Over thirty years ago I was in a significant amount of pain one day while at work and was pleasantly surprised when my pain suddenly went away (though temporarily) after sharing a laugh with some coworkers. That noteworthy experience, that has stayed with me all of these years, might be explained by some new neuroscience that’s shedding light on how meaningful social interaction can be healing.
The Polyvagal Theory is the brainchild of neuro-scientist, Stephen Porges, Ph.D. The essence of the theory is that there’s a branch of the vagus nerve that’s intimately involved with your face, eyes, ears, and heart. When we become socially engaged, you know, listening like you really mean it and sharing meaningful facial expressions, we activate this nerve and reap its benefits.
The amazing thing is that when this branch of the vagus nerve is activated, through social engagement, it has a significant impact on brain and body function. Activation of this nerve turns off the stress response and quiets the heart. Activation of this nerve begins to balance the autonomic nervous system that’s responsible for controlling your biochemistry, mood, and ultimately your health.
So it turns out that we have this inner equipment that is often under used and under appreciated. This inner equipment, this vagal social engagement system is designed to help us connect more meaningfully with others and support our own health and well-being at the same time. The idea of social engagement and healing is also addressed in the Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology (the subject of a future post) by Daniel Siegal, M.D.
Steven
Templin, D.O.M., Dipl. Ac., is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and nationally certified acupuncturist, specializing in Self-Regulation Training (to resolve the omnipresent stress-induced component of illness), Energy Medicine, Mind-Body Medicine, and Diet and Nutrition to repair the Gut-Immune-Brain Axis.
In his Self-Regulation training program he shares the science and most importantly the effective practices for transforming physical health and emotional well-being. Self-Regulation practices will greatly enhance the effectiveness of other therapeutic interventions, like diet and lifestyle modifications.
He teaches and consults online, and sees patients at the Natural Medicine Center in Lakeland, Florida. You can learn more about Dr. Templin and his healing program by visiting www.stevetemplin.com.
Steve is a retired Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture Physician, and HeartMath Trauma-Sensitive Certified Practitioner with over 35 years of clinical experience in Energy Medicine, Energy Psychology, and Biofeedback.