GLIMMERS

 

Glimmers are micro moments that we can notice throughout our day and they can help to regulate our nervous system. This is particularly helpful if we are feeling stressed or overwhelm.

Glimmers can be personal to you and often we need to slow down just a little to notice them.

some examples of glimmers:

  • The feeling of soft sand under finger tips

  • When light shines through a window and creates a reflection on the wall

  • The steam rising from a hot drink

Different nervous system states

According to Deb Dana, in Polyvagal Theory there are three different nervous system states:

  • Ventral Vagal: also known as “home” this is where we feel open, safe and social.

  • Sympathetic: “fight and flight” this is where we may feel hypervigilant and under threat.  

  • Dorsal Vagal: “collapsed” state, this is where we may feel exhaustion, defeated and low.

We are constantly moving in and out of these different states throughout the day but we maybe more used to inhabiting one type of state.

Being able to recognise when we are in each state can be really beneficial in beginning to work with our own nervous system and begin to create a sense of felt safety in our body.

In my experience as an Osteopath this is imperative for my patients to move towards more optimal health.

The Menstrual Cycle  

Different nervous system states maybe more commonly felt in different phases of the menstrual cycle. For example in the premenstrual phase just before the period we may notice the Dorsal Vagal state, whereas around ovulation we may feel we are in Ventral Vagal more of the time. This however may vary greatly depending on your personal experience of the menstrual cycle.

Noticing Glimmers

Being able to notice Glimmers can help us to gently move from the Sympathetic and Dorsal states towards the Ventral Vagal nervous system state.

 

 
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