Neuroscience and Understanding the Nervous System by LK TOMMI

Neuroscience is more than a buzz word…it is a powerful study and understanding of the Nervous system..

Neuroscience is a topic that I have studied extensively, and I would love to share with you what neuroscience is and how it helps us understand our experiences.

First, let’s start by defining Neuroscience, which is how the nervous system develops, its structure and what it does. The central nervous system includes the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves that are connected. There is a lot of terminology to understand, but I will keep it to a minimum so you get an overall picture of what is happening inside the body and the brain. After all, I could talk about this all day and night long.

The autonomic nervous system helps regulate essential systems in the body, including our:

• heart rate

• blood pressure

• breathing and

• digestion.

The autonomic nervous system relies on a hugely important nerve to our overall well-being, which is the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, stretching from the brainstem to the stomach.

The vagus nerve is often referred to as the mind-body connection.

The vagus nerve sends and receives information between the brain and body, helping us respond to changes in our internal and external environment.

Dr Stephen Porges, the author of Polyvagal theory, provides a framework for understanding how the autonomic nervous system functions in our day-to-day lives. In our day-to-day lives, the nervous system can go through different stages depending on the threat level and safety and connection that the person experiences. For example:

Dorsal Vagal activates when there is a sense of a life-threatening situation, and the body becomes immobilized, shut down and collapses.

The sympathetic nervous response activates when there is a sense of danger, and it is when the nervous system becomes mobilized, and action is taken through the fight and flight response.

The ideal state is the ventral vagal, a neuroception of safety, and this is where we are social, engaged, and connected. It is also the ideal state when our nervous system is at its optimal development.

Our nervous system receives information all day through our senses of vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, as well as through our sensory receptors of pain and temperature. When the nervous system receives the information, it then knows how to interpret the information about the experiences that we are having.

When our vagus nerve is connected to the state of our autonomic nervous system, this influences how we feel, think and behave. When we regulate our nervous system, we can change how we respond to life’s challenges and experiences and engage and connect to the world and others.

I love this saying by Joe Dispenza. “Your brain and body don’t know the difference between having an experience in your life and just thinking about the experience – neurochemically, it’s the same.”

The nervous system is oriented toward health, seeking to find and maintain the status quo, including a steady state of internal physical and emotional balance that allows us to function at our best. Finding the balance means regulating the nervous system to respond flexibly to challenges.

The critical part of understanding your nervous system is knowing how to tune in or tune it up to ensure it is at its optimal development and to be able to pivot in any direction it needs to.

There are lots of strategies that can help you to reset your nervous system. One way to reset the nervous system is through activities that link to your senses. Movement and balance exercises are also vital to fully regulated nervous systems. Music is another excellent way to tune up and in the nervous system. I am an accredited Neuroscience practitioner, and I have been trained in using music to help people connect with their nervous system. The music has been titrated to speak directly to the nervous and brain systems. Dr Stephen Porges created the safe and sound protocol to help people anchor safety and stability through the nervous system. This way, the nervous system can respond appropriately to the information it receives through the senses.

I am very proud and honoured to have been selected to do a series on this topic for Parent TV, and you are still in time to join as the launch date is Thursday, 29th February, if you would love to continue the learning.

Here is the link: https://learning.parenttv.com/p/wired-for-wellbeing-a-deep-dive-into-the-nervous-system-bootcamp.

Here is a sneak peek:

Week 1: Unlocking the Mind: Understanding how Neuroscience impacts the Nervous System in you and your child

29th February Topic Video / Tuesday 5th March 8pm ADST / 7pm AEST Live Q&A

Neuroscience gives us a deeper understanding of our body and brain and how they relate to our experiences. With this knowledge, we understand not only our own experiences but also those of our children.

This week’s topic will cover:

Exploring the concepts of Neuroscience.
How the knowledge of Neuroscience links to wellbeing.
Why is understanding Neuroscience important for parent-child interactions?
Exploring the language of Neuroscience.

Here is the link: https://learning.parenttv.com/p/wired-for-wellbeing-a-deep-dive-into-the-nervous-system-bootcamp.

My name is LK Tommi (Lynne Kendall) – I’m a qualified Neuroscience provider and educator working in the education and psychology field. I am also the author of a resilience-based book and journal series supporting children, teenagers and adults to truly connect and understand their emotions, thinking, energy, and behaviour and how it connects with their everyday life experiences.