Hacking Your Connection System

Hacking Your Connection System

We could have called this section “Mechanically Stimulating Your Ventral Vagal System.” Ah, well. When we talk about turning on the Connection System, at a physiological level, we are talking about stimulating the ventral vagal aspect of the Autonomic Nervous System. If you want, you can think about these as hacks. These aren’t really things that you’d do for pleasure, but rather somewhat mechanical ways of eliciting a state shift toward ventral. Use them in a pinch to shift your vagal tone. Keep in mind, however, that they are not a substitute for actual relationships.

DIP YOUR FACE IN COLD WATER

’Nuf said. Try it. Your next breath will be different. This is why, in old movies, when something is acting the fool, they get a bucket of cold water thrown on them.

STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE

Remember when you used to go to the doctor, and they would come at you with the tongue depressor and make you say ‘“Ahhhh”? When you stick out your tongue, bring it downward, bring your attention to the tip of it, and use the tip of the tongue as a probing tool. Touch your chin with it. Reach it out and wiggle it. Imagine that it is the end of a finger. As strange as this sounds, imagine that the tip of your tongue is connected, through sensation, all the way to the tips of your toes. Stretch your tongue to the right, to the left, up and down. As you stretch out your tongue, bring your attention to your gut region, and see if you can feel the relationship between the tongue and the gut. This is important. : Re-establishing the tongue/gut connection is at the core of this exercise, and part of what elicits state shift.

BEAR DOWN AS IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT

You don’t have to do this sitting on the toilet, but you can. You’ve done this before, you know it. That muscle pattern is familiar. In this case, you are simply mechanically stimulating that reflex.

INDUCE THE VOMITING REFLEX

Do you remember how, after you throw up, you always feel so much better? Is that because you’ve cleared something toxic, or because vomiting itself tones your ventral vagal system? You can start by sticking your tongue out. Or coughing. Bring attention the belly, where there is often a stuck feeling. You might see if you can burp. I like to open my mouth, soften my palate, and let the tongue come slightly forward. I like to envision letting go of whatever is stuck inside me that I don’t need. It’s ok if you actually throw up. In many ceremonies this is called getting well.

BEVERAGE OF YOUR CHOICE

Eating and drinking are both ventral. Drink something. Eat something. Approach this as a mindfulness exercise. Forcing yourself to eat or drink when you are in a sympathetic state actually won't work, because your digestion won't be working properly. This is more about getting your body wanting a beverage or wanting to eat something. Start with visualizing it. (I'm not talking about alcohol here.). Imagine yourself being thirsty. If it's food, start by smelling it.

FIRM YOUR CORE

When we go into freeze states specifically, the back tends to collapse and the core muscles stop holding us upright. So firm your core. If you take pilates, or yoga, these are movements that are common in both of those disciplines. Take a moment to tighten the core muscles in the deep belly and the base of the hips from inside. Straighten your spine. Imagine there is a cord that runs through the top of your head, down the center of your body, and out between the center of your legs. Allow your back to stretch vertically around this cord. Allow the shoulders to soften.