My emotional support pup is đMar
Whoâs yours!? đ¶
There was a time in my life when I had no one but my dogs for emotional support and more specifically, nervous system co-regulationâŠ
In those times cuddling with my dogs and having Mar was powerfully supportive.
Co-regulation is the nervous systemâs ability to sync up with other nervous systems to get back to a calm parasympathetic state.
When you donât feel safe your sympathetic nervous system is activated and you feel disregulated. Maybe your heart beats faster & your breathing becomes rapid or you are experiencing intense difficult emotions.
If you got the proper support you needed as a child, you know how to regulate yourself and where to find the healthy support when you need it.
As a child when your nervous system got triggered and you were upset or in pain, you needed co-regulation from your care giver to calm your nervous system and help you develop your own natural regulation imprints.
In these early formative years however, many like you did not get this because your care giver was not able to give it to you.
Maybe no one was present, or they were disconnected or had issues with regulating their own nervous systems and found it too triggering to be present and supportive for you. Many times they reacted harshly (which would cause other issues, but thatâs for a different post, see- parts work).
Not receiving this causes your nervous system itâs own type of trauma - chronic disregulation, and you carry this pattern with you into adulthood until you do the work to heal.
Many trauma survivors who grew up in traumatic, toxic or disconnected home environments have not had the opportunity for healthy co-regulation and therefore feel chronically disregulated.
Nervous system co-regulation and regulation speaks to your basic human need to feel safe. It helps to calm and support your nervous system in feelings of safety and groundedness.
If you are interested in diving deeper into the healing work around healing your trauma and your nervous system click the link below for a free guide: Empaths Guide to Healing your Nervous System.
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