the states

bringing awareness + finding support

ventral

Regulated + Flexible - you will dip into the below states but you easily bounce back into Ventral. You feel for the most part: resilient, grounded, full of vitality, you manifest with a fair amount of ease, you feel social and relaxed, you are adaptable, curious mind, compassionate, inner calm, receptive, open, you have good organ function and increased HRV (heart rate variability) and increased recovery.

Support yourself to spend more time in Ventral with any of the practices.

I’ve broken up the dysregulated states into mobilizing and immobilizing for finding bottoms up love when you are in an acute state of dysregulation and need help pulling yourself out. Most of us are chronically a combination of all the things and can benefit from ANY of the practices in the portal to work with on a daily basis to cumulatively bring greater safety, capacity and flexibility so we can spend most of our time marinating in Ventral, but if you are acutely stuck in a mobilizing or immobilizing state, these are some suggestions to shift your energy in the moment.

fight

Dysregulation, anger, irritation, frustration, hypervigilence, anxiety, muscle tension, headaches/migraines, annoyance, hyper-aroused, high blood pressure, weight issues, insomnia, overly sensitive to stimuli, aggressive/reactive, hard to concentrate, hyperglycemia, cancer, chronic pain, feeling stuck, etc…

flight

Dysregulation, hyper-aroused, anxiety, fear, worry, sensitive to environment + stimuli, muscle tension, GI issues, headaches/migraines, low immune system, panic, high blood pressure, weight issues, low libido, insomnia, hard to concentrate, anti-social, feeling stuck, etc…

Fight and flight are both mobilizing states.

Support: deep body pressure, weighted blanket, containment hug, butterfly hug, breath practices, orienting, Stomp and Sigh, Shake and Twist, Progressive muscle relaxation, Breathe and Fold, Wall pushes or push hands together and breathe, shake it out, Fists of Anger (Fight), Voo chanting, rub hands together vigorously, gentle walks, swaying, dancing, non-linear movement, creative activities, Bee breath, grounding and focusing on the contact points of your feet, rocking, orienting, physiological sigh, centering…

freeze

shutdown

Dysregulation, numb, sensitive to pain, shame, shutdown, desire to isolate, overwhelm, depression, dissociation, apathy, disengages, loss of interest in hobbies, trouble making decisions, chronic pain and/or tension, memory issues, procrastination, hopelessness, feeling stuck, etc…

Freeze and shutdown are both immobilizing states/energy.

Support: move your body, orient, shake it out, deep body pressure, weighted blanket, touch practice 1 + 2, Find Rhythm + Flow, Ear acupressure (day 15), Regulating eyes, connecting to a trusted person, hugs, time with emotional support animals, physiological sigh, activities that signal safety to the body, resistance stretching, mindful movement/walking meditation, grounding and focusing on the contact points of your feet

*lists largely inspired by The Secret Language of the Body