How to Soothe Your Dragon

A nervous system guide for when you feel stuck, spiraling, or overwhelmed

Adapted with love from the Dragon Keepers Academy/Ever-Rooted Approach

At Balanced Soul, we believe healing begins with understanding. One of our favorite tools, adapted from the Ever-Rooted Approach and the Dragon Keepers Academy, invites you to explore your nervous system in a powerful new way—by imagining it as your Dragon.

Meet Your Dragon

Your Dragon is your nervous system.
It’s not bad, broken, or something to fix—it’s protective, primal, and wise.

Your Dragon scans for danger before your thinking brain even knows what’s happening.
Sometimes it breathes fire.
Sometimes it hides.
Sometimes it takes off, wings flapping.

However it shows up, your Dragon is doing its best to keep you alive.

The Four Faces of Your Dragon

Your Dragon reacts in four main ways when it senses threat:

Hyper-arousal

• Fight: gets big, angry, loud

• Flight: panics, runs, escapes

Hypo-arousal

• Freeze: goes numb, disconnects

• Fawn: over-functions, people-pleases, appeases

None of these responses are wrong. They're ancient survival strategies.
Your Dragon isn’t dramatic—it’s devoted. This guide will help you learn how to support your Dragon, so you can move from reactivity to regulation.

Step 1: Meet Your Dragon Where It Is

Your Dragon doesn’t understand words—it understands sensations. It listens to your body’s cues, not your logic. Before you can calm your nervous system, you have to meet your Dragon where it already is—not where you wish it were.

That might mean letting yourself move through big emotions or honoring the urge to shut down. The goal is not to suppress your state, but to help your body complete the stress cycle.

We don’t tame Dragons with force. We gain their trust by listening.

Step 2: When Your Dragon Wants to Attack or Escape

This is a Fire-Breathing Dragon—fast, fiery, and full of adrenaline. Trying to “calm down” in this state can feel like trying to throw a blanket over a volcano.

What your Dragon needs first is movement.

Here are a few ways to release that stuck energy:

• Shake your hands like you're flinging off heat

• Do jumping jacks, march in place, or go for a run

• Slam a pillow, throw a ball, or shadowbox

• Scream into a pillow or sing loudly in the car

• Dance it out to a favorite song

• Splash cold water on your face

• Clean, pace, or climb stairs

You’re not “too much.” You’re giving your Dragon what it needs to feel safe enough to let go.

Step 3: When Your Dragon Wants to Disappear or Please

Sometimes your Dragon doesn’t want to move—it wants to vanish. It retreats, numbs out, or over-functions to keep the peace.

This Dragon is quiet, frozen, foggy. Trying to force action here is like trying to socialize a feral cat. Instead, let your Dragon feel safe enough to come back.

Try these gentle supports:

• Curl up in a cozy, dimly lit space

• Wrap up in a soft hoodie or weighted blanket

• Hum softly or play calming music

• Rock or sway slowly

• Watch a comfort show or listen to a soothing audiobook

• Be near a pet or person who feels safe

You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re tending to a nervous system that needs gentleness.

When your Dragon begins to stir, it might feel tired or tender—that’s okay. Now it’s ready to come home.

Step 4: Recalibrate Your Dragon After Fire or Fog

Once your Dragon has moved or rested, it needs help returning to center. Think of this like downshifting from high-speed—not slamming the brakes.

If you were in Fight or Flight, try:

• Long exhales (inhale for 4, exhale for 8)

• Gentle rocking or swaying

• Grounding touch—massage, barefoot walks, touching the earth

• Place your hand on your heart and breathe

• Sip something warm

• Dim the lights or light a candle and gaze at the flame

You’re not calming your Dragon—you’re reminding it that you’re the Dragon Rider now.

If you were in Freeze or Fawn, try:

• Sip water or eat something with intention

• Gently shake out your body or bounce on your toes

• Take a slow walk

• Do a gentle stretch

• Inhale joy, exhale tension

• Hum or sing softly

• Dance to something familiar and fun

These actions help your nervous system come back online and remember:

• You are not stuck anymore

• You are safe to return

You Don’t Have to Tame Your Dragon

Your Dragon isn’t something to fix—it’s something to understand. It’s not your enemy. It’s your protector.

When fire rises or the fog rolls in, you don’t have to panic. You have tools. You have language. You have a relationship with your body and your nervous system.

And every time you show up with self-kindness, your Dragon learns to trust you more. You’re not just surviving—you’re learning to ride the waves.

You are the Dragon Rider now.

Want more resources on nervous system regulation and embodied healing?
Follow along with Balanced Soul, and check out our friends at Dragon Keepers Academy/Ever-Rooted Approach—where this beautiful practice began.

Are you ready to soothe your dragon?
Jenny