Your Nervous System Is Talking — Are You Listening?
Understanding Somatic Experiencing, Stress Responses, and the Path Back to Safety
Most women who come through my doors aren’t just tired — they’re wired, foggy, and wondering why their body seems to be working against them.
They’ve cleaned up their diet. They’re taking the supplements. They're doing the work.
But they still feel anxious, inflamed, hormonally chaotic, and “off.”
The truth?
You can’t out-supplement a body stuck in survival mode.
And until your nervous system believes it’s safe, your body won’t prioritise healing — no matter how “healthy” your choices are.
The Nervous System: Your Body’s Safety Scanner
Your autonomic nervous system is constantly scanning your internal and external environment for cues of safety or threat — a process known as neuroception (Porges, 2011). It’s mostly unconscious, automatic, and deeply protective.
There are three key states:
Ventral vagal (safe and connected)
Sympathetic (mobilised — fight or flight)
Dorsal vagal (shutdown — freeze or collapse)
We move between these states all day long. But when trauma, chronic stress, or unresolved emotional patterns overwhelm us, we can get stuck in a dysregulated loop — reacting to life instead of responding.
This can look like:
Feeling emotionally reactive over small things
Always being “on edge” or tired but wired
Digestive issues that flare under pressure
Hormone symptoms that worsen with stress
Inability to rest, even when exhausted
It’s not weakness. It’s your biology doing what it’s designed to do: protect you.
What Is Somatic Experiencing — and Why Does It Work?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-based therapy developed by Dr. Peter Levine, designed to help people discharge stress and trauma from the body. It recognises that healing doesn’t happen just through insight or talk therapy — it happens when the nervous system completes a survival response that was previously stuck or interrupted.
In SE, we work with:
Sensation rather than story
The felt sense rather than thoughts
Gentle movements or awareness practices to build resilience
This bottom-up approach helps rewire the nervous system so your body learns: it’s safe to come back home now.
Research supports this. A 2017 meta-analysis found that somatic therapies, including SE, are effective for reducing PTSD, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms (Payne et al., 2015).
Why You Might Still Feel Unwell (Even If You’re Doing Everything Right)
If you’ve ever said:
“I eat clean, but I still feel inflamed.”
“I meditate, but I still snap at my partner.”
“I’m exhausted, but I can’t fall asleep.”
You’re not broken.
You're likely living with a dysregulated nervous system that’s overriding the healing pathways your body wants to activate.
This directly affects:
Cortisol and adrenal rhythm
Sex hormones (progesterone, oestrogen, testosterone)
Thyroid function
Blood sugar regulation
Digestive motility and enzyme output
No amount of magnesium or B-complex will correct this unless your body learns it’s safe enough to digest, ovulate, or repair.
The Genetics of Stress Sensitivity
Now here’s where it gets even more personalised: your genetics play a role in how your nervous system responds to stress.
At Legacy Nutrition, we often look at SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) like:
COMT (Catechol-O-Methyltransferase)
This gene regulates the breakdown of stress hormones like dopamine, adrenaline, and oestrogen. A slower COMT can make you more sensitive to stimulation and more prone to emotional intensity, overwhelm, or burnout.MAOA (Monoamine Oxidase A)
Influences the breakdown of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Variants can contribute to mood volatility and higher stress reactivity.SLC6A4 (Serotonin Transporter Gene)
This impacts how your body reabsorbs serotonin. The “short” allele is associated with increased vulnerability to anxiety and PTSD after stress exposure (Caspi et al., 2003).BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)
Involved in brain plasticity and emotional regulation. Certain polymorphisms can reduce resilience to trauma or recovery from depression.
Knowing this information helps us tailor your support plan — not just what to eat or supplement, but how to regulate, how to rest, and how to pace your healing in a way your body can actually receive.
How We Work with the Nervous System at Legacy Nutrition
Functional nutrition isn’t just about food — it’s about capacity.
You can’t integrate protocols, meal plans, or supplements when your system is in constant fight or flight.
That’s why Legacy Nutrition weaves together:
Somatic tools (breathwork, grounding, vagal tone stimulation)
Nutrition to support the nervous system (think: blood sugar stability, omega-3s, B vitamins, magnesium, adaptogens)
Genetic testing to personalise your stress resilience strategy
Lifestyle interventions that support safety, not hustle
We’re not here to fix you. We’re here to help you remember what your body already knows — how to heal.
3 Ways to Support Your Nervous System Today
Orienting
Look around the room slowly. Let your eyes land on something that feels pleasant or neutral. This grounds your brain in the present moment, rather than a perceived threat.Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Try humming, gargling, cold water on the face, or long exhales. These techniques stimulate the vagus nerve, which calms the stress response (Porges, 2011).Nutrition That Feels Like Safety
Eat regularly (don’t skip meals — it spikes cortisol)
Include grounding foods: warm meals, root veg, and protein
Avoid excessive caffeine if you have a slow COMT or low stress resilience
You’re Not Broken — You’re Wired for Survival
If no one’s told you this lately: your body is not the problem.
You are not “too emotional.”
You are not “bad at self-care.”
You are not weak for needing rest.
You’re a woman carrying a lifetime of responsibility, often with too little support. And your nervous system is doing its best to keep you safe — even when it feels messy, loud, or stuck.
When we bring in nervous system regulation, not just nutrition, your body starts to trust again. And healing becomes inevitable, not elusive.
Let’s Build Your Safety Map
You don’t have to push through another plan that your body can’t integrate.
Let’s create one together that supports your hormones, your stress response, and your nervous system.
Because when your body feels safe, everything changes.
Book a call to get started
