Harness the power of your nervous system to support healthy relationships and personal well-being.
Why is it that when you have a tense conversation with a boss, coworker, or partner, you feel like you're staring down a charging rhinoceros? How is it that both situations cause a fight-or-flight response - and what can you learn from it?
As it turns out, the same neurological processes that cause unwanted stress can also be harnessed to summon relaxation, spaciousness, and equanimity. In Befriending Your Nervous System, clinician Deb Dana presents a simple, hopeful message: When you approach these subconscious processes with openness, mindful attention, and - above all - curiosity, you can gain the understanding necessary to shape their outcomes. Dana draws from the recent explosion of research in polyvagal theory, which posits that our most hardwired survival responses are regulated by the vagus nerve and can be consciously regulated through repeated exercises.