Discharge and car accidents.

Can you recall the time you almost had a serious accident while driving. Do you remember the shaky feeling sometime afterwards?

In the split second it takes for the brain to react to a potentially life-threatening event, hormones are released throughout your body, instantaneously preparing us for fight or flight. Notice that no conscious thought is involved in this process. It all happens automatically and non-consciously, as though it were pre-programmed.

This fight-flight response was designed by evolution to enable us to survive life-threatening situations. Once the threat has been vanquished or evaded, the body needs to get rid of the unnecessary survival energy in the nervous system.

So the shaking you experienced after that close call was nothing more than the natural discharge of that survival energy!

Tip for a healthy nervous system.

Whenever you have a close call or experience a traumatic event, don't try to stop those shaky sensations. Allow yourself to shake (or laugh, or cry – just go with whatever sensations arise) as long as you feel the urge. You'll feel calmer as your activation level gradually decreases.

The nervous system is wired for discharge. The trick is to get out of the way!