The importance of self-regulation

I’ve been struck recently by the importance of regulating nervous systems for maintaining mental health.

Working with both individuals and couples, it is clear that when your nervous system is activated into a stress response, it becomes very difficult to make reasoned or congruent decisions. The noise of anxiety, anger, panic and other distressed emotions obscure the intuitive sense of what is good to do, and restrict access to cognitive function to enable perspective and balanced decision making.

This makes nervous system regulation the first task of good psychotherapy. Helping clients to contain their physiological state in session is very helpful, and it is even more helpful to build the skills to enable them to do so between sessions, making self-regulation real out there where they are living life. 

Oftentimes, when someone is easily activated, they can be experiencing the world as a hostile and difficult place. Threats may seem to be everywhere, and fear can become a norm.  The therapeutic relationship can be a strong tool to gradually help clients with this difficulty to be able to relax and calm in the presence of another, an experience they may not have had in a long time, or indeed at all.

Here are a number of blog posts that offer methods of self-soothing and calming when you are activated:

https://www.ferobinsonpsychotherapy.co.uk/post/calming-your-nervous-system

https://www.ferobinsonpsychotherapy.co.uk/post/increasing-vagal-tone-for-a-calmer-life

https://www.ferobinsonpsychotherapy.co.uk/post/the-regulation-of-rhythm

https://www.ferobinsonpsychotherapy.co.uk/post/how-to-reconnect-when-you-dissociate

For #psychotherapy sessions to build on this with co-regulation and work to build your capacity to relate and still feel safe, get in touch at fejrobinson@gmail.com.

#mentalhealth #trauma