results are in!

Your main nervous system state is..

Sympathetic

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

Activates our body’s "gas pedal" for quick response

Heightened alertness, energy, and readiness

Prepares us to handle stress, confront threats, and face emergencies

This is our autonomic state of mobilization. SNS gets our whole body ready for action.

It increases activity during times of stress - both positive or negative.

We utilize this in many positive ways:

Sports, athletic pursuits, sex, to pursue goals and desires, give an important speech, meet a deadline, set healthy boundaries, stand up for ourselves, or perform.

We naturally engage in our sympathetic state throughout different times in the day to meet the needs of our environment. In this positive state it is kept in check by our vagal brake (component of the vagus nerve that keeps us regulated).

Our sympathetic state is a very important state for survival. The job of our autonomic nervous system is to constantly scan our internal and external environment for threats (or stressors).

When faced with a threat, we will engage our ventral vagal state to utilize our social/communication skills. If that doesn't work, then we activate our SNS, and turn to fight or flight.

Our SNS state allows us to fight back or run away from a threat (real or perceived). This is a beneficial aspect of this state!

What can happen, however, is that we can become over-activated in this state - leading to hyperarousal.

This is when our nervous system is unable to regulate back to a grounded, presence, relaxed space of the parasympathetic (ventral vagal & parts of the dorsal vagal).

Most often this is due to chronic stress (too long) and/or traumatic stress (trauma we experienced in the nervous system). In this case our nervous system is responding as if the threat/stress is constant or still happening.

Unfortunately, our modern, western society operates in a chronic sympathetically stressed state - so many of us feel this way!

Here is what you may experience in sympathetic overactivation:

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

Heart rate increases

Breathing gets shallow

Energy in arms, legs, or muscles

Increase adrenaline and cortisol

Sweaty palms, perspiration, or temperature rises

Lightheaded, dizzy, can feel faint

Tightness in chest or other parts of body, shaking, fidgeting

MENTAL & EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS

Anxiety, overwhelm, panic, worry, or hypervigilance

On edge, unable to relax, or fidgety

Need to "do", go-go-go, accomplish, be busy

Obsessive thinking, monkey-mind, or racing thoughts

Irritability, frustration, anger, or rage

Perfectionism, need to do be in control/do things a certain way

DIGESTIVE SYMPTOMS

SNS slows down motility which = constipation

SNS reduces secretions such as stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic enzymes.

This can lead to a HOST of GI issues.

Some of the most common we will see here is:

Low stomach acid: heartburn, acid reflux, burping, bloating, gas, fullness while eating

Low bile or pancreatic enzymes: fatty stools, undigested food in the stool, bloating, gas, nausea.

*Of course, you may experience other symptoms (like loose stools) as there are many factors! This is what is most common in SNS over overactivation.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

IN SUMMARY

Now that you know your main state is sympathetic, you’ve uncovered key insights into what might be causing your chronic IBS-stress symptoms!

If you struggle with these problems:

✔ Your gut symptoms intensify the stress and anxiety you already struggle with, worsening your symptoms.

✔ You've experimented with recommended diets like low-FODMAP and supplement protocols for SIBO or dysbiosis, but your symptoms return.

✔ Every meal feels like a gamble, leaving you anxious and unsure whether you'll be unbuckling your pants or spending extra time on the toilet.

Then I’m guessing you’ve tried to solve it by:

✔ Eliminating more foods from your diet.

✔ Obsessively monitoring your symptoms and bowel movements.

✔ Trying that SIBO protocol one more time because maybe this time it will make a difference.

✔ Using stress management tools like yoga or meditation, but only finding temporary relief.

If this resonates, it’s a clear sign that your nervous system is dysregulated—the root cause behind the miscommunication between your gut and brain.

In fact, IBS is a miscommunication between the gut and brain, and that communication is controlled by our nervous system.

Here’s the good news:

By integrating the somatic tools in this video into your daily routine, you can begin to regulate your nervous system, improve digestion, and build resilience to stress.

Why is this so important?

Because 80% of communication travels from your body to your brain, not the other way around. You can’t just think your way out of stress, triggers, or symptoms—you need to involve the body to create real change.

It's difficult to just think our way out of activation, triggers, emotions, or even some symptoms - we need to involve the body to shift it!

To help you dive deeper, I’ve developed a unique 5-step framework that I used to heal from the IBS-stress cycle and now successfully guide my clients through.

I’ll be sharing all the details in my upcoming FREE masterclass:
Discover the Missing Piece to Break Free From the IBS-Stress Cycle.

JOIN MASTERCLASS

Hi, I'm Demi!

I help those struggling with the IBS-stress cycle reclaim their life through my unique approach of nervous system regulation, trauma healing, and nutritional therapy so they can regain trust in their body and build resilience towards stressors and symptoms.

All my life I have struggled with chronic gut-brain imbalances, such as IBS, dysbiosis, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive thinking. As a teenager, I became fed up with suffering, and dove deeply into researching and experimenting with all the gut healing protocols and diets I could find over the past 17 years. This led me down a path of deep inner work, providing great insight to what I consider the most important tools in approaching gut-brain healing.

My approach blends my lifetime of embodied wisdom in this field, with my training as as a Somatic Experiencing® practitioner and Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.

It's where gut healing and nutritional therapy meets nervous system regulation and healing chronic and traumatic stress.