Hi everyone,

There are such great questions coming in. I have taken some time out to
answer some of them here as I know we won’t have time to get to all of them.
I’ll be doing this for the next two weeks too. My answers are in purple below.
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Is limbic to limbic similar to interactive neurobiological regulator?

No, when we are limbic to limbic that would be two people in a defensive,
threat state. When Fischer or Schore talk about “interactive neurobiological
regulator” what they mean is that the prefrontal cortex is in the lead, that it is
accepting data from the limbic system but is not over whelmed and is in
present time, relational focus. That means the data the brain is depending on
is coming a bit more from the right hemisphere.

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Is it possible for the SNS to be active in Safety?

Yes, in safety states the sympathetic system is active in seeking and play
behaviors. What’s happening here is a little dance between the ventral vagal
complex (VVC) and the sympathetic nervous system(SNS). With every breath
the VVC is helping the SNS be available for enervation of energy but regulated
enough to stay safe and not move into fight flight.
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What’s going on when someone feels terror but there’s nothing triggering
happening.

Well the nervous system is funny. Your brain uses pattern recognition and
categorization to help rapidly sift through all the data coming at you every
second of every day. Because of this, it needs to generalize the categories for
quick reference. So, a smell might cue a category that also knows danger, or a
sideways glance may be overcooled with threat. If someone is reacting in
terror, they were reminded in some way of another moment in which there was
real terror. It may not make sense to us on the outside but it makes complete
sense to the nervous system inside.

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Is second consciousness same as Wise Adult?

2nd Consciousness is the reengagement of the Wise Adult. My first reaction to

threat is gonna be whatever old ways worked best. It could be that I become
defensive, I could move into judgment of my partner, I could leave the room
without speaking, I could go numb in my body.

2nd Consciousness is a special type of mindfulness that uses a pause before

the action of self defense and a call back to the Wise Adult. In my system, I
tend to go for beating myself up, it comes with pretty contemptuous name
calling towards me and a flood of shame, a drop in the pit of my stomach and
tingles down my back. When that happens I stop, take a breath, put my hand
on my heart and tell myself that inherent value is real. Then I look at my sweet
husband and remember that I want to be married to him.

Usually that helps my full Wise Adult (integrated brain) come on line, the my
Wise Adult mind state moves in with curiosity, openness to repair, brave voice
etc.

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What is happening in the brain when someone is more withdrawn?

It depends, there are three basic brain states we could be seeing here:

1. Left leaning. People who have a dominant conscious experience lead by

the left hemisphere experience of the world tend to have trouble with
engagement because that hemisphere is more about goals and tools and
making lists and checking boxes than about being present and relational. If
that’s the case for you or someone you are working with help them track
feelings and how feelings show up in the heart area and gut area, that’ll
help them pay more attention to what the right brain wants them to know.
2. Dissociative/collapse. Sometimes people with a difficult time early on stay
in a mild collapse state. This makes them feel not so present to
 themselves or anyone else most of the time. A good assessment tool here
is to see if they can feel their body or if they seem to loose track of time a
lot. If so, I’d recommend trauma recovery work, especially somatic kinds.
3. As a defense. It could be that this person learned that the way to get out of
harm as a kid is to say less, pull away, communicate through silence or
withdrawal in the face of fear or nerves. If so then developing a 2nd
consciousness practice is the fastest way out.

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Is the “Woosh” the vagal Brake?

No, The “Woosh” is the flood of sensations that accompany your triggered
state. I love the way Brene Brown says it when she describes her “Woosh”: “I
feel it as a cold spiky flood that starts in my arm pits and drops all the way
down my back.” She says when she does feel that she has a practice: She
touches her heart and repeats the mantra-I’m here to get it right, not be right.
She repeats that over and over again til her body is calm.

This is a great example of what we are talking about:

Spiky cold= Woosh=lid flipped= limbic system and defensive strategies running
the show

Touch heart, repeat mantra= 2nd Consciousness=Pause=ask Prefrontal Cortex

to come back and help you

Feeling calm again=ventral vagal on line again=feeling safe=prefrontal cortex

connected and in the lead= Wise Adult

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What does it mean in the brain when people cry? When someone is crying as a
response to stress.

Crying can mean a lot of things but in stress generally it’s a release function.
Once we’ve been in a stressed state we need to get rid of all that big energy.
Crying is a great way to let it out. Crying also comes with the awe of a big shift
that ends in relief.
If the tears are present and the distress continues I know I’m seeing a relief
valve move only. If the tears are present and there are big breathes
accompanying them right at the end, I probably have more of an awe/relief/
coming to a new emotional knowing going on.

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Would expectation fall into agenda and judgment?

Not necessarily. I think of the neuroceptive warning state as a moment to

moment practice. When I put an intervention out into the space, I have an
intention and maybe an expectation too.

If I become attached to those intentions and expectations, then if they are not
met I am likely to see that as a threat and try to get you to do something other
than you are doing or move into judgment of you because you didn’t do what I
was hoping for.

If I hold the intention and the hope of relational health and brain integration but
let go of whether or not it will “work” but rather be open to whatever happens
next then I’m less likely to go into threat response when surprised.