Energetic Protection: A Reevaluation between Sensitivity & Nervous System Regulation
Energetic protection is a concept I find valuable—especially now—to reevaluate in terms of its meaning and the intention behind how we approach it. If you haven’t read the article It's Time to Redefine Energetic Protection, you can click here.
Lately, as I’ve spent more energy and time studying nervous system regulation, I’ve begun to wonder: Have we forfeited the self-responsibility of regulating our nervous systems by creating separation through energetic protection as a result of being sensitive?
Thanks to the book Heal Your Nervous System by Linnea Passaler, I’ve gained a clearer understanding of the relationship between hypersensitivity and nervous system regulation.
Sensitivity describes how deeply our nervous system receives, processes, and responds to stimuli—both consciously and unconsciously. When we say someone is sensitive, it typically means they’re more attuned to external stimuli (like touch, smell, and light) as well as internal stimuli and bodily sensations.
Our nervous system’s top priority is always to keep us alive. We all have built-in mechanisms to sense and respond to environmental changes to ensure our safety. For sensitive individuals, we naturally pick up more cues, which means our nervous systems work harder to filter information—not to mention the occasional misfiring due to false alarms.
There’s no "good" or "bad" to being sensitive; it’s about how we work with the genetic gift we’ve inherited. Scientific research on sensitivity highlights how it manifests in higher- and lower-frequency expressions:
Higher-frequency expressions include:
Greater creativity and insightful ideas
Deeper connection with self, others, the world, and spirituality
A strong appreciation for beauty and aesthetics
Enriched life experiences
Generally faster and more efficient healing and recovery
Lower-frequency expressions include:
Easily triggered nervous system (without proper regulation)
Reacting from fight/flight/freeze mode instead of responding consciously
Self-criticism or victimhood patterns
Physical wear and tear from chronic stress
Sensitivity is a double-edged sword. So the key question is: What contributes to higher or lower expressions? The answer lies in our ability to regulate our nervous systems and how we nurture this innate gift.
Since sensitivity has a genetic component, its nurturing begins early:
In the womb:
Did our birth mother feel safe during pregnancy?
Did we receive adequate nutrients?
In childhood:
How safe our environments were growing up? Was caregiving stable?
Did we learn to co-regulate our nervous systems with caregivers?
Were we supported in expressing emotions?
In adolescence and adulthood:
Have we experienced trauma? How was it resolved?
How much space do we have to regulate our nervous systems?
Have we practiced new regulation skills?
Coming back to protection: If you’ve ever felt the need to "protect" yourself because of sensitivity—or picked up this idea somewhere—it’s our responsibility to explore our inner system. Where do we lack safety? What needs resolution? How can we better care for our sensitivity and nervous system?
As sensitive beings, we hold the responsibility to learn how to process stimuli and discern information and practice nervous system regulation.
The intention of protection isn’t to create separation but to cultivate strength, flexibility, and resilience in our nervous system, which allows us to:
Stay aware of our present state.
Consciously choose which energies we engage with.
Return to a peaceful, harmonious nervous system state.
You hold the sovereignty and freedom to create your life and reality.
Love & peace,
Erika
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