A soft companion for your unfolding journey
If you’re new to healing, you may come across words that feel unfamiliar or even clinical.
This gentle glossary was created to meet you where you are — with warmth, not overwhelm.
Here, you’ll find soft, spacious explanations for some of the most commonly used terms on this site — so you can feel supported, not confused, as you explore.
Co-Regulation
Co-regulation is what happens when one person’s calm presence helps another person’s nervous system feel safe.
It’s not something we do with our mind — it’s something our body picks up on, through tone of voice, eye contact, breath, and presence.
We co-regulate all the time — with safe friends, loving animals, nature, and even ourselves.
Dysregulation
Dysregulation happens when the nervous system feels stuck in a state of stress, shutdown, or overwhelm — even when the original threat has passed.
It might show up as anxiety, numbness, mood swings, irritability, or a sense of being “on edge.”
Dysregulation isn’t a failure — it’s a sign that your nervous system is still trying to protect you.
Window of Tolerance
Your “window of tolerance” is the range where your body and mind feel safe and connected enough to think clearly, feel emotions, and respond calmly.
When you go outside that window, you might become overwhelmed (fight-or-flight) or shut down (freeze).
Healing expands this window — so you can stay grounded and connected through more of life.
Fawning
Fawning is a trauma response where you try to stay safe by pleasing others, avoiding conflict, or abandoning your own needs.
It’s not manipulation — it’s survival.
Fawning often develops in childhood or relationships where saying “no” or being authentic didn’t feel safe.
Vagal Tone
Vagal tone refers to how well your vagus nerve helps your body return to a calm, regulated state after stress.
High vagal tone means you can bounce back from challenges more easily.
Low vagal tone might mean you stay stuck in anxiety or shutdown longer.
Gentle practices like humming, long exhales, connection, and grounding can all support healthier vagal tone.
Somatic
Somatic means “of the body.”
Somatic healing focuses on listening to the body’s signals — not just the mind’s thoughts.
This might include breathwork, movement, sensing tension, or tuning into physical sensations during emotional moments.
It’s not about “doing it right.”
It’s about learning to feel safe inside your own body again.
Inner Child
Your inner child is the part of you that still holds memories, emotions, and unmet needs from earlier in life.
When we feel big fear, shame, or hurt that seems “disproportionate,” it’s often this younger part asking to be seen, heard, and comforted.
You don’t need to go back and fix the past — you just need to bring gentle presence to the part of you that still remembers it.
Trauma
Trauma isn’t just what happened to you — it’s how your body responded when it didn’t feel safe, seen, or supported.
Big events, chronic stress, subtle emotional disconnection — all can leave a lasting imprint.
Healing trauma isn’t about reliving the past.
It’s about helping your body feel safe now, so you can live more fully today.
Keep Exploring
These words are here to support your path — not to define it.
Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and come back anytime you need a gentle reminder.
Curious how these terms show up in real life?
You might enjoy exploring the Start Here page or reading through the Healing Garden articles.
You are not alone. You are learning a new language — the language of self-kindness and healing.
Your unfolding is already underway — and it’s beautiful.