Soma / Σώμα   (continued….)

“Our fascia is central to our awareness of our body in space and our awareness of all that is happening inside our body. This connective tissue literally encircles and encases our whole body, connecting, stabilizing, supporting, and protecting the cells, bones, muscles, organs, brain, nerves, arteries, and veins and the entire body as a unit.….. The fascia can be considered to be one of our richest sensory organs. ….. The sensory nerve endings embedded within the fascia contribute to both interoception (how we feel inside ourselves) and proprioception (our awareness of our body in space). So when we “go inside” to find out what is happening in our body, it is the interoceptive capacity of the sensory nerves in our fascia that tells us that our stomach is tight, or our jaw or our toes are clenched, or our back is aching. We use proprioception when we notice our posture, balance, and movement relative to gravity….” Dr Susan McConnell (posted July 5th)

This piece today is related to recent posts and based on Dr Arielle Schwartz’s article, Fascia and the Vagus Nerve. In this article Dr Arielle Schwartz considers how fascia plays a key role in building up resilience and suggests that we can nourish and rehydrate our fascia and the vagus nerve (which plays an important role in communicating changes in fascia to our brain) by attending to our body and mind through sensory awareness, conscious breathing, mindful movement, stretching and massage.

In relation to the vagus nerve, Dr Schwartz writes that we could think of it as a bi-directional information highway between brain and body that helps regulate our autonomic nervous system. Stressful events engage our sympathetic nervous system through the fight or flight responses. The vagus nerve allows us to let go of fight or flight for the purpose of resting, digesting, and bonding with others during times of safety. However, in situations that are traumatic or life threatening, this vagal brake can lead to nausea, dizziness, or fainting. Concerning the fascia, also known as connective tissue, she describes it, as a fibrous web that houses 250 million nerve endings and extends into every structure and system of our body, from superficial layers under our skin and deeper layers that wrap around our bones and muscles. She discusses how fascia provides a nourishing and lubricating layer around our lungs, which intertwines with the layer of fascia around our heart. There is also protective connective tissue around our digestive organs and in our endocrine glands, and thus, it plays a role in transmitting hormones throughout our body. Hardening in the fascia occurs for many reasons: emotional stress; physical injuries; lack of movement; historical traumas. Also, some level of hardening occurs every night during sleep. Overtime if recovery does not take place it can present as chronic pain, systemic inflammation, chronic fatigue syndrome, muscular tension and other problems.

Schwartz writes that physical tension in our muscles and connective tissue is a protective layer, which in somatic psychology is termed “armoring”, and it is held as a form of memory that won’t release until one feels safe. She claims that when our body goes into some kind of shock we either move into freeze (tonic immobility) or faint (collapsed immobility) responses, but when these trauma responses don’t resolve we can lose the capacity to rhythmically expand and contract. In this case fascial “fuzz” can build up and we can lose our connection to our bodily sensations and be more likely to feel disconnected or dissociated. Dr Stephen Porges, who has developed the polyvagal theory, has coined the term neuroception. In brief, neuroception [I have recently referred to this in July 5^th post] is the process by which the autonomic nervous system, automatically and without conscious awareness, scans for internal and external cues of threat and responds. This life saving process in times of danger can also heighten stress levels and lead to hypervigilance when trauma is not released. However, we can also engage in conscious neuroception by observing our body for signals that give us feedback about the state of our nervous system. Dr Schwartz writes: “By observing your body, you can determine if you are feeling calm and connected, keyed up in “fight or flight,” feeling frozen or feeling shut down and collapsed. Self-knowledge of your body and mind allows you to engage in strategies that bring you into an optimal zone of nervous system regulation.” Dr Schwartz suggests that if we need to upregulate our nervous system we can engage in movement and breath practices that help mobilization strategies to unwind from chronic freeze or faint responses. We can also explore how it feels to tune into cues of safety that allow us to initiate a “relaxation response.” She writes that when we are in an “optimal zone” of nervous system regulation we feel: more connected to ourself and others; curious about our inner experience and needs; an enhanced sense of clarity; compassionate; creative; joyful; courageous; empowered and confident.