Ever feel stuck in survival mode? Maybe you can’t stop the negative thought patterns. You might get angry. Feel panicky and slip into a fight state. Maybe you freeze. Completely shut down. You can’t settle down. Feel “normal.” It’s what living with a dysregulated nervous system feels like.
As chiropractors at Twin Waves Wellness Center, Dr. Suzanna, DC, and I see it all the time. The nervous system runs everything. It’s like the main command center for your body and mind. When it’s running smoothly, life flows smoothly. You feel safe. Calm. Grounded. When your nervous system’s dysregulated, everything is overwhelming. But you can heal. You deserve to heal. Your nervous system can rebalance. When it does, everything changes.
Symptoms of a Dysregulated Nervous System
When your nervous system goes offline, your body and mind let you know. Some of the most common symptoms of nervous system deregulation include:
- Anxiety or negative thought loops
- Feeling disconnected, numb, or like you’ve “turned off”
- Sleep problems — too much or too little sleep, restless nights, insomnia
- Tension and unexplained physical pain
- Digestive issues
- Fatigue
- Emotional lows
- Brain fog or trouble focusing
Your nervous system doesn’t lie. You might feel stuck. On high alert. Completely checked out. This isn’t “just in your head.” You’re not crazy. There’s nothing “wrong” with you. Something’s just off. When you become dysregulated, trauma, stress, or anxiety are usually to blame.
Deregulated Nervous System From Stored Trauma
Here’s the thing about trauma. It gets stored in the body. It’s not just a memory. Despite how long ago it happened. It shows up as muscle tension. Shallow breathing. Feeling like it’s impossible to relax. Constantly needing to “do” something. Many people with a dysregulated nervous system are stuck in old trauma loops. The body stays on high alert, prepared for danger. Even when you’re safe. Over time, this rewires your brain. You forget what it feels like to rest. Slow down. It’s not your fault, though. Trauma literally changes your brain and body. Maybe it doesn’t seem like it, but your nervous system can re-regulate. You can learn to feel safe again. It’s the foundation of lasting healing.
Stress and Your Nervous System
Stress is one of the biggest causes of nervous system dysregulation. Short bursts of stress are totally normal. But chronic stress keeps your body stuck. In overdrive. All the time. Cortisol and adrenaline consistently flood your system. Your heart rate remains elevated. Digestion slows down. The immune system weakens. Think of it like this. It’s like your car engine constantly running. Eventually, something breaks. Most of the time, it’s the nervous system. Seeking holistic treatments that support stress will help.
Nervous System Damage from Anxiety
Anxiety steps things up a notch. Constantly living with worry reshapes your brain. The hippocampus (responsible for memory and learning) can shrink. The amygdala (responsible for the fight-or-flight response) becomes overactive. The prefrontal cortex (the logic and decision-making center) weakens. That’s why you can’t “just relax.” When your nervous system is dysregulated, your brain is literally wired to prepare for danger. Healing isn’t about forcing yourself to think positively. It’s about retraining your nervous system. Using natural remedies for anxiety can help heaps. Free you from incessant thinking. Let go of constantly ruminating on the past or fearing the future.
Holistic Nervous System Regulation Healing
At Twin Waves Wellness Center, we offer a mix of holistic approaches that help regulate your nervous system. We’re not here to mask symptoms. We’re holistic chiropractors who help uncover the root patterns causing your dysregulation. We take a whole-body approach. Combine energy healing with gentle chiropractic care. Our focus is on body, mind, and spirit. The following are a few of the most powerful tools we’ve found for healing the nervous system.
Network Spinal
Both Dr. Suzanna and I are licensed Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs). But we don’t do “traditional” chiropractic adjustments. We practice a holistic chiropractic technique known as Network Spinal. And it’s incredibly beneficial for nervous system healing. It doesn’t involve cracking backs. There’s zero popping involved. Instead, this work uses gentle touches along the spine. Known as contacts, these light touches cue your brain to recognize tension patterns held in the body.
Adjustments are known as entrainments. They move stuck energy in your body. Then your nervous system can start to relax. Over time, entrainment chiropractic helps your body learn new ways to handle stress. You stop bracing for the worst all the time. Your shoulders drop away from your ears. The spine becomes more flexible. You feel lighter. I’ve had patients tell me they realize how much they were carrying. Until they let it go.
How does it work? It’s simple. It basically helps your nervous system upgrade its software. Instead of staying stuck in survival mode, you learn to live in safety. Things slow down. You’re at ease. You don’t fly off the handle or completely shut down when something stressful happens.
Patients often say getting an entrainment is like waves of breath moving through their body. That they feel old tension softening. Some even move spontaneously as blocked energy is released. For anyone living with a dysregulated nervous system, this work is life-changing. It doesn’t just help you feel better in the moment. It teaches your body how to self-regulate. This is long-term nervous system healing. It lasts. Then your “better” becomes you living your best life.
Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI)
Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI) is a set of breathing and movement exercises that help you connect more deeply to who you really are — soma meaning body, respiratory meaning breath. It guides you to feel the connection between body and mind. Based on the 12 Stages of Healing by Network Spinal founder, Dr. Donald Epstein, each stage takes you through a different level of healing.
You’ll notice something different at every stage. Places you’re holding tension. Where you feel your emotions in your body. Anywhere you’ve gone numb. It takes you from a place of suffering — whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional — and transforms it into love. It allows you to heal, then feel life force energy flowing through you. Makes you feel deeply connected to everyone and everything.
As you move through the stages, you learn to transform old patterns. Suddenly, you’re no longer stuck in them. Patients often tell us they release things they didn’t even know they were holding onto. Or that they finally feel safe in their body. If your nervous system is dysregulated, SRI is huge. It guides you out of autopilot survival mode into conscious awareness. Over time, you develop tools to create more calm. Slow down. Embrace your life. Feel the rapture of simply being alive.
SRI and Network Spinal work amazingly together. The Somato Respiratory Integration stages are often used with Network Spinal. For example, we might guide you through Stage 1 after a Network Spinal session. Why? SRI stages are supportive in helping integrate what happens during your entrainment. It gives you space to feel safe within yourself. They also both work with the Seasons of Wellbeing:
- Discover
- Transform
- Awaken
- Integrate
These four sacred seasons influence everything. Emotions. Decision making. Focus. Action. Relationships. Confidence. Healing. When you’re living “in season,” life flows effortlessly. Living out of season leads to struggle. A lot of disappointment. Depending on what season you’re in on your healing journey, we’ll pull SRI into your holistic chiropractic session. If you’re in the Season of Discover, for example, we’ll work with that season during network entrainment. We might guide you through the first three stages, which are all part of this season of wellbeing. Both benefit the nervous system — but have tremendous power when combined.
Meditation
Your dysregulated nervous system loves it when you meditate. Meditation doesn’t just calm you in the moment. It literally changes your brain. It thickens the prefrontal cortex. Strengthens the hippocampus. Quiets the amygdala. All those parts of the brain that lead to your dysregulation. Meditation helps with emotional regulation. Allows you to handle stress better. Increases awareness about your triggers. The reasons why you react the way you do.
It takes practice. But it doesn’t take much to notice significant changes. I’m talking like 5-10 minutes a day can shift your whole perspective. When I started meditating, I noticed I could pause before reacting. My system didn’t feel so jumpy. A regular meditation practice will help you more grounded. More control in the way you respond. Less anxious. Meditation helps repair the very parts of the brain damaged from trauma.
It’s why it’s one of the most powerful nervous system healing practices out there. And has a lot to do with why meditation’s gone mainstream. Even if we don’t know we need meditation, we need meditation. Establishing this connection to your breath helps you develop an intimacy with your mind. This helps you better understand your triggers. And this awareness is a huge step towards freedom. Where you’re living from a calm, centered space.
Tips to Regulate Your Nervous System
You can start regulating your nervous system from where you’re at. Right now. Healing doesn’t have to be complicated. Incorporate the following simple steps today, and you’ll slowly start to notice a big change in how you feel:
- Breathe slowly and deeply to activate your vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the entire body that plays a huge role in the nervous system’s “rest-and-digest” mode
- Get into nature, being outside resets your nervous system
- Move your body daily — gentle walks, stretching, yoga, swimming, hiking, or hitting the gym will all help
- Stick to a regular sleep routine, going to bed at the same time each night and waking up the same time each morning (even on the weekends)
- Take 5-10 minutes to journal every morning, which helps you release how you’re feeling instead of bottling emotions
- Limit caffeine and alcohol, especially if you’re anxious or coping with depression
Small shifts in self-care can make a big impact. Consistency teaches your nervous system to feel safe.
Nervous System Healing Can Happen Today!
Here’s something I want you to know. No matter how long your nervous system has been dysregulated, you can heal. It’s completely possible. Both Dr. Suzanna and I have witnessed patients walk in overwhelmed and walk out feeling lighter. Calmer. More like themselves. You won’t heal your nervous system overnight. But every Network Spinal or SRI session is a step forward. Small steps lead to profound change.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
–Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu
Energetic Doctor for Deregulated Nervous System
At Twin Waves Wellness Center, we’re more than chiropractors. We’re energetic healers. With every touch and every breath, we’re guiding your nervous system back to balance. This isn’t chiro care that’s only about physical relief. It’s about an energetic reset. When your nervous system heals, everything heals. Your emotions shift. Your relationships improve. Your energy returns.
Find the Right Nervous System Support
One thing you need to know if you’ve been living with a dysregulated nervous system. You’re not broken. Your body just needs support. And it can heal. Through Network Spinal, SRI, meditation, and simple lifestyle practices, you can retrain your nervous system. You can build resilience. You can feel safe again. When you’re ready, we’d love to support you. Contact us today to see what living’s like when supported by a healthy nervous system.