When Your Brain Is Online: Nine Capacities

Being within your window of tolerance means more than feeling calm. In interpersonal neurobiology, it means retaining access to nine functions of the prefrontal cortex: regulation of the body, emotions, and fear, along with insight, empathy, morality, attunement, intuition, and response flexibility. When these capacities are available, we can inhibit automatic impulses, stay present during emotional intensity, and create space between what is happening and how we decide to respond. This two-minute kind voice practice offers a memorable map for recognizing when executive function is more online.

In this two-voice call-and-response practice, phrases are offered and repeated. You can receive the words, repeat them silently, or say them aloud.

IPNB concepts explored: vertical integration; nine prefrontal functions; window of tolerance; inhibition; fear modulation; body regulation; emotional balance; attunement; intuition; response flexibility.

Second voice: Walter Rieger.

Transcript

My kind voice says. My kind voice says. To be vertically integrated means. To be vertically integrated means. I have those nine functions of the prefrontal cortex. I have those nine functions of the prefrontal cortex. My fear regulated. My fear regulated. My emotions regulated. My emotions regulated. My body regulated. My body regulated. Insight, Empathy, And morality. Insight, Empathy, And morality. Attunement. Attunement Intuition intuition, And response flexibility. And response flexibility. When I have all of these together. And I have all of these together. I can inhibit impulses. I can inhibit impulses. I have a wide window of tolerance. I have a wide window of tolerance. Where I can experience high arousal. Where I can experience high arousal. High emotional intensity. High emotional intensity. And still have access to those nine functions. And still have access to those nine functions.