There are 2 sides, or branches, to our autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic branch and the parasympathetic branch.
Each branch affects our automatic functions differently. This depends on if our body is in an activated state – you may also recognize this as “fight or flight” – or a deactivated state – you may also recognize this as “rest & digest”.
Biofeedback is an intervention that trains regulation between the functions of the two branches.
The below graphic gives you a visual of how each branch affects different automatic body functions:
It can be helpful to think of the parasympathetic, rest & digest branch as the body’s braking system. The sympathetic, fight or flight branch as the body’s acceleration system.
When the system is well regulated, the body’s braking system and acceleration system work in harmony – facilitating exactly what you need to optimally engage in any situation. The body functions more efficiently and reacts most context-helpfully.
When the system isn’t well regulated, there is often a mismatch between what we need from this system and what it is doing, resulting in differing levels of discord.
You likely have experienced autonomic changes in the face of pressure moments, moments of anticipation & excitement, and moments of stress or challenge –or even seemingly sporadic.
