Own Your Nervous System: Sukie Baxter on PYP 544

For Sukie Baxter, one of the most effective ways to bring about positive change in the world is to regulate your own nervous system. It's what she calls "everyday activism."

As a bodyworker and movement coach, Sukie discovered that some people were practically impervious to healing, no matter what techniques and processed she used with them, while others improved just be being in the treatment room with her. So she began to wonder, what's the missing piece?

Then a couple of things happened. She adopted a wild horse, and discovered Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory.

And things began falling into place. She began asking questions like, "What's the root cause of chronic muscle tension and tight fascia?"

And the further upstream she ventured, the more she discovered the centrality of the nervous system. Specifically, the autonomic nervous system, the one that's constantly scanning the environment searching for clues of threat and safety.

If you have a tight hamstring, you can stretch all you want, but if the contraction is occurring because your brain, informed by your nervous system, thinks that tightening that muscle is necessary to protect you from danger, then stretching will be a temporary solution at best.

Instead, Sukie suggests, let's use the body and mind to explore the "story" your nervous system is telling. Is it based on here-and-now stimuli, or following commands based on past experiences; scares, traumas, conditioning, and so on?

And if there's a mismatch between your nervous system and current reality, what tools do you have to address it and bring your system back into functional connection with the here and now?

We're not talking just about physical issues here. Stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional and mental states are also based on nervous system expression.

And no amount of self-talk that doesn't address neurological states will have a lasting positive effect.

In our conversation, we address the link between physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing and care of our nervous system.

We discuss how working with horses informs her work with people, and why taking responsibility for our own nervous systems is one of the most politically potent acts we can perform in pursuit of a better world.

Enjoy!

Links

Sukie's YouTube Channel

WholeBodyRevolution.com 

Stephen Porges on the Plant Yourself Podcast

adrienne marie brown on the Plant Yourself Podcast