
Think about it- back in ancient times, humans were constantly under threat of danger, such as the presence of wild animals that hunted them.

Decisions such as who to say hello to in a crowded room and at what moment to cross a city street are made at a subconscious level, based on ancient survival mechanisms that affect the entire body. We also have the incredible ability to detect danger from afar, using our senses to figure out if an upcoming area is safe dangerous or life threatening. When we meet someone new, we scan that person’s face to automatically detect signs of malice or deception. Why Neuroception Keeps Us SafeĮvery moment, our brains are making decisions behind the scenes that are designed to protect us from danger. You can see how this might affect our moods and relationships, but don’t worry because there are many ways to self-soothe an anxious nervous system and faulty neuroception. If we are too stressed we’ll find ourselves unable to function like normal, possibly finding ourselves unable to eat, sleep, or relax. When survival mode is activated, people will experience heightened heart rates, dilated pupils, and enhanced hearing in order to easier detect danger and run away. All of these systems tell the ANS how we need to respond to our environment and if any of them sets off alarms bells the ANS will activate survival mode. The enteric nervous system lives in the gut where it works with the digestive system and controls much of our bodies hormone production, though it’s exact nature hasn’t been completely studied yet. The sympathetic nervous system is what activates the fight-or-flight response and controls the level of action or anxiety in the body, and the parasympathetic arm tells the brain when it’s time to rest and eat. There are three arms of the ANS, the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems. The ANS is responsible for unconscious actions, such as:

Working in unison with the CNS, connected via nerve pathways along the spinal cord, is our autonomic response system (ANS). The central nervous system (CNS), made of the brain and spinal column, is composed of many parts that work together to regulate our bodies. The nervous system is made of many moving parts and all of them work together to take information from your environment through our senses to tell your body what is the safest plan of action at any given moment. The many parts of the brain control every aspect of a persons life, from breathing to deciding what to cook for dinner every day. Humans have unique brain structures that are capable of processing a ton of information, before conscious awareness, in order to assess threats at lightning speed and keep us safe from dangerous or life threatening situations. Read on to learn how we unconsciously use neuroception to assess threats and feel safe, and how we can use this knowledge to improve our health and relationships. Neuroception is the term used to describe the process that the brain undergoes to immediately recognize danger and keep us safe.


But in reality our brain uses neuroception to make snap decisions up to ten seconds before we’ve even realized we the the opportunity to do so. See, we can consciously perceive each moment as we become aware of it. Have you ever heard the phrase, “live in the moment”? Turns out, it’s an impossible task.
