By Karin Locher, Psychosomatic Trauma Therapist
As a psychosomatic trauma therapist, I look at the story of the autonomic nervous system(the ANS), which presents itself through the body, the brain, in symptoms, emotions and health conditions, and also in behaviors, habits, life patterns and choices. The regulation of the ANS is an essential factor in successful fertility treatment, as the body acts out exactly how it is being instructed to do by the ANS. If we are supressing emotions and hardwired into fight or flight mode, attempted treatments and ongoing attempts to conceive cannot be successful. We need to change the instruction changes.
As Albert Einstien told us; ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.’
The good news is that uncovering dysregulation in the ANS of clients on a fertility path, whether IVF, egg freezing or trying to conceive naturally, can be addressed for a successful procedure.
Symptoms of anxiety, depression, fear, worry, doubt, or suicidal thoughts are rarely, if ever in my experience, newly acquired because of the current stresses of treatment or situation. Rather they are already underlying in the client’s organism, and the current additional stresses trigger them to the surface. The ANS will have already been operating under the premise of real or perceived threat or danger. Usually this is not something that the client is aware of. The ANS has been in a defense or protect reflex state often since their own birth or childhood, securing what it has once perceived as a need for survival. In most cases, but not all, threat or danger are not a present-day reality, yet this was the meaning given to experiences that were once lived. The system, wired to respond to the survival signal has been driven from this response since. Even an unconscious perception of threat or danger, will instruct this defensive response for years, until new safe and protected sense felt experiences (pathways) overrule it.
The ANS and the polyvagal nerve is wired between the brain and the organs. When put in defense and protection mode, the sympathetic reflexes of the body hijack all normal bodily functioning, using these resources and energy reserves for the key job of remaining alive. The system is now operating in constant ‘fight or flight’ mode in a state of constant tension and tightly closed protection. The body therefore remains shut and organ function is reduced to a minimum to preserve energy. This acts as a handbrake for normal cellular and immune support – and with it conception.
This suppression also means that emotions, too dangerous to feel at the time, are suppressed (consciously held down) or repressed (unconsciously held down). This suppressing or repressing of emotions has been recognized as the very definition of ‘de-pression’, pressed- down emotions.
A regulated coherent internal environment will support successful conception. Like a seed growing, if a seed isn’t doing well, the surrounding components are considered, soil balance, light, sun, water. As quoted by Alexander Den Heijer “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower”. In the same way we must look to fix all the surrounding environments to support a best outcome.
Finding the root cause of a dis-regulated ANS enables the client to see and experience the effect on their body, mind, and general wellbeing. Experiences, when viewed through the eyes of an adult, can be understood from a new perspective and a new meaning to them is found. This now conscious, newly understood and body felt reality re-sets the ANS with new message. The parasympathetic reflex is re-activated, and the system can finally come back to a place of homeostasis. From there increasing moments of safety and protection are consciously felt and experienced in the body. It is through the sense felt experience of something that the ANS receives the message, and the body and brain response can change.
The conscious awareness of a new reality enables the organisms to return to their original duties bringing back the best internal environment for conception and the creation of new life.
About Karin:
Karin Locher is a visionary in the field of mind and body healing. Her extraordinary and personal insight into the mind-body-spirit relationship inspires her unique methodology of Spatial Medicine; changing mind-set, heart-set and health-set to support the autonomic nervous system to enable recovery and live more fully. Karin is a psychosomatic trauma therapist, myofascial specialist and educator of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
www.centreforspatialmedicine.com
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