When I took trauma informed training and neurodivergence informed training , I was validated in my thoughts that some people need movement or sensory to regulate.
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this is linked to a lot of distress tolerance in dialectical behavioral therapy too. i have started doing wall sits and that helps me. love that you are sharing this info!
Learning how to stim again as a late-Dx’d adult has been very therapeutic. I love pacing, grounding exercises, self-body tapping, and now I get the happy-flappys when I listen to music I love lol. I thought I had lost all that as a child when I was forced to sit still all the time.
Speaking of PMR, I remember both of my kids classes doing Go Noodle in class when it was time to settle down after recess. Even now as middle schoolers, a super tight hug that we hold and then progressively release does wonders for them AND me.
A struggle we’re dealing with now is trying to find an alternative for my son needing a hug when it’s disruptive to others. That baby wants hugs 20 times a day, but stopping to do that can throw me way off track.
Because it’s not just a lean in and give a hug. I could be working on my laptop and he wants me to stand up and squeeze him for a good 30 seconds. Any work groove I was in is instantly gone.
I’ve done Progressive muscular relaxation (PMR) with my butt my whole life.
Tensing and releasing different parts of the body, usually in a systematic way. Tensing on the in-breath and releasing on the outbreath.
Are you familiar with your window of tolerance? It’s a psychological concept, developed by Dr. Dan Siegel. It’s what our parents called their nerves. The space in which a person can function effectively, think clearly, and manage stress without becoming overwhelmed or shut down.
We also calling it “flipping your lid” cause you are in a survival state and not using your prefrontal cortex for reasoning, critical thinking, and focus on solutions. You are issuing your automatic sympathetic system in survival mode
Wow. I appreciate you posting. I’m going to look into what you posted. It’s wild how I have been alive almost 43 years and I am learning so much new information about myself now.
I’ve been in a weird quasi-dissociative state that I know is a combo of the trauma of moving states in December plus being dysregulated in this AirBnb and not in my own space, and I’ve noticed smell brings me back to reality faster than anything else right now. It’s been so helpful.
That’s my son. He has to swing and flap his arms. It’s one of the reasons he never went to story times. They make these rules about “sitting still” and he can’t. As a librarian, it’s upsetting.
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Tensing and releasing different parts of the body, usually in a systematic way. Tensing on the in-breath and releasing on the outbreath.