Shackles On or Shackles Off *
Here is a quick guide to navigate the emotions that influence the autonomic nervous system. Try this exercise: take a moment and think of the most frustrating, limiting, personally demoralizing experience of your life. Explore the feelings associated with this. Do they involve feeling trapped, stuck, or ineffective no matter what you do? Where are they located in your body? Would an apt description be “shackles on”? So, now that you have an understanding of what “shackles on” feels like, turn your attention to a time in your life where everything fell together almost effortlessly in realizing your goal or dream; when it felt as if every door opened in front of you and that your life was free and easy. You were in the “flow” or “zone.” Where do you feel that in your body? Could you describe that feeling as “shackles off”?
The feeling of “shackles on” activates the sympathetic nervous system which interprets that state as a threat. The feeling of “shackles off” activates the parasympathetic system which interprets the state as being one where healing is possible, and so sets about its work of doing so.
Using these key phrases can guide you as to what system you are in and how to keep the parasympathetic system activated so that you may continue to have health and a sense of well-being. When contemplating anything, ask, “Does this feel like ‘shackles on’ or ‘shackles off’?” If it feels like “shackles on” move on to think or do something else, preferably something that feels like “shackles off.”
Although working with your own thoughts and emotions cannot provide a cascading release of neuropeptides as the SCENAR can, doing so can promote more balance between the two aspects of the autonomic nervous system and improve the quality of your life.
Play with this. Don’t get too involved in it with your intellect. Don’t make it “shackles on.” Treat it as an interesting mental game, and with a playful heart, see what you learn from it and how it affects your life. You may be surprised at the sense of well-being you might find.
* I was exposed to this by a life coach here is Asheville, Morgana Morgaine, and by the book Steering by Starlight written by Martha Beck. The way it relates to the autonomic nervous system comes from my years of observing the response of the body to SCENAR and my research.
Tags: autonomic nervous system, parasympathetic system, SCENAR
Healing Innovations, neuropeptides, SCENAR | Penny | 
December 6, 2009 9:59 am
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