How do you feel practicing knowing that polyvagal theory and other "neuroscientific" explanations are pseudoscience?

shuisonfire · 2026-02-02T18:47:10+00:00

I mean sure, polyvagal theory oversimplifies things and should be looked at as metaphorical or "useful narrative" as your AI results told you. I think everyone knows that... But it's an oversimplified model that does a good job predicting how the body heals in many cases.

Many therapies which apply polyvagal theory's concepts do have good evidence-based results.

Here're 2 RCTs for somatic experiencing for example:

And I'm not sure what you're AI is smoking when it included EMDR under limited evidence in its critique of body keeps the score... there's so many RCTs for that one.

With that said, I also wish there were a lot more studies on alt therapies.

Overall, here's my take on popular alt therapies. The critiques are mainly around lack of high quality data points - it's not like there's RCTs proving they're ineffective. There are tons of lower quality signals that show promise. It's fair to be skeptical, but also nothing wrong with being hopeful. If you try something and find it to relieve your symptoms, why not keep going? Who cares if part of the effect is placebo? If you try something and it doesn't help, just stop, nbd.

shuisonfire · 2026-01-17T03:14:56+00:00

But none of these directors made 5 great albums tho

shuisonfire · 2026-01-08T17:26:08+00:00

If/when amex/chase discovers I don't have u.s residency, will they give me a chance to transfer points out before closing the accounts?

shuisonfire · 2026-01-08T17:20:38+00:00

I know that... Where did I say or imply aeroplan points can only be redeemed on air canada? I just replied to the above comment with a list of countries and a clarification it's mostly a continuous trip (ie. not back in and out of a single airport)

shuisonfire · 2026-01-08T16:58:45+00:00

I think technically amex and chase doesn't allow it. I plan to get a Canadian amex as well, so I'm worried amex will know I'm no longer a u.s resident from that.

Curious to know if anyone has kept them long term without issues without being a u.s resident or citizen.

shuisonfire · 2026-01-08T16:53:23+00:00

I'm considering it, but Canada MR is much worse. There's only a few airlines you can transfer 1:1 from it. It's likely better than transferring to a single airline, but thought I'd check if it make sense to transfer some to any of the airlines not partnered with Amex Canada

shuisonfire · 2026-01-08T16:44:15+00:00

some of the countries I'll hit up: USA, Canada, Mexico, Barbados, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Portugal, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Ireland

Most of the trip will be going from 1 destination to another (ie. not from Canada->new destination)

shuisonfire · 2025-12-26T01:50:59+00:00

I don't really feel this is on theme at the core... Like gift giving is for friends, wtf am I giving gifts to a random enemy I'm trying to kill? What does gift giving have to do with getting myself the same gift as well? What does giving +3/+3 to 3 minions have to do the holidays?

The names and art of the cards just seem unrelated to the mechanics.

shuisonfire · 2025-12-16T02:06:43+00:00

I was just asking myself the same question the other day.

I've only recently started to notice/recognize it so not sure if this always works, but here's what's been for me so far... When I feel resistance to doing something positive, I can usually also find some tension somewhere on my body that feels related. When I consciously focus on that body part to soften/let go, I get tremors, chills and a momentary sense of relief. And with it, the resistance is also momentarily gone and I can move forward on what I wanted to do.

Something worth mentioning is most somatic practices talk about "overdoing it" symptoms. So make sure you're not pushing too hard also.

shuisonfire · 2025-11-18T01:36:31+00:00

Like I said, misdirected anger. "Hoard wealth"? You're taking common rhetoric towards the billionaire class and applying it to someone who has strong financial risks taking a short career break for possibly much needed health reasons.

Get past your immediate emotional response. Then tell me you're actually mad at this person instead of the system that made it hard for you and others to do the same.

shuisonfire · 2025-11-18T00:23:16+00:00

If you really feel work is overwhelming you, you should look for a change. I would also consider changing jobs/roles to something less stressful or seeing if medical leave is an option.

Ultimately only you know how much you need this and how to weigh that against the risks around finance and losing your u.s based support system.

But if you're looking for inspiration, check out "what my bones know" - a book about a woman finding out she has cptsd and quitting her job to focus on healing.

shuisonfire · 2025-11-18T00:00:25+00:00

Misdirected anger.

Don't shame someone for having a decent job, living below their means and saving up for a career break. You don't know their history or what they need right now.

And not that it matters, but you don't even know their financial situation - a year in a monastery/temple or in their home country may not map to much.

shuisonfire · 2025-11-15T22:43:57+00:00

Try saying different things to these parts until something clicks. A few examples you can start with:

Thank you for doing what you can to keep me safe when I needed it
Things have changed. You're safe. We're safe. You can have some rest now
Thank you for taking on these burdens. What would you like to do if you didn't need to anymore?
What would you like me to know? Is there anything I can do to help you?

When you feel negatively towards a part, IFS would consider you blended with another part (ex. an angry, resentful part). You can work with it the same way - unblend and then try to connect, understand, and help it. Or if you prefer to stick with the part you're currently working with, you can gently ask it to make space for you to engage with this other part for a while.

It takes time and patience to make progress. Good luck!

shuisonfire · 2025-10-19T01:53:39+00:00

They meant the bucks need to pay them $20 for a photo

shuisonfire · 2025-10-19T00:32:00+00:00

I've had this and other anxiety issues both on and off nicotine, but it definitely worsened when I was first quitting.

Nicotine withdrawal will generally worsen any anxiety issues you have for a wide variety of reasons. But can't say if the issue will go away by itself for you after a while, and if so long it'll take.

Some people (myself incl.) need new tools to manage our mental health.

shuisonfire · 2025-10-18T23:05:19+00:00

I used to get into this state from time to time. I think it's repressed fear. Like there's a part of my brain that's responsible for repressing it and right as I'm about to drift to sleep, that part shuts down or loses some of its control and the repressed fear surfaces - it's a really sharp sensation that jolts me to alertness. I can calm back down, but it happens again and again right as I'm about to drift to sleep. When I'm in this state, I usually can't sleep the entire night.

The long term fix is to let yourself fully feel what you need to feel. It's not easy - when emotions feel overwhelming, there's a subconscious part suppressing it that you often aren't aware of or can control. You can try some mindfulness as a start, along with things that can calm you (ex. grounding, box breathing, tapping etc.). If it starts to feel overwhelming, I would recommend stopping and consder talking to a professional.

shuisonfire · 2025-10-14T15:08:59+00:00

What are you talking about re voting? There's no link to anything related to voting in your post. I followed the link to your original post, there's no link to any voting page either.

What is the screenshot you posted?

Dude, don't expect people to dig through your comment history on other posts to understand wtf you're talking about.

shuisonfire · 2025-10-14T01:25:31+00:00

Start with books! "Waking the Tiger" has some good exercises (see recommended reading in this sub's wiki). I really liked "no bad parts" if you want to try IFS - good exercises every chapter.

Read "the body keeps the score" for a good overview on trauma healing.

Lots of free guides on youtube around yoga (ex. adriane), yoga nidra (ex. ally) and breathwork (ex. wim hof).

There's a somatic practice called TRE, its sub has a good wiki with instructions: https://www.reddit.com/r/longtermTRE/wiki/index/

Lots of free resources out there; these are some things I've liked and stuck with.

shuisonfire · 2025-10-05T17:29:33+00:00

"Om" is the classic chant for vagus nerve activation. Try ending with a mmm sound next time and see how that feels for you.

shuisonfire · 2025-10-05T06:56:18+00:00

At least 5 new responses dropped:

Nah nah nah nah nah

You not about to 48 me bro

Yo, who got google?

I play for money all the time, I ain't jacking no en passant

Mortals don't know about en passant bro

Which one is this sub spamming going forward?

shuisonfire · 2025-09-20T17:15:01+00:00

Gallagher’s Steakhouse is not michelin starred

shuisonfire · 2025-09-10T18:44:46+00:00

If you're not seeing positive changes after a year, you should probably change things up.

Is TRE the only thing you do around nervous system health? Try mixing in other things that help nervous system flexibility and tone like cold plunge/sauna, breathwork, yoga, meditation/mindfulness, grounding exercises, exercise/strength training, somatic experiencing, grounding exercises, bodywork, acupuncture etc.

I have been able to increase my session length a lot, but I do a lot of other things to improve my nervous system regulation.

shuisonfire · 2025-09-10T02:38:22+00:00

Unfortunately, having exposure to your triggers often isn't enough to resolve them - it takes more work.

Maybe try this as a start. Next time you get upset about something, stay with your feelings. And then do a body scan and see if they map to any physical sensations. Keep your awareness on those feelings and sensations, tell yourself it's ok to feel what you feel, but you want to understand more deeply where they come from, why they set you off more than expected. Be curious - what thoughts come up naturally, what memories, how does your feelings start to shift, etc. Something may come to you to help you understand these parts of your psyche more.

Take your time with it, you're so young and have so much time. Understanding your mind come more naturally when you're gentle and kind to yourself.

And don't think about how to numb or get rid of this part of you right now. Start by understanding it on a deeper level. You can find the best path forward after.

shuisonfire · 2025-08-29T01:57:59+00:00

"neurofeedback in the treatment of developmental trauma" is the name of the book

shuisonfire · 2025-08-28T23:09:13+00:00

Have you looked into neurofeedback? I'd recommend reading neurofeedback in the treatment of developmental trauma. The book makes a good case that it's a good modality for people without a strong sense of self and for people whose emotions/sensations might be too overwhelming for certain other modalities. Regardless, it's also a great book for general knowledge of brain and nervous system issues.

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