Do you train...your parasympathetic nervous system?

[MrMoonlight]

I know we are to use our mental health toolsets when we are triggered or dysregulated but are you also practicing them on your good days, your good hours?

I have a mantra, a word, a sound, that I associate with being at rest and okay. For example in your daily life, you could associate the sound of water with meditation. So every time you hear water as you live your life you make yourself take quick note of your body tension and soften that, meditate for 30 seconds....then get on with your day. Next time you hear water you dedicate 30 seconds of your life to the practice. Before long you will find yourself meditating longer, more automatically. It will become muscle memory, something you can call on very quickly. You hear water everywhere...when brushing your teeth, pouring a drink, taking a shower, go dishes, running the dishes, rain, rivers...etc.

You could do the same with a different sound, maybe a door closing or the sound of a siren...just depending on triggers and your environment.

I think it really takes dedication but worth it...a way to hack your parasympathetic nervous system.

I also wonder if this technique could be used to combat triggers.

Anyway just curious if you train, do you use other techniques? Is it a way of life for you?

 

[Rainman8772]

You can train it but in the time of crisis it wouldn’t work because it is akin to a fine motor skill. During fight/flight mode they do not work and you resort back to gross motor skills. It is the same as asking a soldier how many shots they fired in a firefight. They will not know exactly the number. All you know is you kept shooting until the target stopped shooting back. That is also why the standard response for law enforcement is two presses to the trigger to the body and one press to the head if the target does not go down. Those can be trained which some law enforcement (not all) and military training is similar in that they break you down to reprogram how you operate under stress. However as the PTSD cup shows there is that added training aspect where if trained that way you explode rather than vent some stress as you go.

 

[whiteraven]

Anyway just curious if you train, do you use other techniques? Is it a way of life for you?

The only thing I can say I do on a regular basis - whether things are good or bad - is mindfulness. It's really the only thing that helps on a consistent basis. Sometimes I forget, but I also have a couple of brief audio meditations on my phone which help to remind me.

 

[DharmaGirl]

a way to hack your parasympathetic nervous system

Wonderful idea! I'm going to do it! I used to take 5 minute meditation breaks at work. That helped too.

During fight/flight mode they do not work

Actually my last therapist told me if you are startled and make a gesture and sound you can train yourself out of startle. I started doing it and it helped A LOT. I would startle at the sound my foot made against my sheets. It can be done.

 

[Rainman8772]

Wonderful idea! I'm going to do it! I used to take 5 minute meditation breaks at work. That helped too.



Actually my last therapist told me if you are startled and make a gesture and sound you can train yourself out of startle. I started doing it and it helped A LOT. I would startle at the sound my foot made against my sheets. It can be done.

If a startle yes you can train yourself not to somewhat but fight/flight you can not because once your heart rate hits 115 bpm you start to lose some fine and complex motor skills. Also hearing diminishes at 115. At 145 all fine motor skills are gone 175 all complex motor skills are gone When it hits 185-220 you can not it is 100% involuntary and the sympathetic nervous system is enacted adrenaline flows, blood sugar spikes, pupils dilate and you get tunnel vision. You will go at that level until you are safe or the threat is eliminated or you physically can not go anymore.

https://www.killology.com/psychological-effects-of-combat

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

Every day I practice at least one form of deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing, square breathing, various meditative practices (some in motion and some still), various sound healing techniques, nurturing self-talk, nourishing fork/kitchen therapy, calming non-toxic-to-me scent exposure, as much nature time as I can manage, and I feel it all helps me a great deal. More than I realized was possible.

In fact, learning those methods and slowly but surely making them part of my lifestyle helped restore much of the healthful things that I'd been sorely misguided about via other avenues. Most of them are free and readily available, so why not?

I used to wait until I felt like shit to try them, and would end up disappointed more often than not. I eventually learned, as with most things, I tend to get better at what I practice, so why not practice what was going to potentially make me feel better rather than what I knew for damn sure wouldn't? I still struggle with that one some days. lol

Other methods, in addition to the above, that unfortunately are not free, that have also helped are two forms of neurofeedback (NeurOptimal and EEG), acupuncture, acupressure, craniosacral/myofascial therapy, and massage therapy.

Unlearning the vicious cycle of what I thought I already knew and had been told/taught by family/professionals/authoritative sources and such was crucial, too, as those paths were the least nurturing/healing.

I'm not like, "Ta-Da", all better now, by any means. It has been and will continue to be a process. But, I'm in a much better place than I was and feel more grounded than I ever used to. These particular "recipes" have been incredibly beneficial to me. May we all find our own special ingredients that promote a whole lot of healing.

The experiences/stress/etc. that I'm speaking of aren't akin to being in the line of fire to the degree rainman mentions, although some of the healing is deeply rooted in repeatedly having guns held to my head, etc. Not sure any of the things I practice daily and have used for healing would be of much help in certain super high stress life or death scenarios, but for the "lesser-degree" scenarios I endure daily, thus far, they work well for me.

 

[Teasel]

I had really good success with training myself everyday for a period of time. Haven't kept it up of course but it helped reduce the amount of time it takes for me to realise, "oh yeah, I'm having a flashback" enormously.

Goodreminder to start again :)

 

[MrMoonlight]

it wouldn’t work because it is akin to a fine motor skill. During fight/flight mode they do not work and you resort back to gross motor skills.

I agree in a situation where I have a flashback I'm not here. I'm running through fire in 1982 or so. No number of of OOOMMMs are going to bring you back.

In the above scenario, what do you do when you come back to the present? I mean I know what you are saying during fight flight I've been lucky to have people scream at me loud enough to snap me out of it before my ass hit the door. Do you have situations where you feel yourself becoming less regulated? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[MrMoonlight]

The only thing I can say I do on a regular basis - whether things are good or bad - is mindfulness. It's really the only thing that helps on a consistent basis. Sometimes I forget, but I also have a couple of brief audio meditations on my phone which help to remind me.

That's good, stuff to help with mindfulness...audio meditations I have a bunch in the cloud on my google thing. Thanks for reminding me about them!

Wonderful idea! I'm going to do it! I used to take 5 minute meditation breaks at work. That helped too.

Awesome!!! yes another thing I need to be more consistent with, meditations in the morning and evening. Maybe I will add one to my sleep hygiene routine deal.

If a startle yes you can train yourself not to somewhat but fight/flight

you guys are talking about different things. Good info otherwise...you have a tone of info...how long have you been fighting PTDS?

deep breathing, alternate nostril breathing, square breathing, various meditative practices (some in motion and some still), various sound healing techniques, nurturing self-talk, nourishing fork/kitchen therapy, calming non-toxic-to-me scent exposure, as much nature time as I can manage, and I feel it all helps me a great deal. More than I realized was possible.

In fact, learning those methods and slowly but surely making them part of my lifestyle helped restore much of the healthful things that I'd been sorely misguided about via other avenues. Most of them are free and readily available, so why not?

You are the best...all great practices, that's what I'm talking about....something you do everyday to over and over and over until your body gets used to and triggered by a good thing.
I haven't tried neurofeedback, acupuncture or massage. Can't imagine what a massage could do? actually I do remember seeing a video on working certain parts of the body where memory can be stored. thanks.

Unlearning the vicious cycle of what I thought I already knew and had been told/taught by family/professionals/authoritative sources and such was crucial, too, as those paths were the least nurturing/healing.

More difficult than everything. I had a teacher in hs that said I probably woke every morning and wanted to plunge a knife in my neck...not in a loving was. some family stuff too. thank you

Goodreminder to start again

So glad T. We really need to use the tools we learned. I stop-start with meditation unless it's one of my "built into daily life trigger events, meditation, safe place thing".

 

[Ronin]

Short answer - you can train a lot of things in.

With what results and how much they'll stick is a different thing.

And how they'll mesh with hard wired reactions of things learned in trauma is yet other thing.

But at times changing the reaction IN flashback and directing it elsewhere helps. Even running through fire, a millisec remembering things aren't ablaze or if are, can be done different thing with, can help lessen how much it yanks you in the next time.

Some times deliberately triggering TO core trauma that's hard to deal with can be fast lane therapy & modifying it...

But safety when one does that is super much an issue.

 

[MrMoonlight]

Thanks Ronin....are you talking about hard triggers...like smoke, gun fire...etc?

 

[Ronin]

Yep MrM.

They're just stickier SOBs :D
But can be moved with, though it creates an odd sense of living in two simultaneous places.

Not the Past is now familiar, more slightly time altered half-world.

Like, Something's burning here. Can totally tell it, tires & men. / What? No men here. Would be screams. Not hearing THAT. / But there was the same scent - / Was. That thought even *is* was. :facepalm:

Mid running from / to / depends the sets, that fire. :shifty:

Internal chat on it while working on these is just other thing that mighta feel slightly cuckoo. But keeping going helps.

Will try for more productive rsp later.