Regulation from the Inside Out

Introduction Regulation plays a critical role in our ability to express ourselves in healthy ways. A regulated nervous system is the foundation for positive engagement, learning, and resilience. The ability to self-regulate affects our physical state, energy level, attention, emotions, and behavior. Well-regulated people are more likely to respond than react, to form healthy relationships, to meet challenges effectively, and to deal with challenging behaviors. Staying regulated is like having an effective internal manager. We are better able to listen, process information accurately, and be compassionate. We can talk with those who have a different viewpoint and solve problems together, and we act in ways that are pro-self and pro-social. In short, a well-regulated nervous system is key to a happy and successful life. On the other hand, a brain and body system that is prone to dysregulation is a liability (Stein & Kenall, 2014). Dysregulation disrupts developing mind-body systems and leads to ongoing negative emotions and behaviors. Problems staying regulated become the basis for chronic negative patterns. One of the most important tasks we can undertake is to help children learn to self-regulate. Adults can teach, model, and remediate regulation skills in order to give children a chance to learn and thrive. Regulation and the Mind-Body System Physical state: relaxed, loose versus rigid, tense Energy level: calm, flexible versus drained, manic Attention: focused, directed versus distracted, hyper-focused Emotions: fluid, responsive versus disconnected, overwhelmed, out of control Behavior: pro-self, pro-social vs. self-destructive, other-destructive It is important to recognize that adults often assume that children should be able to regulate themselves, however children have not yet acquired these skills (DelaHooke, 2019). For others, especially children who demonstrate serious disruptive or destructive behaviors, a dysregulated nervous system may be habitual. The good news is that advances in science have deepened our understanding of how the brain develops, learns, and regulates. With this knowledge it is now possible to impact directly the systems that help or hinder self-control. This book uses a science-practice approach. It presents scholarly content in an accessible manner, then offers relevant activities and experiences aimed at strengthening regulation skills. The material has a strong foundation in brain science, and is consistent with the perspective that dysregulated behavior reflects skill deficits rather than character deficits. As such, dysregulation can be influenced directly due the brain’s neuroplasticity and the body’s ability to change in response to experience. Working with challenging behavior can undermine any adult’s sense of safety, competence, and worth. It becomes easy to blame the child or system or to believe that “nothing works.” Instead, this volume aims to give hope to educators, counselors, and specialists working with difficult, dangerous, at-risk youth, and to offer a direction forward. Organization and Structure The first chapters review some of the basic principles that underlie behavior change and provide a foundation for the next section, which explores specific brain-body systems that are pathways for increasing or decreasing regulation. The content chapters end with a reflection exercise to help the reader integrate new material and increase awareness around personal attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors that themselves can be problematic to staying regulated. Activity and intervention chapters follow and include experiences and exercises for children, activities for all ages, and resources for adults. For simplicity’s sake this book will use the terms vertical brain, horizontal brain, and social brain as a way to identify the brain systems. It uses these labels to describe the three distinct brain structures with their associated processes and needs because the terms are easy to remember and they mirror the physical location of the brain parts. For example, the vertical brain and stress response systems is on a vertical axis, the hemispheres are located next to one another on a horizontal plane, and the social brain’s engagement circuits connect people. When we are able to identify or distinguish which particular system is activated during dysregulation, we can choose an appropriate intervention. Knowing how each system can become a regulation pathway guides the intervention process. Chapter One defines regulation and contrasts it with dysregulation. It takes a look at the stress response system and how early experiences can undermine the ability to self-regulate. The discussion explores the relationship between toxic stress and the development of chronic dysfunctional behavior patterns. It examines the impact of toxic stress on brain development and explains how toxic stress is implicated in maladaptive coping strategies. The second chapter investigates how the brain changes for better or for worse. This is neuroplasticity’s light and dark side. Chapter Two presents research on the essential role that sustained attention plays in learning. Sustained attention leads to positive change, laying the groundwork for the targeted intervention process. These research findings become the foundation for a sense of renewed possibility for addressing regulation deficits.