To move from a defensive autonomic state to safety, the ANS must be able to determine if risk is still present and if not, be able restrain mechanisms prepped toward defensive behaviors (fight, flight, or freeze).

To effectively switch from defensive to social engagement strategies, the mammalian nervous system needs to perform two important processes: (1) to assess risk, and (2) if the environment is perceived as safe, to inhibit the more primitive limbic structures that control fight, flight, or freeze behaviors. The nervous system, through the processing of sensory information from the environment (and viscera), continuously evaluates risk. (View Highlight)