How Finding 'Glimmers' of Hope in Day to Day Life Improves Mental Health

Feeling anxious and hopeless and finding it hard to cope? Amid economic problems, geopolitical turmoil and stress caused by a global pandemic, we are in traumatic times.

But some TikTok users have been coping through these times by noting the "glimmers" in their daily lives, a practice created by Deb Dana, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) who trains therapists worldwide.

Dana told Newsweek: "Glimmers are tiny moments of goodness that help us remember that regulation, safety and connection is also possible. It doesn't take away the trauma or the suffering but it's a reminder that our biology, our nervous system, is capable of holding all that suffering that's not yet resolved."

You're certainly not alone in your struggles, as the U.S. is currently facing "an unprecedented mental health crisis," a recent report has shown.

The June 2023 report by The United States Conference of Mayors, conducted among 117 cities in 36 states, found that Americans of all ages are facing "staggering increases in stress, depression, isolation, loneliness, and accompanying mental health hurdles."

The glimmers concept, created by the U.S.-based Dana in her work with trauma survivors, was first coined in her 2018 book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation. The idea was born from creating worksheets and teaching workshops to other therapists on how to apply it in their work.

"You can feel your system change when you bump into a glimmer, you feel something different in your body and your brain brings something different alive. They're tiny moments but they're also powerful moments," the LCSW said.

The concept has more recently taken off on social media, with people applying the concept to their everyday lives, as seen in some viral clips posted in June by TikTokers @anneblake8, @kristinacors and @talynted_.

The glimmers concept stems from the polyvagal theory (PVT). According to The Polyvagal Institute, a nonprofit co-founded by Dana, PVT "emphasizes the role that the autonomic nervous system—especially the vagus nerve—plays in regulating our health and behavior."

The theory has been questioned by some health experts, such as David J. Ley, a clinical psychologist in practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ley said the theory "may oversimplify complex nuances in human emotions and reactions and ignore the heterogeneity in internal experiences, leading people to overfocus on perceptions of threat," in a September 2022 article for Psychology Today.

Ley also pointed out that the theory "has very few empirical studies examining whether applications of polyvagal theory generate measurable positive clinical outcomes," noting that most published research on PVT are "reviews and hypothetical applications of the model to explain phenomena."

'Glimmers Are All Around Us'

Dana explained that finding these "micro-moments of goodness, kindness, well-being" in the midst of suffering is so important. "Because those tiny moments begin to accumulate and form the foundation for being with the suffering in a different way."

Noticing glimmers is not meant to be hard work. "When you're working with trauma survivors, you want things to be easy to reach for, not take a ton of effort, energy or attention because it's hard to do in the beginning," the LCSW explained.

Glimmers are about "connecting to others in a way that's small, that's simple, that's easy." She said: "Glimmers are all around waiting for us to bump into them, to find them, become aware of them, they're just these little moments that exist all over the place."

Marquita Johnson, a licensed professional counselor based in Atlanta, told Newsweek that finding glimmers is a mindfulness-based practice that offers an opportunity to pause and notice what is around you.

She explained: "There is power in the ability to pause," which offers positive benefits to our bodies and brains.

Glimmers offer "a radical shift in perspective" to embrace the "simple things" that bring us joy, such as walking in the grass barefoot, birds chirping, dancing in the rain, a smile or greeting from friend, feeling the sunshine on our face, or having a warm embrace," Johnson said.

Glimmers vs. Triggers

Dana has spent a lot of time helping clients manage their triggers or "dysregulated experiences."

She said it's important for people to be reminded that "they are not just their suffering, we are not just our trauma and our suffering, we are more than that.

"Safety is not always a word that lands for people. If you're a trauma survivor, safety can be a scary word. I wanted something that was a tiny spark of this regulated energy that we can come into connection with by seeing something in the world that brings it alive," she said.

Nakita Devi, a certified breath therapist and somatic coach, told Newsweek that triggers activate the sympathetic nervous system ("fight or flight"), putting the body into a state of "reactive response and activation." Glimmers stimulate the parasympathetic system ("rest and digest"), a state of relaxation and renewal. In this way, glimmers and triggers are often considered opposites.

"However, a healthy system is one that can move between all states with ease rather than simply focusing on one or the other," Devi said.

How Glimmers Impact Your Nervous System

According to Dana, when we "bump into glimmers," our energy and the way we move through the world changes. "We have a bit more hope...remembering that there is light in the darkness."

The nervous system is "the common denominator in our human experience...we are connected through our biology," she said.

As we encounter glimmers, our nervous system moves towards the "ventral vagal state"—a state of "regulation, connection, communication, when we feel safe enough to engage in the world, welcomed enough in the world, to move through the world in an organized way," the LCSW noted.

Psychologist Charmeka Newton, the co-author of Black Lives Are Beautiful: 50 Tools to Heal From Trauma and Promote Positive Racial Identity, told Newsweek: "Behind the scenes, the three parts of the brain that respond to trauma—the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex—are working overtime to manage the hurt experienced with trauma."

Research has shown that prolonged stress and trauma causes the brain to produce more of the cortisol and norepinephrine hormones. "Cortisol affects the strength of the memories associated with traumatic events, and norepinephrine increases heart rate and controls the fight-or-flight response," she said.

When a person experiences glimmers, the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for emotion and behavior regulation) is activated. Our bodies have a reverse reaction and are calmer and respond in a gentler way when we come across glimmers, be it going for a walk or anything that brings you joy, Newton said.

"Noticing the glimmer is an effective strategy to help our bodies relax and it allows us to self-soothe which can help reduce the impact of stress or trauma on the body," the psychologist explained.

The 'Deeper Process' of Glimmers

So, we start coming across little glimmers in our daily lives. Now what? How do you mark the moment?

Dana suggests: "You notice it [the glimmer], you name it and maybe you share it with somebody, or keep a journal...whatever works for you. That's the deeper process of glimmers."

Especially in today's times "when we can feel so disconnected...it's lovely that we look at a list of glimmers and feel that autonomic connection," she said.

In her work, the LCSW said she often asks people to find "a glimmer buddy" and social media can feel like "a huge glimmer buddy," offering "the benefit of hearing [about] somebody else's glimmer."

She said the experience of connecting with another through sharing about our glimmers "sparks something in our system and it ripples out."

"Being safely connected to another human" is an essential "biological imperative, something we need to survive, to thrive, to live a life of well-being," Dana explained.

She noted: "That's the benefit of sharing [glimmers] because your nervous system feels connected to others in the world, which is a longing we all have."

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