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

What If You Can? The Question More People Should Ask Themselves

Every meaningful journey begins with a question. For many of us, however, the questions we ask ourselves are rooted in fear rather than possibility. We wonder what might go wrong instead of...

Article Image

How To Prepare Your Family for a Stress-Less Summer Holiday

Yay, a family holiday! Why am I not excited? The car is finally packed (all by you, so it’s done properly). Someone can't find their shoes (did they even have them on when they got in the car?). One child is...

Article Image

You Already Know What to Do, So What's Stopping You?

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where, on paper, making a simple behaviour change should be straightforward, yet in practice it is quite the opposite? You are not alone.

Article Image

The Imperfection That Makes Real Intimacy Possible

There is a particular paradox that lives at the heart of almost everyone who has done significant spiritual work. The more refined, evolved, and self-aware they become, the harder it can quietly become to actually...

Article Image

You're Not Burned Out, You're Out of Coherence

Every fix you’ve tried has worked on paper. The earlier nights. The cleaner calendar. The boundaries you finally held. Still, that hum underneath everything. Quiet. Persistent. Waiting. What if it...

Article Image

Stop Calling It Reflection If You’re Just Thinking

You leave work and drive home. The radio is off. The day is still running through your head, the conversation that went off on a tangent, the meeting you should have handled differently, the decision you keep...

You Are Functioning, But Are You Actually Okay?

The Subconscious Patterns That Shape Success

When Self-Doubt Takes a Seat at the Table – 5 Ways to Manage It

Three Workplace Conditions That Turn Autistic Strengths into Burnout

Why the Future of Technology Must Be Green

The Five Decisions That Decide Your Startup's First Year

What If Cancer Begins Long Before the Tumour?

Nobody Let You Down, Your Expectations Did

The Hidden Pattern Behind Narcissistic Relationships, and How to Break the Cycle

bottom of page