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Damiju Stabilization Method to soothe a wounded nervous system when your body stiffens and trembles at the criticism of others
Category
- Multivagus nerve
Author
- Lumen
To you on the other side of the screen, are you perhaps feeling a heavy weight sinking into a corner of your heart or your shoulders hunched over? Perhaps your whole body is trembling uncontrollably, wounded by someone's sharp words or cold gaze, or conversely, memories that have hardened coldly may be lingering around you.
Take your gaze away from the screen for a moment, and let go of the stiff tension in your shoulders. Then, breathe in and out very slowly and deeply. You did not collapse because you were weak. Your body was simply beating desperately to protect the universe that is you.
Our bodies read the subtle textures of energy floating in the air before reason can even assess the situation. From the other person's slightly hardened facial expression and the frequency of a sharp voice to a single cold gesture, our nervous system instantly detects these as danger signals threatening our survival. The moment accusations pour down, your body sounds its most primal warning alarm and begins preparing to protect you.
The moment a threat is detected, your body unleashes a waterfall of cortisol and adrenaline to protect you or escape the situation. Your heart beats violently enough to be heard in your ears, and taut energy rushes into your muscles.
Have you ever experienced your body trembling like an aspen tree in the face of criticism? That is not a sign that you have succumbed to fear, but rather evidence of the burning pulse of the life force within you, preparing to fight and leap forward to protect yourself.
However, there comes a moment when the nervous system determines that the pouring criticism is so fierce that it is impossible to avoid or confront it. At that time, our body switches on the oldest defense system in the history of evolution.
Like an ancient creature entering deep hibernation to preserve life amidst a fierce blizzard, your body turns off the power to its systems and shuts itself down. Your entire body stiffens coldly, your mind goes blank, and you lose even your voice. To minimize the pain you have endured and conserve energy, your nervous system has erected a thick soundproof wall around your soul. Paradoxically, this rigidity was the body's most desperate embrace to save you.
Now, it is time to send a gentle wave of "it is safe now" to the tense nervous system that struggled to protect you. Stopping self-blame is the first step. Gently affirm your trembling, thinking, "My body has been struggling like this to save me."
When fear washes over you, gently place a warm palm on your heart or cheek. The moderate weight and warmth transmitted through your fingertips softly melt the hardened vagus nerve, sending a signal of quiet peace to the nervous system. Then, as you exhale, try letting out a very long and deep sigh. As your exhale lengthens, the pulse of your excited sympathetic nervous system subsides, and your body regains a safe rhythm.
Focus your awareness on the sensation of your soles touching the hard earth. From your toes, the earth's heavy and unwavering energy rises through your body, settling your stormy mind in quiet stillness. You will never be broken. This poignant survival mechanism of your nervous system is the very proof.
Please gently stroke your stiff shoulders once more, the ones that have been blaming yourself. With what rhythm and how is the pulse beating in your heart right now? Quietly feel the resonance of that subtle life force, and gently share your warmth in the comments.
