It isn't every day you make an acquaintance of a nerve. I found this one a few weeks ago and it's been taking a lot of attention.
The nerve in question is known by science as the polyvagal nerve.and although it's not a new scientific discovery, it's certainly new to me.
Polly as I call the nerve, is responsible for a lot. She is extremely sensitive to external influences ,is connected to digestion, breathing,heart rate,brain. She runs from the base of the brain down the spine. Born without a cover,she depends on feeling safe,nurtured,held ,in order to develop the outer protection. She is responsible for our fight/flight response and for the shutdown we can experience under stress.
Messages back and forth between her and our brains can knock out a good story.
If we don't have enough protection by the time we're three years old, we can spend our lives reacting and acting in response to the sensitivity of our Polly.
However there are solutions and good news. It is possible to create a protective cover later in life. I can say that's not always easy or comfortable. I've begun this in the last few weeks and have discovered along with a friend, that Polly is a pretty powerful nerve !
There are lots of internet articles around varying in complexity and scientific perspective and I am definitely not equipped to delve into the complicated.
I am still exploring how Polly has experienced my life and I expect this to be continued over the next few years. During my own discovery I am integrating the theory into my shamanic practice . I have realized that those old monks knew what they were doing when they developed breathing meditation, singing bowls and chanting! All of these I have found to be a calming influence on the over active Polly. I've journeyed to Polly aswell,her picture is above,and have discovered a lot of myself in the process.
If you would like to know more, join me on a sometimes turbulent and emotional voyage towards wholeness and balance and connection with the wounded child , make contact and we can see what we can do. I'm putting that out there in these early stages because I really think this is important. It's not too late for us elders and it is vital for the consciousness of the human world. How we provide nurture for our children,how we protect pregnant women from stress ,how we deal with stressful responses, emotional,snappy behavior. How we understand our human condition.
If only there were more awareness of how much we are under Polly's influence, we could be a little more adult.
I suspect our ancestors knew more than they were aware of in some of our common language. When they say something is "getting on my nerves", and in the old days referred to some mental health problems as a "nervous breakdown" they could have been talking about Polly.
This discovery has been life changing for me, both in my understanding of trauma on our being and the ways we can truly heal.
May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness.
May all beings remain free from suffering and the cause of suffering.
May all beings remain unseparated from the sacred joy and happiness that is totally free from sorrow.
May all beings come to rest in the boundless and all inclusive equanimity that is beyond attachment and aversion.