Activating Your Parasympathetic

Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system has two parts: the sympathetic nervous
system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic
nervous system excites you, and the parasympathetic nervous system relaxes you. In
extreme situations, the sympathetic nervous
sys tem triggers the HPA axis and the fight- or - flight response.
Just as there is a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous
systems, there is a counterbalance to the fight- or -
flight response. Dubbed the relaxation response by Harvard professor
Herbert Benson, it is your body’s parasympathetic nervous system
in action. It helps to lower your heart rate, lower your metabolism,
and slow your breathing rate.
Fight-or-Flight Response Relaxation Response
↑Heart rate ↓Heart rate
↑Blood pressure ↓Blood pressureTaming Your Amygdala 37
↑Metabolism ↓Metabolism
↑Muscle tension ↓Muscle tension
↑Breathing rate ↓Breathing rate
↑Mental arousal ↓Mental arousal
The principle of taking action that I described earlier acti vates the
BNST and the left PFC. This effort paves the way for the parasympathetic nervous
system to calm you down later.
The quick shift from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system through
the actions of the PFC and the hippocampus
might not occur as quickly if you suffer from PTSD. The amygdala
is highly sensitized to the context of the trauma you endured. Earlier
we cited the example of a war veteran who is startled by fireworks.
Yet even war veterans with PTSD can tame their amygdalas, as
I have described in my book (with Dr. Victoria Beckner) Conquering
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Different breathing patterns promote different emotional states.
Your breathing rate speeds up when you are experiencing anxiety.
The muscles in your abdomen tighten up and your chest cavity
becomes constricted when you breathe too fast.
If you tend to breathe very quickly, you may be like some people
who come to my anxiety class: They have a tendency to talk very
fast, and they don’t give themselves a chance to breathe. As they go
from one sentence to another, they stir up anxiety in themselves.
The neutral topic that they began talking about is lost because of
their fast breathing and their anxiety. The increase in their anxiety
stimulates memories and reaction patterns that are connected to the
same neural networks that promote anxious thinking. Soon the new
topic becomes laced with more anxiety and worries.
Most people breathe nine to sixteen breaths per minute at rest.
Panic attacks often involve as many as twenty-seven breaths per
minute. When your breathing is accelerating, you can experience
many of the symptoms associated with a panic attack, including
numbness, tingling, dry mouth, and light - headedness.
Since the cardiovascular system includes both the respiratory
system and the circulatory system, rapid breathing will make your38 Rewire Your
Brain
heart rate speed up and can make you more anxious. If you slow your
breathing down, your heart rate will slow down and you will become
more relaxed.