You may hear the term “gone limbic” in clinic, typically when, suddenly, everything shuts down. But what does that mean?
The primary structures within the limbic system include the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus. Their functions are a diverse mix, but essentially boils down to safety, ie keeping you safe.
The amygdala is the emotion center of the brain, while the hippocampus plays an essential role in the formation of memories about past experiences. These are two of the main areas which get involved when we’re dealing with high level patterns, especially when they unconsciously (normally) relate to a trauma of some description. Anything which sparks perceived threat shuts down vagus (parasympathetics).
“Going limbic” is, therefore, a description of the system in a distressed state / feeling unsafe > you enter the fight, flight or freeze response.
There are a few ‘tricks’ we can use in clinic to bring you back on line. Encouraging salivation (because eating is associated with safety), nose breathing (instead of mouth breathing), or some more clinical applications involving frequency, the Scenar device, or a little bit of polarity therapy depending on your particular need.
This is important in clinic, and at home when you’re doing your homework / prescribed exercises. Being able to recognise the subtle signs yourself is crucial to effective change.
If the autonomic nervous system is dysregulated, ie over or under stimulated, the first order of business is to create safety in order to return to normal. Without safety, the nervous system does not have the capacity to learn from what we do > essential for moving you forward.
To understand this a little more, look up the ‘bucket’ post (08 05 2018). We all have a lot of ‘Self Held Invisible Toxins’ to deal with, when it all gets to much it’s important to find time for yourself and drop the level of your bucket.
For a peer reviewed approach have a read here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7984159/
S.H.I.T. Credit to J.Woodall @ dtcw.co.uk
Image credit unknown
Experience the difference – A refreshingly different approach to pain and dysfunction, so you can breathe better, move better, to live better. 2018 05 31