Neuroplasticity Nerds Jessica Maguire & Madeleine Eliza

In my private practice, I often encountered patients like "Sally" and "Mark", who came in with seemingly unrelated symptoms but were actually dealing with deeper issues. For example, "Sally" might have presented with lower back pain, anxiety, and digestive issues, only to reveal that she was going through a relationship breakdown and looking for a new home. "Mark", on the other hand, might have been struggling with chronic fatigue and headaches after months of grief following the death of his father, leading to isolation and work-related issues.

These symptoms are like the tip of an iceberg, visible on the surface but with much more going on below. While we might initially address the back pain or headaches, it's essential to recognise that these symptoms are often manifestations of underlying nervous system dysregulation.

When we view these behaviours through the lens of the nervous system, they start to make sense. The side effects of nervous system dysregulation can manifest as seemingly isolated conditions with no clear root cause, leading to years of discomfort and unhappiness. If we only treat the symptoms without addressing the root causes, we're just putting band-aids over bullet holes. That's why it's crucial to dive beneath the surface and tackle the underlying issues.

In this episode, we'll explore:

Nervous System Dysregulation

Loss of Vagal Tone

Changes in Neuroception

Triggers of Implicit Memories

Join us as we delve into how these factors impact our behaviour and how we can work with them to promote healing and well-being.

Globally, 50% of all marriages end in divorce. And yet despite being so common, divorce is still stigmatised and largely viewed as a failure. There is no established roadmap for divorce, as there is for marriage. It’s a confusing, challenging, and often turbulent path that most people sadly find themselves walking alone.
Here to change this, and to paint a brighter vision of how we could do divorce better, is divorce doula Nikki Parkinson.

Nikki is a family law expert, TEDx speaker, divorce coach, separation strategist, parenting coordinator, co-parenting coach, Parents Under Pressure therapist, mother of 3 and unmarried. Her warm, wise, no-nonsense approach draws on her 25 years of experience in the Australian family law system, as well as her own personal divorce experience.

We discuss all the hot-button topics that arise during a divorce, including communication, boundaries and co-parenting, as well as tools for navigating grief.

Nikki shares her perspective on how we could reframe divorce as a courageous act of self-advocacy, and ideas for rituals to celebrate this important (and common!) rite of passage in our communities.

In this episode, we explore the shift from being a rescuer to becoming regulated, focusing on the science of stress and emotion contagion.

Key Points:

The Nervous System Is Relational: Understanding that your nervous system impacts and is impacted by those around you is crucial for teachers, clinicians, managers, and coaches.

Stress Contagion: Research indicates that leaders and managers can act as 'nerve centers' for their teams, transmitting stress which can lead to a domino effect among employees.

Impact on Students: Studies have shown that teachers' occupational stress is linked to students' physiological stress regulation, highlighting the potential for stress contagion in the classroom.

Mother-Infant Interaction: Infants can catch their mothers’ physiological stress reactivity through interactions, showcasing the importance of relational processes in early development.

Takeaway: Caring for our own nervous system, especially in high-stress situations, is essential for professional and personal growth when working in roles that involve helping others.

If you’d like to stay in the loop about our upcoming free training, head to https://www.nervoussystemschool.com/body-transformation-series to register.

If you enjoy our work, we’d love it if you could take a minute to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a rating and review. This helps to spread the word about the power of healing via neuroplasticity!

Menstruation, pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, motherhood, menopause… let’s do this.

In today’s episode Jessica and Madeleine demystify the neuroendocrine system, and explain the interconnectedness of a woman’s hormones and her nervous system throughout the various stages of her life.

Weaving neuroscience research together with our own personal experiences, the conversation delves into the female menstrual cycle and its influence on the brain and nervous system. We also discuss the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as the social factors that can make the early months of parenthood so challenging, especially when returning to work.

We explore many facets of childbirth including the importance of birth education, the experience of pain, the different states of the nervous system at play, spiritual perspectives, and the importance of the mother-baby dyad.

Until recently there’s been very little research into the brain changes that occur during menopause. We discuss the emerging research and some methods to better understand, validate and support women’s experiences during this important rite of passage.

Takeaways
The female brain is dynamic, and there is a need for a shift in perspective on women's health and well-being, recognizing the interconnectedness of the neuroendocrine system
The female menstrual cycle has a significant impact on the female nervous system, with fluctuating hormones influencing brain function and behavior.
Returning to work after maternity leave can be challenging for women, as hormonal changes and fatigue can affect cognitive function and memory.
During pregnancy and birth, the body undergoes profound hormonal changes that support the bonding process between mother and baby. Touch and connection are crucial for babies' healthy development, particularly in the areas of attachment and regulation.
The social factors impacting parenting have changed, with many women lacking the support of extended family and facing the challenges of balancing work and parenting.
Postpartum hormonal changes can both have a significant impact on women's well-being, and it is important to recognize and support women during this time.
Menopause is a significant transition that affects the neuroendocrine system, and it is important to understand and support women during this phase of life.
The biopsychosocial model of health provides a framework for understanding the biological, psychological, and social factors that influence women's health.
The conversation around women's health is evolving, and there is a growing recognition of the importance of addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by women.

If you’d like to learn more about cultivating interoceptive accuracy to support yourself through times of change and transition, head to nervoussystemschool.com/female to access your free worksheet.

If you enjoy our work, we’d love it if you could take a minute to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a rating and review. This helps to spread the word about the power of healing via neuroplasticity!

The gut-brain axis is a two-way feedback loop, with gut health impacting the brain and nervous system, from the bottom up; and the brain and nervous system impacting on gut health, from the top down.

Join Nervous System School’s Jessica Maguire and Madeleine Eliza to unpack this connection, and the important role of the vagus nerve in the communication between the gut and the brain.
We know that 80% of the messages travelling between the brain and body via the vagus nerve are coming from the bottom up, including from the gut. We explore the impact of the microbiome on overall brain health including emotional regulation and cognition.
This conversation also unpacks the many ways in which the state of one’s nervous system can impact gut health, either positively or negatively; and the interconnectedness of the digestive, immune and endocrine systems.
Takeaways
The gut-brain axis is a communication pathway between the gut and the brain that influences overall health and well-being.
The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in this communication, sending signals from the gut to the brain and back again.
Lifestyle choices, such as sleep, exercise, and diet, can impact gut health and the functioning of the gut-brain axis.
Regulation of the nervous system is key to improving the brain-body connection and cultivating a healthy gut microbiome.
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And if you’d like to dive deeper into the foundational concept of Interoception, grab our free downloadable worksheet at www.nervoussystemschool.com/gut

For so long we’ve thought of the body and the brain as separate entities; where the brain is a command centre in charge of what’s happening in our body. The story then follows that if we can just think differently, then we will feel better. This can trigger a lot of shame for people who find that top-down strategies such as mindset work or affirmations are not effective in managing their anxiety.

In this episode, Jessica unpacks the latest neuroscience which shows that the brain and body are inseparable, and in fact 80% of the vagus nerve fibers are running from the body up to the brain. This is why bottom-up techniques, which use the sensory systems of the body, are so often the ‘missing piece of the puzzle’ for recovery from chronic stress and trauma.

If we want to be trauma-informed in our organisations, institutions and communities, then we need a paradigm shift that integrates both top-down and bottom-up approaches for nervous system regulation. Listen in to join the revolution!

Takeaways
The autonomic nervous system is the bridge between the brain and body, influencing our survival responses.
Traumatic stress can lead to dysregulation in the nervous system, causing anxiety, shutdown, and dissociation.
The bottom-up approach focuses on sensory information from the body to regulate the survival brain.
The top-down approach involves mindset and cognitive strategies to regulate the nervous system.
Integrating bottom-up and top-down approaches is crucial for expanding the window of tolerance and promoting healing.

If you’d like to learn more about interoception, head to nervoussystemschool.com/mindset to access your free training video.
You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
If you enjoy our work, we’d love it if you could take a minute to follow us wherever you get your podcasts, and leave a rating and review. This helps to spread the word about the power of healing via neuroplasticity!