In the pursuit of balance and wellness for children, youth, schools, families, and communities, understanding the principles of Shanker Self-Reg® is an invaluable asset. However, the vast array of terms and concepts associated with Self-Reg can sometimes feel overwhelming. Fear not! We’ll demystify the terminology and shed light on the essential aspects of Shanker Self-Reg.
We’ve put together a glossary of Self-Reg terms to guide you through the key concepts and principles. Whether you’re an educator, caregiver, parent or any individual on a journey of well-being for yourself or those you care for, this glossary is your gateway to understanding the terminology associated with Shanker Self-Reg®.
Glossary of Self-Reg Terms
Adaptive coping strategies: Strategies that can be used to effectively deal with stress and help people return to a state of calm and balance
Allostatic overload: The “wear and tear on the body” which accumulates as an individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress. It was coined by McEwen and Stellar in 1993.
Balance: In Self-Reg, the state of Blue Brain/Red Brain balance: a state where the blue brain and red brain are working smoothly together and acting as a check and balance for each other so that energy expenditure and recovery are finely counter balanced. Blue Brain/Red Brain balance promotes optimal self-regulation in each of the five domains (biological, emotion, cognitive, social, prosocial), social co-regulation and also biological functions such as digestion, cellular repair and the immune system.
Calm: In Self-Reg, a physiological and emotional state of low tension which, combined with alertness, is the ideal state for learning, social engagement and thinking.
Co-regulation: Occurs when a caregiver regulates another’s physiological state via voice, facial expressions, body language, and gestures activating dynamic feedback loops up and down the vagus nerve (Porges, 2018)
Co-Reg: A shared state of calmness between individuals within which, as a result of our understanding of Self-Reg, we reframe the other’s behaviour, identify and reduce their stresses, and help them shift from maladaptive to restorative modes of self-regulation.
Down-regulate: To move from a state of high arousal towards one of lower arousal vs Up-regulate: To move from a state from low arousal towards one of higher arousal
Dyad: A system that consists of two parts, e.g. parent-child, caregiver-child. Dyadic interactions are the primary platform for human development.
Dysregulation: Occurs when stress levels are so high that various systems for thinking and metabolic recovery are compromised. The signs of dysregulation can show up in our physical well-being, behaviour, mood and attention level.
Hierarchy of stress responses: A “hierarchy” of four neural mechanisms for dealing with stress, identified by Dr. Stephen Porges:
1. Social Engagement
2. Fight-or-flight (sympathetic nervous system)
3. Freeze (parasympathetic nervous system)
4. Dissociation
Homeostasis: The ability of an organism or system to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium in the face of outside influences.
See the Full Glossary of Self-Reg Terms here.
Additional Learning Is KEY
This glossary is a great resource, but true understanding and the ability to apply this Self-Reg science to your daily practice comes from deeper Self-Reg learning. The most comprehensive learning is through our facilitated certificate programs, but here are some great places to start:
