The 3 States of the Human Nervous System That Run Your Life

Mark my words! The biggest breakthrough of our generation will be the universality of understanding surrounding the human nervous system. Think about the unconscious suffering of our great grandparents’ generation who stereotypically didn’t’ have language for the traumatic reasons they behaved the way they did. Now, we do! 

With awareness and objectivity comes great agency to do something about it. If you know nothing else about your nervous system, know this:

Your central nervous system is working perfectly to keep you alive. 

Once you can wrap your mind around that, then there’s much less shame around your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, especially the ineffective ones. The key, then, is to understand why you’re in your current state and what to do about it. 

There are three typical levels to the human experience. (You are in one of these now!). And, it’s best to view these as a ladder of intensity and levels that you can move up and down as your state changes. Here they are: 

Ventral State

This is an expansive, joyous, creative, open state that is only afforded to those safe enough to experience it. Ventral is life’s most wonderful state. You are most creative, present, and loving here. 

Sympathetic State

This is a state of action: combat, sex, consumption, stress. Here the vision and attention narrows and the level of arousal is perfect to get things done. 

Dorsal State

This state is passive, apathetic, depressed, and resigned. Think of when the animal plays dead before being eaten. This state is your central nervous system’s compassionate response to protect you from pain or worse. Here you are depressed, apartheic, and experience suicidal ideation. 

Once you know that 1) your central nervous system is working perfectly, and 2) you’re in one of these three states, you can learn what you need to improve your state (if your state is not congruent with your desires). 

Upon reflection, I bet you find that you’re likely spending more time in the sympathetic (or even dorsal) state than you’d like, which begs the question. What physical evidence or experience can you give your body to ascend to a more ventral place? 

HINT: you can’t think (or talk) your way into a new state of being.