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The Autonomic Nervous System and Biofeedback

Your autonomic nervous system controls the automatic functions of your body – things you don’t consciously focus on doing.  This includes things like:
◆ Breathing
◆ Heart beating
◆ Digestion
◆ Sweating
◆ Going to the bathroom
◆ Pupil Size
◆ Blood Flow / Blood Pressure
◆ Adrenaline (Release or Reserving)
◆ Metabolism (our liver turns glycogen to glucose for energy)
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.
  • NChanges in your breathing
  • NChanges in your heart rate
  • NBUTTERFLIES, NAUSEOUS, CAN’T EAT
  • NTensing, Jitters
  • NEmotion-accelerating momentum
  • NEmotion-triggering decision-making (helpful or unhelpful)
  • NSweaty hands (irrelevant to the weather)
  • NFEELING LIKE YOU’RE HEATING UP ON THE INSIDE AND GETTING WARM (IRRELEVANT TO THE WEATHER)
  • NCold hands or feet (irrelevant to the weather)
  • NTunnel vision (helpful or unhelpful)
  • NDry, cotton mouth
  • NFeeling like you constantly have to pee (even though you literally just did)
  • NJelly-legs
  • NCloudy-minded
  • NClear-minded
Biofeedback gives us a window into your body’s autonomic system. This window gives us a unique opportunity to train it together!
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