# DIMs & SIMs ##### Untangling Pain --- ![](https://youtu.be/Khp4YdON4_I) --- ## tl;dr **DIMs and SIMs** - DIMs = dangers in me (trigger sympathetic response) - SIMs = safety in me (trigger parasympathetic response) - We want more SIMs and less DIMs to help the nervous system feel safe and reduce pain - The nervous system can adapt over time when it feels safe **Categories** - Things you hear, see, smell, touch, taste - Things you do - Things you say - Things you think and believe - Places you go - People in your life - Things happening in your body **What counts as a DIM?** - Anything dangerous to your body or your life as a person - Real or perceived danger—brain treats both the same - Examples: believing pain is forever, hospitals, dentist sounds, x-rays, staying home, constant pills, hurtful massage therapist, over-pushing fitness trainer, anxiety, depression, thinking you’re weak or vulnerable **What counts as a SIM?** - Anything that makes you stronger, healthier, more confident - Helps brain and nervous system feel safe, reducing pain - Examples: clear scan, gentle exercise or massage, believing there’s light at the end, understanding you’re not broken, dancing in the kitchen, good health professionals, supportive friends, learning about pain **DIMs and SIMs can overlap** - Context matters—a single thing can be both - Example: work can be stressful (DIM) or enjoyable and secure (SIM) - If you can list DIMs, think of their opposites to find SIMs --- ## Transcript We're gonna look at, what are called DIMs and SIMs. Going back to the two parts of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic, the fight or flight response, and the parasympathetic or the rest and digest. We have things in our lives which cause us to be in the sympathetic nervous system, which we can call DIMs or dangers in me. And there are things in our lives which can help with our parasympathetic nervous system, which we can call SIMs or safety in me. So we need more SIMs, safety in me, and less DIMs, more dangers in me. This is because we want the nervous system to feel safe. Because when there is too much feeling of danger, this is when pain is produced. And when the nervous system, and the brain and the spinal cord feel safe, then, if we can have this for, over a period of time, then again, it can adapt and change, and reduce the number of those fire alarms, and turn down the sensitivity. That's what we're looking for. We want more SIMs and less DIMs. DIMs and SIMs can be organised into seven different categories. Things you hear, see, smell, touch, and taste. Things you do. Things you say. Things you think and believe. Places you go. People in your life. And things happening in your body. When you're thinking of these things, these are the categories that you can use to figure out what the DIMs are for you, and what the SIMs are for you. A danger in me, a DIM, is anything that is dangerous to you. And again, that is anything dangerous to your body. Your tissues, your joints, your muscles. But it's also anything that's dangerous to you as a person. So, your life, your lifestyle, your job, your happiness, your day to day functioning. It's anything that is a threat to you as a person. Remember, this can be a real danger. Or it can be a perceived one. So the brain will still treat it exactly the same. I've given some examples here. All of these, when you read through them, you can feel the response in your body. Dangers in me, you're looking at, believing that pain is forever. Or going into hospitals can create this like feeling of danger. Or sleep. Sounds at the dentist. Looking at x rays. Staying home all the time. Constantly taking pills. The massage therapist who hurt you can create that response. A fitness trainer who pushes you way too hard every time. If you're feeling anxious, depressed. Believing or saying to yourself, my body is weak or I'm vulnerable, that can have an effect as well. So these are all dangers. Again, you can feel the response in your body, that fight or flight response. Imagine if your whole life is filled with this. Your brain and nervous system will perceive all of these as a threat, and hence produce pain. So safety in me, SIMs, is anything that makes YOU stronger. Makes you better, makes you healthier, makes you more confident, more sure and certain. Within and about yourself. It's about that resilience and strength and capacity. These are the things that may help your brain and nervous system feel safe. And the safer they feel, the less likely they are to produce pain. Things like hearing that the scan you've had is clear. Or doing some gentle exercise. Or having some gentle massage makes your body feel safer. Believing that there's light at the end of the tunnel. You know, saying that to yourself, or saying that I understand now what's happening to me. I understand that I'm not broken. For me, dancing in the kitchen is a massive SIM. I love having my music on and feeling that safety. Having health professionals around you who know what they're talking about. Hopefully I'm on the list of SIMs for you. Having friends who understand you. Learning about your pain, all this can help you and your body feel safe, so that when you do get pain, you go, oh, do you know what? It's just my brain trying to protect me. And I'm going to reassure my brain, and my nervous system, and my body, I am safe. And I am going to do this by doing some gentle movement. I am going to do this by reinforcing to myself that I am safe. I am protected. I am okay. I am not broken. So this is how we can use this. It's worth noting that some things can be both a DIM and a SIM. For example, I had a client who had 'work' as both a DIM and a SIM. So, it's all about context. There were times when work was really stressful for her, that would increase that fight or flight response. So, it would become a DIM, that danger in me. And then there were times when she loved what she did. And working made her happy, and it also provided financial security. So it then became a SIM for her. Again when you think about your own DIMs and SIMs, think about context and what may be on both sides. It's often easier to pick out the DIMs and list the DIMs, but if you've got the list of DIMs, think of the opposite to help you write the SIMs. That's how I tend to work with clients to help them understand that a little bit more. --- Next lesson → [[Untangling Pain – Module 1 Lesson 10|next lesson]] %% - [[We want more SIMs and less DIMs]] - [[Categories of DIMs and SIMs]] - [[What is it that makes women so different from men?]] - [[Examples of DIMs]] - [[What is it that makes women so different from men?]] - [[Examples of SIMs]] - [[DIMs and SIMs Can Overlap]]