The Fight or Flight Syndrome

Live Holistically is a multi-author site.
This post was written by: Susan Blue

Have you lost the ability to relax, hang with your friends and do nothing? It may not because your friends or doing nothing with them is boring. It may be your Central Nervous System’s (CNS) inability to let down. Hyper-vigilance is an internal process that interferes with daily function, effects behaviour, attitude and our sense of safety in the world. Relaxation is minimized. Sleep may be disturbed or other imbalances may be happening.

How did relaxation become lost or a lost art? Knowing how the Central Nervous System functions can help. What is true for us is also true for all mammalian life.

The Relaxed State

In every day life, there is a sense of relaxation and an awareness of our surroundings. Like the deer coming to graze at a meadow; we will pause, orientate to our surroundings, then continue with our purpose of activity.

Heightened Awareness

If something seems out of place or there is a sense of possible danger; like the deer, our awareness increases. We orient to our surroundings with a sharper focus and perception. In medical terminology, this is known as General Alert Syndrome. If that sense of possible danger passes, we will return to the relaxed state.

The Warning of Danger

As we sense that the danger is no longer a possibility, but an actuality, there is a mobilization in the nervous system. Heightened awareness becomes acute. The orientation to surroundings now encompasses all points of exit and the best possible place to take a stand, if need be.

Our system is flooded with chemicals that prepare us for running or fighting. This is known as the Fight or Flight Syndrome.

Successful Fight or Flight

Carrying the kitchen trash can that was just emptied outdoors, a mountain lion shows up. The trash can is quickly put over the head to look as big as possible. The mountain lion snarls in surprise at the sudden change in size, decides not to attack and lopes away. Yes, the heart beats wildly! The breath is short and shallow! Realizing there is no longer danger, the heart slows its beating and the breath is longer and deeper.

The success in taking a stance (fight syndrome), the brain begins the process of producing chemical messengers. Discharge of hyper-arousal becomes fuller, longer breathing and the heart beat returns to normal. Other chemical messengers down-regulate the system. There is the sense of success that can become euphoric.

The game of peek-a-boo is all about arousal and discharge of the Central Nervous System. Every toddler I have known, insists on playing. Just sit in your chair, they go around to the back, asking “Where did I go? I don’t know, I can’t see you,” is the answer. They will pop back in front of us. We act surprised! “Here I am!” they gleeful shout. Giggling madly they do the whole process again. The discharge is of the arousal of danger from being alone, abandoned, without the familial connection. Done over and over again, peek-a-boo is also part of the process of self identification; I am myself. I am separate from Mom, Dad and family. I belong to Mom, Dad, my family. Mom, Dad, my family belong to me.

When Down-Regulation Does Not Happen

If the endocrine soup of adrenaline, cortisol and other stress ( fight or flight) chemicals continues, down-regulation is not taking place. A person becomes nervous, on edge, irritable, have difficulty sleeping, may gain or loose weight and other health imbalances.

In our world of car culture and intense pressures of job performance, down-regulation becomes something that may need to be reintroduced. Stress reduction seminars, books, CDs have become big business. Yoga and meditation classes and centers are growing. Through these means many find skills needed for the Central Nervous System to self regulate and they are again able to relax.

For those whose relaxation becomes more and more minimal, mental and physical health declines. Anxiety and depression develop and intensifies over the years. Stress and trauma may be interchangeable. Often they feel easily overwhelmed.

To Help You Help Yourself

I recommend the following book list for anyone who is dealing with a nervous system that has lost the down regulating faculties:

The Power of Focusing, by Ann Cornell: Focusing = a body-oriented process of self awareness and emotional language to effectively use focusing skills to address a variety of issues.

Waking the Tiger, by Peter Levine: Normalizes the symptoms of trauma and the steps needed to heal them.

Healing Trauma, by Peter Levine: If you experience physical or emotional symptoms that no one is able to explain, you may be suffering a truamatic reaction to a past event or events….