When our nervous systems are regulated we are available to connect, create and heal. Does cooing calm our nervous systems? It does!

I’m not saying talk baby talk. I am saying consider playing a bit with the lyric of your voice in conversation. According to the work of PhD neuroscientist Stephen Porges, mammals have a unique hearing for mid-range tones, and melodic variation indicates friend, not foe.

For many decades osteopaths have recognized that the state of the nervous system is a reliable measure of health, but when I began studying in the 90s there wasn’t much scientific literature to support this foundational truth. The PhD physiologist Erwin Korr, an educator at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in the 1970s, was perhaps the most well-known pioneer researcher on nervous system health.

The state of the nervous system is something that osteopaths and other mindful practitioners can feel. To the trained senses, a dysregulated nervous system feels like a chaotic buzz , while a regulated one feels like the purr of a kitten. In Chinese medicine the quality of pulses has been considered a reliable measure of health for centuries.

When I was a young student assessing nervous systems I couldn’t feel anything. I actually was asked to repeat my first sensing practical. I was determined though, and with enough practice I got the hang of it. Fast forward about ten years and something even more mysterious revealed itself. One day, as I felt a nervous system land in a steady state, I also felt chakras begin to appear and synchronize with one another.

That was weird, and incredibly exciting. Years prior when chakra balancing sessions were offered at a retreat for my intuition medicine program I remember wondering if the practitioner was making it up. Who could tell anyway? Chakra balancing definitely rated on my “woo” scale.

And now I know. The energy body and nervous system reflect one another exactly, and it’s so relevant to tend both. While we can’t all necessarily consciously feel energy (yet), we can tell if we’re stressed. Our hearts race, our thoughts race, and maybe our skin flushes or we sweat. Know that any practice you do to bring your nervous system back into range will affect your energy body in a positive way.

There are many ways to support the nervous system beyond touch, and beyond what exists in current textbooks. This is why Dr. Porges, author of the Polyvagal Theory, was asked to speak at the American Academy of Osteopathy in 2010.

This News Drop series is all about things we can do to treat ourselves osteopathically through the way we move, breathe, and connect and communicate in the world.

Back to cooing. According to Dr. Porges, mammals interpret low tones as predatory, and high, shrill pitches as alarm. Lyrical midrange is our happy place.

The Polyvagal Theory proposes that Cranial Nerves V, VII, IX, X & XI are the neural pathways that allow us to settle and connect. Cranial nerves V & VII govern expressions of the face, cranial nerves IX & X govern the lyric of our voices, and Cranial nerve XI allows us to turn our heads to regard one another.

Our sounds and posturing let others know if we’re available. Dogs crouch, cock their heads, and yip playfully. It’s natural for humans to turn, gaze into the eyes of a baby or loved one, and make silly sounds, all compliments of their polyvagal faculties. It’s all about play!

Feeling playful? I hope so. Do you wonder what might happen if you play with the lyric of your voice a bit this week? Laughter is a common, as is play. You might even relax and feel more grounded.

We’d love to hear how it goes! And if you don’t have my new free eBook Get into Flow, get it here. You might have even more fun!

In Celebration of Your Emerging Flow,

Dr. Michelle Veneziano

& the Flow is Medicine community