Description
This educational poster (in green, 36″ x 24″) features the stress activation cycle, illustrated with horses, demonstrating nervous system states and the defense cascade of survival responses depending on the perceived safety, danger, or threat at hand. The illustration represents how the body moves through immobilization, and discharges and completes various biological and relational processes that support healthy autonomic functioning, which in turn supports a reduction in allostatic load and sets the conditions for greater security in attachment, wellbeing, learning, and performance.
The poster draws from a number of conceptual frameworks that have been published in peer reviewed journals or other sources pertaining to the nervous system and trauma. These include animal and equine ethology, as well as various hierarchies of defensive responses, such as but not limited to the threat imminence continuum, the acute stress response spectrum, the defense cascade, and the activation cycle. Additional sources are cited in the poster, though many other sources have indirectly influenced the development of this unique graph than are listed therein.
This illustration reflects the latest iteration of a different graph produced by Sarah Schlote that has evolved since 2018 based on current trends in the science and ethological literature. Due to the ongoing scientific debate around some of the anatomical and evolutionary explanations proposed by certain models, the poster does not use terminology reflective of specific neuroanatomy or circuitry, and instead focuses on concepts that have generally been accepted and supported in the literature and are featured in multiple different frameworks on the subject.
This premium matte horizontal poster is made with museum-grade paper, and is printed with top-tier pigmented archival inks for excellent printing results.
- 175 gsm fine art paper
- Matte finish
- For indoor use
EQUUSOMA® and ponyvagal™ are trademarks of the Schlote Psychotherapy Professional Corporation. Illustration © Sarah Schlote. All rights reserved.
