The role of the Nervous System for Emotionally Demanding Research

By Jessica Crosbie and Dr Juliet Coates

(August 22, 2026)

Summary

On the 22nd of June, Dr Juliet Coates ran a session at the University of Leicester for the department of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy titled ‘When Research Gets Heavy’. This explored the role of the nervous system in trauma-informed research practice. Dr Juliet Coates, an Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, first gave a detailed overview of the nervous system before connecting this to researcher/participant wellbeing.

The Nervous System

Dr Juliet Coates explained that our behaviour is driven by our nervous system, as behaviour is a response to a stimulus. The nervous system is complex, however, this session focused on the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympatheticsystems) understood through Polyvagal Theory pioneered by Professor Stephen Porges. The vagus nerve plays a crucial part in our behaviour via its role in controlling our physiology. The ventral branch of the vagus nerve, sometimes referred to as the social engagement system, is active when we feel safe, and enables us to feel connected to other people. The ventral vagus nerve works together with our sympathetic system (mobilisation and energy, e.g. for play or exercise) and the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve (for digestion and sleep). If our nervous system feels under threat, ventral vagus activity reduces, leaving us with only sympathetic activation (‘danger’ response, flight or fight), the activity of the dorsal vagus nerve (‘life threat’ response, collapse) or a combination of both sympathetic and dorsal vagal activity at the same time (freeze).

During the explanations of the nervous system, Juliet emphasised the role of developmental/intergenerational trauma, and how this can lead people to be trapped in a nervous system primarily wired for threat, without consistent access to ventral vagus activity. Other mammals are born with their nervous systems well developed, whereas human development continues until at least the mid-twenties. Therefore, our nervous systems are uniquely susceptible to getting ‘stuck’ in trauma patterns. She stressed that we need to take a compassionate lens on behaviour, and that problematic/challenging behaviours indicate inner distress.

When researchers, or participants, remain in a heightened state of activation for prolonged periods, the nervous system may become overwhelmed. This can make it harder to think clearly, remember experiences, or stay engaged with the research. People may begin to shut down, becoming emotionally numb or disconnected, and disengage. With this, we identified how we can introduce curiosity and compassion into our research. This starts with connecting to how we, as the researcher, are feeling in the moment, before using safety prompts such as:

Suggesting a short break
“Are you okay?”
“What do you need?”
“How can I support you?”
“I’m here with you”
“Let’s do this together”

Practical Activities: co-created with Dr Diane Levine.

As a part of this session, two key activities were undertaken, which are useful to implement from an emotionally demanding research standpoint.

The first involved identifying potential threats, or triggers, to our nervous system and our participants’ nervous systems. This can be visualised in the form of a Venn diagram, as threats can overlap, and threats to one person’s nervous system will be sensed by the other individual’s nervous system too.

Individually, and as a group, we reflected on what the answers to these prompts were in the context of our research. Responses ranged from micro-level, to macro-level threats. Identifying the potential threats is beneficial for remaining mindful to our own physiology and wellbeing.

The second activity sought to answer questions about how to deal with these threats. To do this, we were invited to create a Menu of Methods we can use to manage the threats to our nervous system. We followed the format of:

Starters: What do we do BEFORE research
Mains: What do we do DURING the research
Dessert: What do we do AFTER the research
Snack: Anything else we do outside the research which helps

There were options which featured across the majority of peoples’ menus, however, the benefits of this approach come from its ability to be tailored towards the individual creating it. This approach is incredibly personal, with an understanding that certain approaches may not work for you. However, here are some examples of things included in our menus.

Having a checklist of materials needed
Ensuring we are hydrated and have eaten recently

Practicing interview schedule
Consciously observing my own, and my participants, behaviour
Asking ourselves if we are breathing normally or if we have become tense
Movement, stretching, and being in nature
Debriefing with trusted person
Positive distraction and creativity
Symbology and sensory rituals

We also had the opportunity to practise a grounding and pausing exercise:

Press your feet into the floor
Notice the chair supporting you
Notice how you are breathing without trying to change it.
If necessary, breathe out slowly
In the moment, it can also help to connect with your body by gently rub your hands together or resting your palms on your thighs.

Methods such as these work as predictability, planning, self-regulation, and pausing help embed safety into the research process which allows us to move through our nervous system threat responses with more ease in the moment.

Conclusions

The key takeaways from this workshop include the need to reframe behaviour away from ‘good’ and ‘bad’, and to take a compassionate, non-judgemental lens. Behaviour is often a threat/survival response to a stimulus, which can be external or internal. By understanding where behaviour comes from, we can provide support and set boundaries appropriately. This extends to us as researchers, as self-compassion is important for researcher wellbeing. Reflecting on this session, having a better understanding of the nervous system, and my own physiology has helped me understand which wellbeing methods work, and why.