So much of our quality of life depends on our body’s ability to efficiently and effectively produce energy.
So it’s worth knowing a little bit about the basic biology of how this system works.
Most of the usable energy in the body is produced inside our cells by microscopic “powerhouses” called mitochondria. These convert nutrients into ATP (adenosine triphosphate)—the molecule that powers almost every process in the body.
ATP is a little bit like an “energy currency”.
Every time a neuron fires, a muscle contracts, or a cell repairs itself, ATP is “spent” to make it happen.
Therefore, your physical energy, cognition, immune health, and emotional wellbeing all depend on the healthy functioning of your mitochondria.
This is nothing new and you probably learned this in your first year of biology.
However, new evidence is emerging indicating that energy production isn’t the only function of mitochondria.
Dr. Robert Naxiaux’s Cell Danger Response (CDR) theory posits that they also play a role in sensing environmental conditions and signaling whether the system is safe enough to grow, or needs to prioritise protection.
In simple terms, they’re always asking:
Is the system safe enough to grow? Or do we need to protect it?
If danger is perceived, they enter into a kind of “lockdown” mode, which Naviaux calls The Cell Danger Response.
In this state, mitochondria change their behaviour: communication between cells becomes more local and restricted, energy production becomes constrained, and resources are directed away from repair, regeneration, and growth towards defence and survival.
This is an intelligent, adaptive response, and under normal circumstances it follows a cycle:
1.) A threat is perceived
2.) Cell Danger Response activated
3.) Mitochondria shift from growth into defence (i.e. lockdown mode)
4.) System receives a signal of safety
5.) Mitochondria return to growth, repair, and connection
Issues only arise when the system doesn’t receive a safety signal at point 4 — i.e. sufficient evidence that the danger has passed.
When this happens, the cycle doesn’t complete, and the body stays in a prolonged state of defense. This means healing is deprioritised, energy levels are constrained, and communication between cells stays fragmented.
This is often what’s happening when someone is suffering from chronic inflammation.
Therefore, our level of perceived safety influences not only our ability to heal, but also our ability to produce energy.
Low safety = low energy.
And given that mood, cognition, creativity, resilience, etc, all depend on how efficiently our body can produce ATP, safety really is the foundation of not just healing, but also of growth, contribution, and flourishing in life.
So if your energy levels are consistently low, it might be worth asking:
“What perceived threat(s) might my system still be protecting me from?”
And is there anything I can do to create a deep felt sense of safety within my nervous system, so that my cells can move out of protection mode, and back into growth?
A helpful resource in this regard might be this introductory talk on polyvagal theory from Deb Dana.
