Where Am I In Space?
By Kim Barthel
How often do we ask ourself this question? When our brains are working well, we rarely contemplate this question as our body awareness typically operates on auto-pilot, running in the background, keeping our being informed without conscious focus. With the onset of our new series “Vestibular-Visual Matters” this coming week, the spotlight shines upon a part of our nervous system that has profound impact upon our day-to-day function and well-being. Our sense of who we are as a being separate from the world around us and from each other, relies upon integral information coming from our senses. Recent research has emphasized the importance of the vestibular system as foundational as an aspect of our consciousness of being. Feeling “grounded” is a term often stated as a way of describing regulation and inner stability. Literally, feeling grounded relies upon the ability to perceive the impact of gravitational weight and the sensory boundaries of where our body begins or ends.
The vestibular system and visual system have an intimate relationship of communication at many processing levels throughout the brain. Every time we move our head, the vestibular system reflexively moves our eyes within the eye-sockets to make sure that the visual image of what we see is stable, oriented, and fluid. If these two systems were not talking to each other, our perception of the world around us would be fragmented, unreliable and disoriented. Reality as we know it would be dramatically altered.
The integration of these sensory processes are vulnerable to stress, trauma, neurodiversity, sedentary lifestyles, concussion and disease. Postural challenges, differently wired brains, injury and traumatic emotional experiences can interrupt the wiring of these systems, altering the feeling of safety and organization within oneself needed to engage in life. Many of the children we support with Autism Spectrum Disorder rock, spin, flap and move their heads. Too often this behaviour is interpreted as a “self-stimulation”, meaningless and not socially appropriate. Perhaps the neurodiverse wiring experienced by many differently wired brains need to move in the ways that they do in order to feel their bodies, see the world in a holistic fashion or place themselves as a distinct being within the space around them. This consideration of purpose is profound in helping to shift the perception of others who witness the behaviours as odd.
Many individuals who experience traumatic events in their lives “split off” and separate from their bodies as a natural form of self-protection. This dissociative experience interrupts the flow of vestibular-visual information supporting consciousness of self, however, potentially changing one’s sense of who they are. The body can then become a source of terror and shame rather than one of safety and comfort. Vestibular-visual distortions can contribute to mental illness and disconnection from reality.
These sensory systems matter to all of us. Yet, they go unnoticed until they become problematic. Knowledge of these systems can become tools for wellness if we begin to understand their role in prevention and healing of mental and physical health challenges.
Currently, in a world where there is so much uncertainty (politically, health-wise, environmentally, and socially) and fear - it is understandable that many of us can feel like we don’t know if we are coming or going. Our vestibular-visual processing can be disrupted by these experiences, contributing to our perceptions, memory storage, and regulation. When our life experiences flood our brains with stress chemistry, our sensory processing can become disadvantaged. This limits our capacity, as Dr. Bruce Perry defines it, to “regulate, relate and reason”.*
How do we use this information to support ourselves and those around us to be their best selves? Move! When you are stressed, move, shake, roll, lie on the ground, dance, run, move your head. Move the stress chemistry through your body and keep your vestibular system online in support of your emotions. Use your gaze to shift your thoughts from negative preoccupations to moments of calm, by choosing where to look and what to look at. It only takes a moment of consciousness to tap into these parts of your brain to make a big difference in your everyday life.
The feeling of groundedness, stability and consciousness is something we wish for in all humans, especially at this time.
*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNuxy7FxEVk