Leo Beck

“Our infant muscles let go and mold to the shape of our mother's bodies when we are securely held.

Our bodies learn the meaning of the sensations of hunger and thirst from the interpersonal sweetness of our need being seen, met and satisfied by our mother as food is offered.

We take in her attentiveness along with the nourishment, and this shapes our openness to all kinds of nurturance throughout our lives.

Our hearts beat more slowly and our amygdalae calm when she is in a ventral state, her presence reassuring us of the possibility of safety in connection.”
― Bonnie Badenoch, The Heart of Trauma: Healing the Embodied Brain in the Context of Relationships