA TERM
Is a word or phrase used as a unifying term under which a group of specific and related things, words, phrases, subjects, or functions belongs. (e.g. Breathwork, Somatic Therapy, etc)
V
VAGAL TONE
Good vagal tone is achieved through things like activating the Vagus Nerve by way of full-diaphragm, efficient breathing and high Heart Rate Variability. It is associated with a well-regulated nervous system and emotional health.
VAGUS NERVE
The largest nerve in the human body; running from the brain to the abdomen and is responsible for inducing a relaxed state. It is made up of a left and right side, as well as a front (ventral) and back (dorsal).
The Vagus Nerve carries a huge number of signals from the digestive system and various organs to the brain and vice versa. It is the main contributor of the Parasympathetic Nervous System, aka the rest and digest system.
VENTRAL VAGAL
When we are connected with others who make us feel safe, connected and supported, we are operating in our “ventral vagal” or Parasympathetic Nervous System. (See also; social engagement system.)
VERTEBRA
An individual bone in the neck and back regions of the vertebral column.