Have you ever experienced the harmony of a perfectly tuned orchestra? Each instrument contributes to a symphony of sound, each note precisely where it belongs. But what happens when the orchestra falls out of sync? When each musician seems to play their own discordant melody? You can imagine how uncomfortable hearing that may be!
When this chaos happens in our bodies and minds we call it dysregulation. Just as an orchestra needs all its parts working together, our internal systems must communicate and collaborate effectively to function well.
Dysregulation, in its generalized form, refers to disruptions in our behavior caused by both psychological and physiological factors. While often connected to trauma, it can also stem from other sources—from overwhelming stressors to underlying neurobiological vulnerabilities. It typically manifests in two main ways: through our nervous system (autonomic dysregulation) or through our emotional responses (emotional dysregulation).
I said that dysregulation is very connected to trauma. Let’s see how. Trauma, often misunderstood, is more than just an event or an emotional wound. It’s a pervasive phenomenon that can infiltrate every aspect of our being when we feel fundamentally unsafe and unable to face life’s challenges. When we live in this traumatized state, the impact extends far beyond our emotions—it affects our entire nervous system’s operation, leaving us in a state of internal discord. This lack of internal equilibrium is what academics call autonomic dysregulation.
However, not all dysregulation stems from trauma. Sometimes people experience difficulty modulating their emotional reactions while their nervous system remains fundamentally stable. These individuals haven’t experienced the kind of overwhelming situations that disrupt the entire system, yet they still struggle with emotional regulation. These cases often involve situational, developmental, or learned factors rather than deep-rooted nervous system dysregulation.
Understanding dysregulation may be the key to better comprehending the effects of trauma and finding paths to healing. In this exploration, we’ll confront common misconceptions head-on, debunking myths that perpetuate stigma and misunderstanding of what trauma truly entails and what dysregulation means.
Myth 1: Dysregulation is just overreacting
Reality: While we all have moments of overreaction, especially when we feel at risk, dysregulation is a persistent and chronic state that goes beyond fleeting emotional outbursts. It’s like our internal thermostat malfunctioning, leaving us unable to regulate our emotions, behaviors, and many of our essential functions effectively. For instance, imagine someone receiving mild criticism at work. A typical overreaction might be feeling upset for a few hours or having a brief angry response. However, someone suffering dysregulation might find their entire system thrown off for days—their sleep becomes disturbed, they can’t concentrate on tasks, their digestion gets affected, and they struggle to maintain their usual daily routines.
Myth 2: Dysregulation is just a word to name moody individuals
Reality: Dysregulation is far more than just moodiness. Unlike typical mood swings, dysregulation reflects a broader disruption of multiple bodily systems. It can disturb sleep patterns, alter appetite, impair cognitive functions, and even weaken immune responses. While people experiencing mood swings can often self-soothe or eventually regulate their emotions on their own, those who are dysregulated often struggle to return to a balanced state without intervention, self-medication, or specific coping strategies. The emotional and physiological “swings” of a dysregulated individual can last for days or even weeks, making it far more intense and difficult to manage than ordinary mood fluctuations.
Myth 3: Dysregulation is always connected to trauma
Reality: While trauma is a significant cause of dysregulation, it is not the only factor. Dysregulation can result from a variety of influences, including chronic stress, medical conditions, or neurological imbalances. While trauma-related disorders often manifest through emotional and autonomic dysregulation, many people experience dysregulation without having a history of trauma. Conditions like anxiety, chronic pain, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, multiple sclerosis, or even sleep deprivation can also cause the system to struggle with maintaining balance. Still, traumatic responses that last can hijack our entire nervous system. When faced with overwhelming stress or threats that make us feel incapable of undertaking, our body’s natural regulatory mechanisms can go haywire, leading to a state of dysregulation.
Myth 4: Dysregulation is only connected to emotions
Reality: Emotional dysregulation is just one type of an uncoordinated system. Autonomic dysregulation, a hallmark of trauma-related disorders, affects the body’s automatic functions, leading to symptoms such as irregular heartbeat, digestive problems, or chronic fatigue. While emotional dysregulation may occur without autonomic dysregulation, individuals experiencing autonomic dysregulation struggle with regulating their emotional responses as well.
Myth 5: Dysregulation is a sign of weakness
Reality: Neither emotional nor autonomic dysregulation indicates a deficiency in a person’s character or a sign of weakness. Dysregulation occurs when the brain shifts into crisis mode that becomes chronic, believing this is the best way to keep the individual functioning. It reflects a system operating to ensure survival, not a personal failing. Dysregulation is a protective response, designed to help the body navigate overwhelming or threatening experiences, rather than a reflection of strength or character.
For example, consider someone who grew up in an unpredictable household where calm moments were often followed by sudden conflict. Their system learned to stay on high alert even during peaceful times—constantly scanning for threats, maintaining elevated stress hormones, and ready to react quickly. While this might look like “being jumpy” or “overreacting” to others, it’s actually their brain demonstrating remarkable adaptability—it developed a strategy to help them survive an unpredictable environment. The fact that their system figured out how to protect them, even if that protection is no longer needed, shows the intelligence of our survival mechanisms rather than any personal weakness.
Myth 6: Dysregulation is something you can just “snap out of”
Reality: Dysregulation is not something you can simply “snap out of” or “get over.” It’s a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and environmental factors that require compassionate understanding and support. The autonomic nervous system is in charge of the functions that are activated automatically. Getting hold of them is not straightforward. It’s possible but requires lots of awareness, attention, and skills.
Trauma can be difficult to resolve if the system suffers from autonomic dysregulation. Many therapies focus on processing traumatic memories, but it’s too hard to find new meaning in our experiences when our system keeps producing cacophony.