The autonomic continuum can be conceptualized as a continuum between states of very high alertness, think maximum excitement or fear, all the way down to deep sleep. The most important thing to realize is that it is a continuum. It has some features that are automatic, and that there's no difference between the physiological response to something that you're excited about and something that you've dreading. Despite these responses being automatic, there direct control points through which we can control the autonomic nervous system.
“There’s no difference between the physiological response to something that you’re excited about and something that you’re nervous about or dreading,” says Andrew Huberman, associate professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University. In this podcast episode, Huberman talks with host and lecturer Matt Abrahams about his research on the autonomic continuum, a spectrum between states of very high alertness or fear, all the way down to deep sleep, and shares how to better-use the system to your advantage.
“If people can conceptualize that the anxiety or stress response is the same as the excitement response, they feel different,” Huberman says.
Connect: