What is sensory defensiveness and how does it play a part in mental health - Part 2
Sensory Processing refers to the brain's ability to absorb, process and balance all the information from the environment and the body. This automatic process happens through the central nervous system as we take in sensations from the skin, eyes, nose, tongue, inner ear, muscles and joints. Sensory defensiveness is a constellation of behaviors related to adverse or defensive reactions to normal stimuli. In other words, you are over-stimulated or under-stimulated and these results can be mild, medium, or severe.
Life disruptions and hidden limitations that are caused by sensory defensiveness can be painful to experience or witness. The desire to engage with friends and attend a concert or go to the beach can be too much to handle which can lead people to isolation, loneliness, embarrassment, and shame.
The impact of avoiding interactions or potentially pleasurable life experiences can create greater mental health issues.
Interventions designed to treat sensory defensiveness and other sensory challenges can significantly reduce or even eliminate the symptoms completely in many individuals.
As a mental health patient for decades, traditional approaches were used with me to help me learn how to manage my emotions. This fell short over and over, something was missing. Traditional medical model approaches and medication helped me function in the world, earn degrees, and occasionally thrive, however I consistently found myself returning to emotional cycles and roller coasters that caused me to disappear from my life for weeks at a time. As I used what I learned in my studies, I learned how to integrate the right kind of sensory tools for my nervous system and my world of possibilities opened up. I am in recovery form my mental health challenges of depression, anxiety and hair pulling.
As a clinician I used traditional approaches to helping my clients manage their emotions and behaviors however this fell short most of the time. Something was not quite working. When I incorporate the sensory integrative techniques my clients learn how to thrive in ways they never knew possible with consistency and achieve a state of emotional well- being they thought was only a dream.
Discovering the role sensory plays in understanding how we feel significantly changed my approach to myself and my clients.
Sensory integration promotes social–emotional learning; regulates overactive or underactive sensory systems; collaborates with families and medical or educational personnel; and more. For example, individuals trained in sensory integration can help a child or adult incorporate sensory, and movement breaks into the day to enhance attention, learning, coping, anxiety, and mental health challenges.
You don't have to be "diagnosed" to have issues with sensory regulation. We live in a sensory world, and interacting with our environment is critical. Sensory systems can be agitated by ill-fitting clothes that may be too tight around the wrists or feet. Sensitivity to loud noises; also for adults, it can be fear of driving or riding in a car, affecting body boundaries, and decreasing the ability to understand others' emotional expressions.
Mental health is a core component of quality of life at any age. Sensory processing can leave children and adults alike tired, anxious, depressed, restless, ritualism, or obsessive-compulsive.
Mental health challenges combined with sensory processing dysregulation has led to decreased levels of well-being.
Mental health is a critical component in well-being and health. It refers to the "state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can learn to cope with the everyday stresses of life and can work productively and fruitfully then can contribute to her or his community.
Over the years, incorporating sensory interventions into the supports provided has allowed me to serve my clients with greater success. Research states that sensory systems can be improved and I see this on a daily basis with my clients. You can read some of their stories here.
Integrating the sensory system into healing is the most powerful form of long term healing. If you would like to work together, contact me here.
All techniques and information I share are considered coaching, self-help or complementary therapies. I am not a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist or medical doctor. I have a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy, am Certified in Integrative Medicine for Mental Health and a Trauma-Informed Specialist. Everything I write and talk about comes not only from my own experience in healing myself and the tools, techniques and resources I learned throughout my own inner journey but also from my extensive education and training which can be found here.
