Navigating Your Inner Landscape: Part 5 - Getting to Know Your SAFE Signals
In our ongoing journey to understand our inner world, we've already explored the incredible workings of your nervous system (Part 1: Polyvagal Theory), identified your optimal zone for functioning (Part 2: Window of Tolerance), and learned about dysregulation (Part 3) and practical grounding tools to bring you back into balance (Part 4).
You're likely quite familiar with the signals from your sympathetic nervous system, such as a racing heart, feeling anxious, or difficulty concentrating. But did you know that your ventral vagal state—your nervous system's pathway for safety and connection—also sends out its own distinct signals?
Now, a common and important question arises: How do I know if these grounding techniques are actually helping? It's not always about a dramatic, immediate shift. Often, regulation happens through subtle, yet profound, changes in your body and mind. Learning to recognize these cues is key to truly befriending your nervous system.
Listening to Your Body's SAFE Signals
When your nervous system is moving from a state of hyperarousal or hypoarousal back towards your Ventral Vagal (safe and connected) state, it sends out subtle cues. These are your body's SAFE signals, a term originated by Dr. Jessica Bock, standing for Systemically Aligned for Functional Engagement, They indicate that regulation is occurring and you are moving back into your Window of Tolerance.
As you practice grounding techniques, pay gentle attention to these physiological signs:
A "Melting" Sensation or Softening: You might notice a softening in areas where you typically hold tension – your jaw might unclench, your shoulders might drop, your belly might relax, or a general sensation of "melting" or softening might spread through your body. This indicates a release of sympathetic activation.
Warmth in the Chest or Belly: As blood flow redistributes from your extremities (which are prioritized in fight/flight) back to your core, you might experience a gentle warmth spreading through your chest, heart area, or belly.
A Deep, Spontaneous Breath or Sigh: Often, as the nervous system finds regulation, you might let out a natural, deep sigh, a big yawn, or take a deeper, more expansive breath without consciously trying.
Stomach Gurgling or a Burp: As your nervous system shifts into a more regulated, "rest and digest" state, your digestive system, which may have been suppressed during stress, becomes more active. This increased motility and secretion can result in audible stomach gurgles (borborygmi) or the release of gas as digestion comes "online."
Softening of the Eyes and Face: Notice if the tension around your eyes or forehead eases. Your facial muscles might relax, and your gaze might soften, becoming less fixed or hypervigilant.
Increased Connection to the Present: You might suddenly notice the texture of the chair you're sitting on, the sounds around you, or the feeling of your feet on the floor with greater clarity. This indicates your brain is shifting from threat detection to present-moment awareness.
Ability to Think More Clearly or Shift Focus: The "brain fog" of hypoarousal or the "racing thoughts" of hyperarousal might begin to dissipate, allowing for more coherent thought or the ability to gently shift your attention.
A Subtle Sense of Calm or Peace: While not always dramatic, you might feel a subtle internal shift towards a sense of quietude, ease, or simply "okay-ness."
The Science Behind the Shift
These SAFE signals are direct indicators that your vagus nerve is becoming more active, particularly its ventral vagal pathways. This activation orchestrates a shift in your autonomic nervous system (ANS) from a state of defense to a state of calm and connection.
Relaxation and Muscle Softening: The vagus nerve is a crucial component of the parasympathetic nervous system, serving as the primary pathway for the "rest and digest" response. Its activation directly promotes overall body relaxation by orchestrating a reduction in physiological arousal and tension, which can manifest as a noticeable softening in tight muscles. This process helps to calm the body and regulate essential internal organ functions.
Source: Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials - 5 Ways To Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve (This article provides practical ways to stimulate the vagus nerve to promote relaxation and improve overall well-being.)
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital - The Vagus Nerve: A Key Player in Your Health and Well-Being (This article from MGH discusses the vagus nerve's central role in regulating internal organ functions and reducing physiological symptoms of stress, such as muscle tension, to promote relaxation.)
Deep Breaths and Sighs: Deliberately emphasizing longer exhalations and practicing specific techniques like the "physiological sigh" are powerful ways to directly stimulate the vagus nerve. This type of controlled breathing slows your heart rate and actively helps to down-regulate your body's "fight-or-flight" response, sending calming signals to your brain. Structured respiration practices, in particular, have been shown to enhance mood and significantly reduce physiological arousal.
Source: Psychology Today - How Longer Exhalations and Cyclic Sighing Make Us Feel Good (This article explains how specific breathing patterns, like longer exhalations and cyclic sighing, activate the parasympathetic nervous system to induce calm and improve mood.)
Source: NIH - Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal (This research highlights how structured breathing practices can improve mood and decrease physiological signs of stress and arousal.)
Source: Cedars-Sinai - Calm Your Nerves with a Deep Breath (This article details the benefits of deep breathing for calming the nervous system, reducing stress, and sending signals to the brain to promote relaxation.)
Facial Relaxation: The ventral vagal complex, an integral part of the vagus nerve system, plays a direct role in regulating the muscles of the face and head. This includes muscles involved in vocalization, listening, eye contact, and emotional expression—all components of what's known as the social engagement system. When your nervous system shifts into a safer state, a softening of these facial muscles and a more open gaze signals a shift from defensive vigilance to one of connection, making you appear more approachable and fostering positive social interactions.
Source: Dr. Arielle Schwartz - The Vagus Nerve and your Health (This article explores how a healthy vagal tone supports emotional regulation and the capacity for social connection, influencing our ability to engage authentically.)
Source: NIH - The Polyvagal Perspective (This foundational article by Dr. Stephen W. Porges discusses the Polyvagal Theory's emphasis on the social engagement system and its neural underpinnings, including facial expressiveness.)
Source: Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety - Stephen W. Porges (2022) (This foundational work by Dr. Stephen W. Porges introduces Polyvagal Theory as a science of safety, explaining how feelings of safety emerge from physiological states regulated by the autonomic nervous system and enable social engagement.)
Source: The polyvagal theory: New insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system - S.W. Porges (2009) (This key article by Dr. Stephen W. Porges provides new insights into the autonomic nervous system's adaptive reactions, detailing the hierarchical organization of its neural circuits and the concept of neuroception, which underlies our subconscious assessment of safety and danger.)
Digestive Activation: The parasympathetic nervous system, primarily via the vagus nerve, is responsible for stimulating "rest and digest" functions like gastric motility, secretions, and peristalsis (the rhythmic contractions that move food through the digestive tract). When the body enters a relaxed state, suppressed digestive processes can reactivate, leading to the normal sounds of gas and fluids moving through the intestines (borborygmi) or the release of excess air (burping) as the system optimizes.
Source: Parasympathetic System - Physiopedia (This source explains that the parasympathetic nervous system predominates in "rest and digest" conditions, stimulating gastrointestinal motility and secretions.)
Source: Vagus Nerve: What It Is, Function, Location & Conditions - Cleveland Clinic (This article notes the vagus nerve's critical role in driving gastrointestinal function, including stimulating peristalsis and promoting stomach emptying.)
Source: Why Your Tummy Rumbles During a Massage (and Why It's Totally Normal!) - Self Care Sanctuary (This article explains that tummy rumbling, or borborygmi, during relaxation activities like massage, is a sign that the parasympathetic nervous system is active and promoting digestion.)
Becoming Your Own Expert
Imagine having an internal guidance system for your well-being. By diligently learning these subtle cues, you become the ultimate expert on your own nervous system. It's not about trying to control how you feel, but rather about gentle, non-judgmental observation and consistently offering your system signals of safety. This ongoing dialogue with your body builds profound resilience, allowing you to anticipate needs and gently guide yourself toward comfort and balance. Each time you identify and respond to a SAFE signal, you're actively reinforcing new neural pathways, strengthening your innate ability to return to a state of calm and connection. The more you listen to your body's SAFE signals, the more you'll build your capacity for self-regulation, empowering you to navigate your inner landscape with greater ease and create lasting harmony.
If you're curious to further explore your unique SAFE signals and deepen your self-regulation practice, the experts at Grātia Wellness Institute are here to support you. We invite you to book a Curiosity Call with one of our compassionate health and wellness coaches. They can help you identify your personal cues of safety, provide tailored guidance, and walk alongside you on your journey to cultivate greater internal harmony and resilience. Practice makes progress.