top of page

A Nervous System Technique for Relaxing, Releasing, and Letting Energy Move Through

  • Jun 2
  • 3 min read

Jodie Lockey Duesling is a holistic healer and neurodivergent‑affirming practitioner integrating cutting‑edge neural science with mind-body-soul work. She helps clients release stagnant trauma, repair attachment wounds, and reconnect with their protective parts through grounded consciousness practices.

Executive Contributor Jodie Lockey Duesling Brainz Magazine

There are moments when something rises inside us. An emotion, a memory, a wave of sensation, and the body reacts before the mind can make sense of it. The shoulders lift. The breath tightens. The jaw locks. The mind speeds up. This is the nervous system bracing against internal intensity.


For many people, this moment feels like being pulled forward by the energy, or “falling behind” what is happening inside. It is one of the most unsettling sensations the brain can register, not because the energy is harmful, but because the system has never been taught how to meet it.


Woman floats on dark green water with arms outstretched, eyes closed, surrounded by floating leaves.

FALL BEHIND™ is a simple, counterintuitive technique that teaches the body to relax and release instead of brace and resist. It helps the nervous system stay with the rising energy rather than fall behind it.


Why rising energy feels threatening


When internal energy builds, whether emotional, somatic, or sensory, the brain often interprets it as danger. The brain’s job is predictability, not flow. Anything intense or unfamiliar triggers a threat response.


The system responds with:


  • tightening

  • holding

  • resisting

  • shutting down

  • overthinking


This is not a psychological flaw. It is a conditioned survival reflex. The body learned long ago that intensity meant overwhelm, so it braces, even when the intensity is simply energy trying to move through.


What “falling behind the energy” really means


The sensation of falling behind the energy is the nervous system saying, “This is rising faster than I can process.”


It is a mismatch between the speed of the energy and the capacity of the system. The goal is not to push through or suppress the energy. The goal is to slow the system so it can meet the energy. This is where FALL BEHIND™ comes in.


FALL BEHIND™ relax and release instead of brace and resist


FALL BEHIND™ teaches the body to soften at the exact moment it wants to tighten. The core cue is simple. Drop.


Drop the shoulders, let the arms hang, soften the chest, loosen the jaw, let the belly expand, exhale fully. This “drop” is not collapse. It is permission.


This signals to the nervous system, “You don’t need to fight this. You can meet it.” When the body drops, the energy that once felt overwhelming becomes something the system can move with rather than brace against.


Why the drop works: The nervous system learns through association


Every time the body softens instead of tightening, the nervous system forms a new association. “Intensity does not equal danger.”


Over time, this rewires the system. Energy becomes less frightening. Release becomes more natural. The system learns to stay present instead of shutting down. The drop becomes a bridge between the rising energy and the body’s capacity to hold it.


Protective parts and the FALL BEHIND™ response


When energy rises, protective parts often activate:


  • the controller

  • the critic

  • the avoider

  • the overfunctioner

  • the numb or shut down part


These parts brace because they believe bracing is safety. FALL BEHIND™ communicates something new. Safety can come from softening, not tightening. When the body drops, protective parts often step back. They no longer need to manage the intensity alone.


Energy moves when the system feels safe


Energy is not meant to be held. It is meant to move through. When the system feels safe enough to soften, the energy that once felt overwhelming begins to rise, peak, move, release. This is not force. It is cooperation. The body is not being pushed. It is being met.


FALL BEHIND™ helps the psyche integrate, not fragment


When the system can meet rising energy without bracing, the mind becomes clearer, the body becomes steadier, protective parts relax, emotional waves complete, the deeper self becomes accessible. This is the foundation of integration.


Healing is not about eliminating intensity. It is about teaching the system how to stay with itself when intensity arrives. FALL BEHIND™ gives the nervous system a way to do exactly that.


Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Jodie Lockey Duesling

Jodie Lockey Duesling, Holistic Healer and Neurodivergent Advocate

Jodie Lockey Duesling (The Soul Doc) is a holistic healer and neurodivergent‑affirming practitioner known for her innovative blend of neural science, somatic awareness, and consciousness work. She supports clients in unwinding stagnant trauma, integrating protective parts, and repairing attachment wounds with clarity and compassion. Her approach bridges mind, body, and soul, offering a grounded path for those navigating identity shifts, emotional regulation, and deep inner work. Jodie’s practice is rooted in justice, sovereignty, and the belief that healing becomes possible when the nervous system feels safe enough to expand.

This article is published in collaboration with Brainz Magazine’s network of global experts, carefully selected to share real, valuable insights.

Article Image

Before You Were Born, Your Body Was Already Listening

What if your story began before you had a voice? Before your first breath, before your first cry, before your first memory? We often speak about trauma as something that happens after birth. The...

Article Image

What If There Is a Positive Intention Behind Anger?

Anger is an interesting emotion because, as uncomfortable and sometimes destructive as it can be, it usually has a positive intention behind it. That may sound contradictory. What could be positive...

Article Image

The Difference Between a Normal Death Benefit Life Policy and a Cash Accumulation Policy

Ask most Americans what life insurance is for, and they’ll give you the same answer: it pays your family when you die. That answer isn’t wrong, but it’s only half the story. And for working and middle-class...

Article Image

How Martial Arts Training Supports Mental Health, Cognitive Function and Neurodiversity

As a psychotherapist, I’m constantly on the lookout for solutions beyond the couch to combat anxiety, fight depression and build self-esteem. Martial arts have been proven to help in these areas.

Article Image

The New Luxury Is How You Feel

For decades, luxury hospitality was defined largely by what guests could see, exceptional design, beautiful destinations, impeccable service, fine dining and premium amenities. Those elements still...

Article Image

Why You Don’t Get Over a Man by Getting Under the Next One

After a breakup, the temptation to seek attention from someone new can feel like a shortcut to feeling wanted again, but distraction is not the same as healing. A dating sabbatical can create the space...

Before You Were Born, Your Body Was Already Listening

What If There Is a Positive Intention Behind Anger?

The Difference Between a Normal Death Benefit Life Policy and a Cash Accumulation Policy

How Martial Arts Training Supports Mental Health, Cognitive Function and Neurodiversity

The New Luxury Is How You Feel

Why You Don’t Get Over a Man by Getting Under the Next One

The Body Never Lies and the Stories Our Bodies Still Carry

The Food System That Promises Happiness but Delivers Disease

How to Elevate Hotel Wellness and The Power of Neurovitae® and Medicine 3.0

bottom of page