The state of the nervous system determines one’s capacity to engage with all aspects of life, from relationships to one’s own inner world. The human nervous system is shaped from the earliest years and is affected by every experience we have throughout life. It determines what does and doesn’t feel safe.

When faced with a crisis, stress or an overwhelming event, each person has available to them what’s called a ‘Window of Tolerance’ or ‘Zone of Resilience’-the capacity to access inner and outer resources and regulate one’s response to stress without becoming overwhelmed. Everyone’s window is different depending on their attachment history, the presence of loving support in the developing years, traumas and other factors. What for some people creates tremendous distress, may create little for others. 

In this experiential, creative and interactive workshop, that will include self-reflection as well as connection with others, we will dive into the anatomy of stress and the nervous system. We’ll explore how experience creates patterns of connection or protection. We’ll learn about the 3 branches of the nervous system-social engagement, fight and collapse-and how to recognize and resource them. We’ll learn about our personal window of tolerance and learn how to expand it.