NEUROCEPTION: WHAT IT IS & HOW TRAUMA SHAPES IT
Neuroception is a concept developed by Dr. Stephen Porges as part of his Polyvagal Theory. It helps explain why we react the way we do to ourselves, others, and our environments. Understanding neuroception enables us to deepen our self-awareness and respond more effectively when our nervous systems are activated.
What is Neuroception?
Neuroception describes an innate mechanism of our nervous systems that continuously assesses whether we are safe or in danger. Our system of neuroception scans within our bodies, our physical environments, and our interactions with others looking for either cues of safety or cues of threat. This process is constant and unconscious, meaning that our nervous systems are neurocepting all the time without us being cognizant of it.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) responds to the data it receives through neuroception. If our neuroception picks up cues of safety, the ANS downregulates, lowering defenses and increasing our openness to connection with others. If our neuroception picks up cues of threat, it mobilizes our defenses in whatever ways it guesses will be most suited to the moment. Fight or flight defenses are likely if our neuroception reads danger, whereas freeze or collapse states are more likely if our neuroception senses a true threat to life.
How Trauma Affects Neuroception
Trauma impacts the way that neuroception operates. A person who has experienced trauma will be more prone to finding cues of threat via neuroception. Stimuli that other neuroceptions might interpret as harmless, like small changes in facial expressions or certain tones of voice, are often flagged as potentially dangerous by the brains of individuals who have experienced trauma. Since the brain’s primary function is to keep us alive, it is better, from this point of view, to overestimate risk than to underestimate it.
Not only do traumatized nervous systems tend to activate more easily in response to perceived threat, it can also be more difficult for these nervous systems to reset once the perceived threat has passed. Neuroception has a harder time receiving and responding to cues of safety. Thus, individuals who have experienced trauma can find themselves stuck in hyperarousal (indicated by things like elevated heart rate, muscle tension, racing thoughts, or difficulty focusing) or hypoarousal (indicated by things like feeling very fatigued, numb, or unable to act).
How to Help Our Bodies Feel Safer
Knowing about neuroception gives us an opportunity to develop tools to more effectively regulate our nervous systems. We can liken this to breathing. Our bodies will breathe whether we tell them to or not, and we can also utilize conscious breathing exercises to invite relaxation. Our brains will neurocept whether we remind them to or not, and we can also practice attuning to cues of safety to communicate to our nervous systems that we are okay.
What counts as a cue of safety? It depends on the person. Some of my cues of safety are: seeing/petting my dog, my daughter’s laughter, natural things (plants, trees, flowers, etc.), sun shining through the window, soft lighting, silence, quirky art, the smell of lavender, a soft blanket on top of me, the sensation of a deep breath in my belly.
What makes you smile? What brings you a sense of calm or centeredness? What helps you take a deeper breath? Those are your cues of safety. Try to incorporate safety cues in your home, office, or other places you spend a lot of time. Look for them when you’re out in the world and take a few moments to let your body really notice what you find. Chances are your nervous system will shift, even if just a little.
If you have experienced a lot of trauma, this might be hard. Trauma therapies, like EMDR, can help recalibrate neuroception such that it is less reactive and more attuned to safety cues rather than biased to see threat. Contact me today if you would like to learn more.
Please note: This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a licensed mental health provider or other healthcare professional for guidance related to your specific mental health or medical concerns.
