Reflexolgy: Calming the Fight or Flight Reflex

I have been listening to a series of podcasts on female hormones and how to ‘fix’ them from several perspectives including dietary, involving overnight metabolic fasting; nutritional and herbal supplementation; parasite and candida/yeast testing and psychological support. The ‘Hurt Model’ describes how rejection in childhood is a trauma that triggers the central nervous system into a fight, flight or freeze response. If this occurs in infancy the body becomes habituated to stress and the belief, ‘I’m not safe and people can not be trusted’. Psychological stressors directly impact on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis or HTPA axis) which is described by Wikipedia as ‘a complex set of direct influences and feedback interactions among three components: the hypothalmus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands;…. that controls reactions to stress and regulates many body processes, including digestion, the immune system, mood and emotions, sexuality, and energy storage and expenditure’. The physiological role of the HPA axis and corticosteroids in stress response is fundamental. The vagus nerve runs through all the systems and organs of the body and is triggered during flight, fight or freeze. Therefore psychological stressors will impact on the energy and functioning of the mind and body as a whole creating imbalance and stagnation of energy. But thankfully there are many ways in which we can, on a daily basis, reset our nervous system and help ourselves to manage emotional stress: for example, choose to do one thing a day that you absolutely love; don’t miss breakfast and ensure very low sugar and adequate protein and fat with each meal; deep ‘yogic’ breathing, breathe in for 4, hold for 7 and breathe out slowly for 8: tai chi or yoga; exercise; dance; walking in nature; gratitude journaling; meditation, though this can be contraindicated where severe trauma has been experienced; and, of course my favourite, Reflexology and Hawaiian Massage both of which can create deep relaxation and support emotional releasing and healing in the mind and body.