How Your Nervous System Influences Your Mental Health
The human nervous system is the body’s communication network. It coordinates everything we do—from breathing and thinking to feeling sensations and moving our muscles.
The nervous system has the important job of receiving signs and signals that dictate how we respond with the outside world. Our mood, energy, digestion, sleep, memory, and more are all influenced by whether our nervous system is in a state of regulation or dysregulation.
The nervous system also stores information from the past, including experiences of safety or threat, which shapes how we respond to situations in the present—even when those responses may no longer be necessary or helpful.
Let’s break down how this impacts our mental and overall health.
Photo by Federico Lancellotti on Unsplash
What is the nervous system?
The nervous system is a multi-faceted part of the body. It’s actually made of two key parts: the central and the peripheral nervous system.
Central Nervous System (CNS): This includes the brain and spinal cord. The brain acts as a command center, processing information and making decisions. The spinal cord carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body.
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): This includes the additional nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to limbs and organs. The peripheral nervous system has its own distinct parts: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
Somatic Nervous System: This controls voluntary movements like walking or picking something up.
Autonomic Nervous System: This manages involuntary actions like heartbeat, digestion, and breathing. It has three divisions:
Enteric - manages digestion
Sympathetic (fight or flight) - activation in panic or perceived danger
Parasympathetic (rest and digest) - safety and connection
Dorsal Vagal (shut down or overwhelm) - a primary, overdrive response within the parasympathetic system activated in perceived danger
Understanding the biology of our nervous systems helps us make sense of how our body and mind connect in an effort to keep us safe, or in homeostasis. In therapy, we spend a lot of our time focusing on the Autonomic Nervous System, because, as we’ll discuss, this part of our nervous system shifts between sympathetic (fight, flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest), and shut down, based on how safe or threatened we feel.
Photo by Linus Nylund on Unsplash
What is a regulated nervous system?
A regulated nervous system is one that’s balanced, flexible, and able to respond to stress or stimulation and then return to a steady state. A regulated nervous system is not the absence of feeling - it’s the ability to cope and witness distress without being too overwhelmed or shutting down. A regulated nervous system is activated by the parasympathetic nervous system response.
Physical signs of a regulated nervous system include:
Steady heart rate and breathing
Clear thinking
Good digestion
Restful sleep
Emotional tolerance
Strong immunity
Psychological signs of a regulated nervous system include:
Emotional stability – feeling calm, grounded, and able to tolerate a range of emotions
Resilience – the ability to recover from stress or challenges
Mental clarity – the ability to think clearly, focus easily, and make thoughtful decisions
Healthy boundaries – recognizing your needs and limits without guilt or fear
Empathy and connection – feeling open to others, capable of intimacy, and accessing safety in relationships
Self-awareness – being in tune with your thoughts, body, and emotions without judgment
What is a dysregulated nervous system?
A dysregulated nervous system is one that is imbalanced, leaving us stuck in a freeze state of shut down, or an activated state of fight or flight. Dysregulation occurs when there is imbalance between parts of the nervous system.
A dysregulated nervous system is also one that responds to signs or signals of danger. This can be helpful! If there is a threat to safety, being able to respond is essential. However, a dysregulated nervous system can also respond to perceived threats - rather than something that requires a true danger response.
Those with complex trauma might have nervous systems primed to stay in dysregulation - because that was functional in order to stay safe (i.e. maintaining vigilance, or shutting down). When that stops being helpful, learning to access regulation with more consistency can improve our overall mental and physical health.
Physical signs of a dysregulated nervous system include:
Increased heart rate and breathing
Fatigue
Poor sleep
Irritability
Frequent overwhelm
Difficulty concentrating
Digestive issues
Weak immunity
Chronic pain
Psychological signs of a dysregulated nervous system include:
When stuck in fight or flight (sympathetic activation):
Anxiety, panic, or racing thoughts
Irritability or anger that feels hard to control
Hypervigilance or feeling constantly “on edge”
Difficulty sleeping or relaxing
Obsessive thinking or overanalyzing
Feeling unsafe even when there’s no actual threat
When stuck in freeze or collapse (dorsal vagal shutdown):
Numbness or emotional flatness
Depression or hopelessness
Brain fog or dissociation
Feeling disconnected from yourself or others
Low motivation or lack of energy
Difficulty speaking up or taking action
To be a human being with a nervous system is to shift from states of dysregulation to regulation. Accessing increased nervous system regulation helps us to feel safe and connected to ourselves and others. In a state of regulation, we increase our capacity for compassion, curiosity, mindfulness, and clarity. A regulated nervous system helps the body and brain collaborate, keeping us responsive and balanced - better able to handle the ups and downs of life without being overwhelmed.
With the right resources and support, we can encourage our nervous system to seek more regulation and better learn how to help shift our state to be more balanced.
At IFS EMDR Therapy Group, we use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Polyvagal Theory, and Somatic Experiencing techniques to help clients better understand their unique nervous systems and how to find safety in regulation.
If you’re interested in working with a therapist to increase your ability to regulate your nervous system, click here to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team.
More Reading:
How We Regulate: Using Polyvagal Theory and Somatic Experiencing
Understanding EMDR: A Simple Explanation of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Authorship: This blog was written by Katy Levine, LMSW and Morgan Levine, LCSW. Katy (licensed in Washington, D.C., MD, VA, & PA) focuses on supporting clients with complex trauma history, attachment wounding, anxiety, and perfectionism, using IFS-informed EMDR. Morgan (licensed in MD, DC, VA, PA, and CO) specializes in intensive EMDR and IFS-Informed EMDR virtually or in-person in her office or in Immersive Intensive Retreats. She’s passionate about working with adults who want to heal from perfectionism, overworking, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, obsessions and compulsions, relationship issues, CPTSD, use of substances or people, attachment wounds, and specific trauma events.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for mental health care nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. The information may change without notice. No claims, promises, or guarantees are made about the completeness, accuracy, currency, content or quality of information linked. You assume all responsibility and risk for any use of the information.
IFS EMDR Therapy Group is an outpatient therapy group founded by Morgan Levine. We specialize in helping adults struggling with the effects of living in dysfunctional systems move toward healing and wholeness. We provide therapy to address symptoms such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, grief, obsessive and compulsive thoughts and behaviors including but not limited to using work, perfectionism, substances, relationships, food, etc. We offer ongoing support as well as EMDR intensives; both of which are informed by IFS, EMDR, DBT, CBT, Polyvagal Theory, trauma-informed yoga, attachment, and other recovery principles. Our therapists work virtually with clients living throughout Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Florida. Morgan Levine also provides trauma-informed consultation to therapists worldwide.
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