#structural integration atlanta

[bodyalive]

90% of your problems are a nervous system problem.

Anthony Goldsmith

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Anthony Goldsmith

An anxious brain isn’t overreacting, it’s stuck in survival mode. When the amygdala (your brain’s alarm system) fires too often, it sends constant danger signals, while the anterior cingulate cortex can accidentally turn the volume up even more. At the same time, the prefrontal cortex, the part needed for logic, calm thinking, and good decisions, starts to go offline. That’s why anxious children (and adults) can’t just think their way out of it. Their brain has shifted from reasoning to protecting. The good news is with the right sensory, movement, and regulation, we can help the brain feel safe again, and when safety returns, thinking, learning, and connection come back online too.

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Anthony Goldsmith

Try this Exercise. Lie on your back and slowly hug one knee into the chest while the opposite arm reaches across the body to gently press into that knee, hold for 5 slow breaths, then switch sides. The cross-body pressure plus deep joint compression tells the brain and nervous system “I’m safe.” This movement lights up both sides of the brain, organises the midline, and helps calm an overfiring amygdala while bringing the prefrontal cortex back online. It’s simple, grounding, and incredibly regulating, especially before work or school, after a meltdown, or anytime the brain feels too busy.

[bodyalive]

The carotid arteries are vital pathways that deliver blood from the heart to the brain. When forward head posture is present, this alignment can interfere with optimal blood flow, creating a constant traffic jam that reduces circulation to the brain and places ongoing stress on the nervous system and the body as a whole. Improving this begins with simple, consistent strategies such as regular walking to restore natural movement patterns, strengthening and mobilising the neck to support better posture, and identifying and addressing any underlying jaw dysfunctions that may be reinforcing the forward head position.

A simple but effective exercise to help correct forward head posture is the chin tuck: Sit or stand tall with your shoulders relaxed. Gently draw your chin straight back, as if making a double chin, keeping your eyes level and not tilting your head up or down. Hold for 5–10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 10–15 times, 2–3 times per day. This exercise strengthens the deep neck flexors, helps realign the head over the spine, and supports better blood flow through the carotid arteries.

(Anthony Goldsmith)

[bodyalive]

Anthony Goldsmith

Fear, trauma, stress, grief, anger, worry, the body often carries emotional load through different systems and patterns of tension.

• Kidneys + nervous system → fear and survival responses.

• Heart + nervous system → emotional stress and trauma patterns.

• Adrenals → chronic stress, hypervigilance, overwhelm.

• Brain + heart connection → stress regulation and nervous system load.

• Lungs + breathing patterns → sadness, grief, emotional holding.

• Liver + body tension → anger, frustration, irritability.

• Gallbladder → resentment, stored emotional tension.

• Stomach, pancreas + spleen → worry, overthinking, digestive stress.

The body and nervous system are deeply connected. Emotional stress can influence breathing, muscle tone, digestion, heart rate, posture, sleep, and pain patterns throughout the body

[bodyalive]

Nick Knight (photographer), Naomi Campbell in Yohji Yamamoto, 1987

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The satisfying release of body-weight into the support of the earth and no thing in particular to do or be. Just savoring the texture of life in this moment. Camille Maurine, Meditation Secrets for Women

[bodyalive]

The Vagus Nerve: It's so important to work on increasing your vagal tone as part of any healing journey.

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When thoughts become intense and intrusive, move the body. The nervous system controls our thought patterns. Movement releases sympathetic (stress) energy from the nervous system. Your mind will be more clear after.

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Anthony Goldsmith

One of the most powerful ways to activate your vagus nerve is through a simple Neck Humming Flow. Sit or stand tall, slowly sweep your head in a gentle circle to release tension through the neck, then inhale deeply and exhale while humming softly, letting the vibration travel through your throat and chest, lightly tap the base of your skull behind your ears with your fingertips to awaken the auricular branch of the vagus, and finish with a long, soft sigh, dropping your shoulders and letting your body melt, this quick flow works on multiple pathways at once to instantly calm your nervous system, improve vagal tone, and leave you feeling grounded, centered, and ready to heal.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

One of the most common nervous system patterns I see in clients, children and parents, is a kind of behavioural frozenness. You want to tidy up, start dinner, send that email, or help your child with their routine, but instead, you find yourself stuck, scrolling mindlessly, zoning out, or just unable to act, even though you know exactly what needs to be done. This isn’t laziness or lack of motivation, it’s a sign of nervous system overload. When we are dysregulated, the brain can’t easily shift between intention and action. We freeze, not just emotionally, but behaviourally. That’s why support for the whole family’s nervous systems matters. When we bring safety and movement back into the body, those frozen gears start to turn again.

[Thanks to Anthony Goldsmith]

[bodyalive]

So much still to learn about how we function in relationship to the nervous system