Why Understanding the Nervous System is Crucial for Special Needs Moms
Everyone is talking about nervous system regulation, but why is it so important for you as a mother of a child with special needs to know about it?
It's crucial because your nervous system directly influences the state of your child’s nervous system.
Here is what you need to know:
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for calming the body and promoting rest and digestion, while the sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for action after perceiving a threat by triggering the "fight or flight" response during stressful situations.
The minute a mother detects a threat to her child, she will go into her sympathetic nervous system.
Being in this state can save your child’s life.
Switching between parasympathetic and sympathetic is normal and a function of a healthy human. However, it is not healthy to stay in the sympathetic nervous system long-term.
You have full control over your nervous system, so you can learn to consciously take yourself out of fight or flight.
There are four types of modes when your nervous system is activated:
Fight Mode: The body's response to perceived threats by preparing to confront or attack. This can manifest as anger, aggression, or assertiveness.
Flight Mode: The instinct to escape from danger. When triggered, a person might feel the urge to run away or avoid the threatening situation.
Fawn Mode: A response to danger by trying to please or appease the threat. This can involve people-pleasing, compliance, or submission to avoid conflict.
Freeze Mode: The body's reaction to danger by becoming immobile or numb. In this state, a person may feel paralyzed, unable to act, or disconnected from their surroundings.
Children use their parents as a way to soothe their own nervous systems—they often mirror their parents' nervous system.
Many children with special needs are already in their sympathetic nervous system for prolonged periods due to their brain injury, so we don’t want to compound this issue by having them mirror a parent's unregulated nervous system.
More is caught than taught. The more you learn to regulate your nervous system—which looks like regulating your emotions and staying calm in the face of adversity—the more it teaches your child to do the same.
The parasympathetic nervous system is vital to recovery, and your child needs all the recovery they can get!
Ever wondered how to control your central nervous system? We have the Doman Parent Support Group where we talk about topics just like this and much more! The Support Group is exclusively for parents doing the Doman Program.
It’s FREE for any parent who has had an appointment in the last 6 months, or it's available for a low monthly subscription of $29 per month. This safe space is here to support YOU, so your child can make the most necessary progress.
Check it out here!
Xoxo,
Morgan
P.S. If you want it for free, email me at morgan@domaninternational.org so I can get you a coupon code!