The nervous system communicates with each of us in unique ways. Depending on life experiences, states of being fluctuate. No one stays in an ideal state at every moment, nor should we expect ourselves or anyone else to. People move in and out of uncomfortable states or even feel trapped in them. Family dynamics also influence which states feel acceptable or suppressed. Some automatic nervous system survival responses include fight, flight, freeze, fawn, submit, and faint. Alongside these, there is also the safe and social state—a regulated place of calm connection where the body feels safe, present, and able to engage with others.