The Nervous System of the Nurse
What happens when your body signals one reality while the environment demands another?
As nurses, we carry a unique tension in the birth room. Our bodies have felt the joy of witnessing a triumphant VBAC, the disgust of watching a colleague pressure a family into an intervention, and the compassion in supporting a mother suffering in her pain while continuing to decline an epidural. None of these scenarios are inherently “right” or “wrong”—what matters is whether our nervous system registers them as congruent or incongruent.
When there’s a mismatch between what we sense internally and what’s being asked of us externally, our nervous system adapts. Over time, these adaptive strategies accumulate, showing up as burnout, moral injury, and systemic dysfunction in birth culture.
In this month’s video, I explore:
- The polyvagal ladder and how our states shift in response to cues of safety and threat.
- Clues in language and body behavior that reveal where we or our patients are on that ladder.
- Simple, practical tools for moving fluidly between states.
- How nervous system fluency can reshape not just our own resilience, but the culture of care we create together.
This is NOT about adding more self-care checklists—it’s about cultivating nervous system literacy so we can show up congruently, both with our patients and with each other.
[Watch the full video here]
MENTORSHIP SECTION:
What if we could practice nursing in a way that honored physiology, protected families, and restored our own sense of purpose? This is the work of the 4-week Mentorship Series: Supporting Physiologic Birth.
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November 18, December 2, 9, & 16, 2025
Meeting 1-3pt pst on zoom
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November 18 - Physiologic Birth
-Birth as an altered state of consciousness
-Hormonal blueprint of labor & the nervous system lens
-How the baby moves through the pelvis
-Observing labor progress & cultivating hands off tools
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December 2 - Holistic Postpartum Care
-Hormonal blueprint for the postpartum
-Lactation & feeding the baby
-How an anthropological and mythical lens informs care
-Restoring the role of community
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December 9 - Labor Support Skills
-How to read the room
-What do people in labor really need?
-Communication skills
-Hands on skills for each phase of labor
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December 16 - Advanced Labor Support
-Challenges with coping
-Facilitating second stage
-Working with epidurals
-Managing the environment
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An interactive class format, including case scenarios from the group, embodiment practices, & more…
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Cost: $297 or 4 monthly payments of $74.25
HAWAII SECTION:
Spinning Babies® Integration Retreat February 2-5, 2026. Only three spots left!Â
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Learn more at: kellydungan.com/retreats
 RESOURCE LIST SECTION:
Link to this file: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y1C1I1xYiOteNAVUD5enMXqtklI4mda7QyKK7mWKCuE/edit?usp=sharing
The Nervous System of The Nurse
