Blog — Vagal tone

  Balance and Proprioception are Deeply Intertwined Proprioception (your body's sense of position) provides the raw data (where you are) that your balance system uses (with input from eyes and inner ears) to make constant, tiny adjustments via your muscles to keep you steady and upright, preventing falls and allowing coordinated movement, with balance training effectively enhancing this internal GPS system. Essentially, better balance means better proprioception because the challenges of balancing force your proprioceptors to work harder and smarter, improving nerve signals and muscle response. Proprioception (body position in space) and interoception (internal body states like hunger, fatigue) are...

  The number one goal of any “behavior modification” plan I write for a dog is to create autonomic flexibility.  For a dog who has experienced a specific trauma, or one who has lived in chronic stress for long periods of time (like at a shelter) their nervous system may be somewhat “stuck” in sympathetic arousal. Or, depending on their temperament and how they deal with stress, they could potentially spend weeks or even months in a state of shut-down (appearing aloof, depressed, dissociated). They might even flip-flop between these two states, going from one extreme to another.  Humans often...

Sentinel Trauma is a one-time learning event which can leave a permanent imprint on the autonomic nervous system.    According to Dr. Stephen Porges, Sentinel Trauma is a single overwhelming event which the body-brain registers as life-threatening. This could be an accident, an assault, or a medical crisis. It is an "one-trial imprint" which results is the sudden re-calibration of autonomic state and neuroception. Sentinel Trauma is distinct from chronic stress and complex trauma. It is also separate from fear conditioning, which requires repetition. Sentinel Trauma, like Conditioned Taste Aversion, is a one-trial learning event which is highly resistant to...

  Present Moment Gratitude Write your dog a letter of gratitude, for everything they have brought into your life, everything they have taught you, and all the things you hope to experience together. Take a moment to read and reflect on this letter and all the emotions it might bring up in your body as a felt sense. A "felt sense" is a bodily-felt experience of a whole situation that exists before you can put it into words. Gratitude for the Past Write a letter of gratitude to each of your past dogs, who are no longer with you. Take...

    If you feel your nervous system needs a reset, try one or more of the following: 1. Slow down. Gentle, mindful, and deliberate movements signal safety to your nervous system and the nervous systems around you. 2. Check in with your internal state, are you feeling flighty and stimulated, shut down and dissociated, or grounded and calm? Bringing awareness to your state can also bring compassion and understanding.  3. Give yourself a squeeze for containment, right hand under the left armpit, and left hand on the right shoulder. 4. Hum or sing your favorite song to self-soothe. 5....