Organismic Self-Regulation

Organismic self-regulation - or organismic homeostasis - happens naturally in our physical bodies. Our bodies are made to come back to balance. But when we do not listen to what our body’s needs, when the environment we are in pushes us out of alignment and we do not respond and change either ourselves or the environment, we will develop patterns and symptoms. 

Anxiety. Discomfort. Tension. Pain. Fear. Symptoms.

In terms of therapy, organismic self-regulation requires leaning in and listening to what your body is saying to you, to your body’s messages. It requires having a look at your environment, having a look at yourself and your thoughts, behaviour, habits.

With these two great big jargony words, I would like to bring your attention to two important and interrelated concepts: our body’s inherent search for balance, & the need to develop self-trust, in our body’s signals and in ourselves as a whole.

Faith.

Faith in our body’s inherent ability to come back to balance if we are able to make the changes we need, either in our environment or in ourselves, and so respond in a healthy way that is aligned with our true needs and our authentic self. 

Trusting that the messages, signals, cues - our early warning and alert system - from our body seek to bring us back into balance by alerting us to an imbalance. Now I’d like to make it clear that that doesn’t mean that we are always going to follow the impulse from a message. For example, in the case of fear or anger, I am not suggesting that you necessarily follow your impulse, but know that the message is there to alert you to something that needs your attention in order for you to come back to balance, health and authenticity.