Performing and the Nervous Syste
I recently took a 6-week course called the Nervous System and the Arts. I’ve been really excited to share about it, because it’s changed my life! And now I am a certified Trauma-Informed Artist and Educator.
The course is taught by Ruby Rose Fox, and is based on her decades of experience as a performer, spiritual practitioner, and student of polyvagal theory (the nervous system, aka fight/flight/freeze). Her theory is that performers are the nervous system leaders of the room. The audience is looking to us to regulate their nervous systems, and it should not be the other way around. An easy analogy is the relationship between parent and child. The parent needs to be the nervous system leader in this dynamic, providing a stable base for the child to regulate and get their needs met. When the parent looks to the child for validation, things get messy. This was transformational for me. For most of my life I’ve been operating under the assumption that if only my songs were good enough, if only my voice was beautiful enough, the audience would finally see me and give me the validation I so deeply desired. After this course, I see it much differently.
The first step was learning about my nervous system, and tracking where it was throughout the day. If I felt a little anxious, could I be honest and kind with myself about that? If I felt shut down, could I admit that to myself with a kind and simple voice? She’s very clear that we first need to unshame our nervous systems. And after that, we can take steps to move up the “polyvagal latter” into a safe and social state. This really spoke to me as a teacher. Every day I see kids squirming on the piano bench, or feeling shut down, not wanting to play. And adults with all the stress of daily life, or maybe their sheer terror of singing in front of someone else. It’s extremely normal!
Over the years I’ve transformed my approach from the one we are often taught and teach—that that’s not okay, you need to be different, now—to one rooted in listening and meeting them where they’re at energetically, wherever that might be. This has helped me develop rock solid relationships with my students, because they sense that I’m not shaming them for whatever state they might be in on any given day. And I believe it even helps students stick with music longer! So how can I do that for myself? This is beginning to unlock a whole new sense of safety and ease in my life. Because after all, our own voice is the one we hear the most every day.
The last piece is the state she adds to the Polyvagal latter, called Superplay. It’s the practice of diving into the character and mood of each song on stage, just like an actor does. Or like a child! Or you when you tell a fun story to someone you love. This changes the project from a dopamine driven activity (seeking, acheiving, getting it “right”) to a serotonin driven one (connection, play, presence). It feels amazing, because it’s much more like hanging out with friends and playing around, and much less like being locked inside of an anxious body, desperate for approval. It helps me bring the song alive. The story, and the feeling, become tangible in the room. The question is no longer, “will they like it?” but, “who’s coming with me?” It’s so fun! And it has brought a renewed sense of fulfilment to my life, as my music is getting better and better because of it.
Ruby just released a book called Superplay, which I highly recommend. And if you’d like to learn more about it from me, please ask! I’m actively trying to work with it more.
Thank you for reading 💐
