Balance
Regulating the
“Fight or Flight Response”
with the Parasympathetic Nervous System
The “Fight or Flight Response” is a natural part of our wiring that is intended for survival.
It's an automatic reaction in our bodies to a perceived threat, but it is often triggered more than it needs to be, which creates a tone of ongoing stress that is unhealthy for us to live with on a regular basis.
Stressors and conflicts are an inevitable component of life. We can't control the events and behaviors we encounter in life, but we can find better ways to respond and implement tools that help us with those times of “feeling triggered”– that’s where Turning Within meditation comes in.
HOW DOES
TURNING WITHIN
MEDITATION HELP?
SINCE THE “FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE” IS GOVERNED BY THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, THE BEST WAY TO KICK IT INTO BALANCE IS BY ACTIVATING ITS COUNTERPART — THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM.
The neurophysiological (mind-body) key with Turning Within meditation is that it teaches you how to activate that opposite of the “Fight or Flight Response”, the parasympathetic nervous system, in an effortless way.
This most importantly integrates BALANCE.
By learning how to turn within through meditation, we balance our mental, emotional, and physical states so that our “Fight or Flight Response” only gets turned on when it needs to be.
The parasympathetic nervous system gets to have its say more often.
We experience calmness, centeredness, productivity, and content more consistently in our lives.
Our bodies learn that being calmer in stressful situations can be just as automatic as the “Fight Flight Response” is.
** THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE “REST AND DIGEST” SYSTEM, SERVES AS THE ULTIMATE CHILL-PILL AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CALMING THE BODY, CONSERVING ENERGY, AND MAINTAINING INTERNAL EQUILIBRIUM.
WHAT HAPPENS to us DURING FIGHT OR FLIGHT?
IN RESPONSE TO A PERCEIVED THREAT, OUR BODIES UNDERGO A SERIES OF CHANGES TO PREPARE US FOR EITHER A CONFRONTATION OR AN ESCAPE.
IN THIS PROCESS, OUR BODY INCREASES SOME FUNCTIONS NECESSARY FOR A HIGH PRESSURE SITUATION AND THEN REDUCES OTHER FUNCTIONS THAT IT DEEMS “LESS NECESSARY” FOR THE PERCEIVED SITUATION AT HAND.
• • •
The sympathetic nervous system initiates a sudden release of stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol, which then prompt a chain of reactions so we can brace ourselves for this perceived threat.
Heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate increase for energy and oxygen flow.
Blood flow is redistributed to larger parts of our body that are critical for confrontation or running – the brain and extremities.
Our pupils dilate for clearer vision.
Digestion is slowed starting from the salivary glands.
To be clear, it's meant for survival and it's meant to be temporary.
The beauty of the Fight or Flight Response is that it’s automatic and it can significantly improve our ability to act under pressure.
The problem is that it's so automatic that it sometimes turns on when there is no real threat – as in, we’re just experiencing daily stress.
It gets triggered by any “perceived” threat– that means anything from a bear chasing us in the woods to a traffic jam that is making us late to work to a hard conversation with a loved one.
“But living in this state for long periods, or having it triggered in inappropriate situations (traffic jams, business meetings, school exams), creates negative psychological and physiological repercussions. For example: anger, depression, anxiety, chest pain, headaches, high blood pressure, insomnia, and a suppressed immune system.
In one word: Illness.
Without intending to, we automatically turn on this 'fight or flight' mechanism too often in our lives. And because we do not know how to manage stressful situations, our bodies simply react in this way. Two words: Sickness and Unhappiness.”
— Kelvin Chin, Founder of Turning Within Meditation