Why Dizziness Isn’t a Vestibular Problem: It’s a Threat Response
Nov 27, 2025
Most therapists are trained to treat dizziness like a vestibular deficit.
And yes...
....sometimes it is.
But in applied neurology, dizziness is rarely a vestibular problem in isolation.
More often, it is the brain choosing a threat response because the sensory systems disagree.
This is why clients often say:
“I only get dizzy sometimes.”
“It happens when I’m scrolling.”
“It happens when I’m in the car.”
“It happens when I turn my head fast.”
“It happens when I’m stressed.”
Those are not random triggers.
They are environments where sensory mismatch is highest.
And the dizziness?
That’s not failure.
That’s intelligence.
It’s the nervous system’s way of forcing you to stop before something worse happens.
Let’s break down exactly what’s going on.
The Three Systems That Decide Whether You’re Safe
When a client moves, their brain relies on three systems:
-
Vision — the most dominant
-
Vestibular — the gravity + acceleration system
-
Proprioception — the body map
When all three agree, the brain is calm.
When they disagree, the brain can’t integrate the inputs and must choose one to trust.
This costs fuel, safety, and clarity.
If the mismatch becomes too big, the brain hits a protective switch:
Dizziness.
Dizziness is not random.
It is a survival strategy.
Common Sensory Mismatch Triggers
Here are environments where dizziness often appears:
1. Scrolling in a moving car
Vision: stable
Vestibular: moving
Proprioception: still
→ mismatch → dizziness/nausea
2. Treadmills
Vision: nothing moves
Vestibular: bouncing
Proprioception: gait pattern
→ mismatch → wooziness
3. Stores & busy environments
High visual load → unstable integration
4. Rapid head movements
Vision can’t stabilize → vestibular spike → mismatch
Dizziness isn’t weakness.
It’s a protective neurological choice.
Why Vestibular Drills Alone Don’t Work
If the root problem is mismatch, doing vestibular-only work often:
-
makes symptoms worse
-
reinforces the wrong signal
-
increases noise in an unstable system
Mismatch requires coordination, not strength.
Applied Neurology Fixes the Integration, Not the Symptom
Start with:
-
smooth pursuits
-
slow head nods
-
proprioceptive grounding
-
gaze stabilization
-
gait sequencing
-
opposing joint drills
When the signals match, dizziness disappears..
..often faster than therapists expect.
The Next Step: The Transformation Ladder *(See link below)
If you want predictable outcomes for dizzy, unstable, or sensitive clients, start here.
The Ladder teaches:
-
how to identify threat
-
what drill to use first
-
how to sequence resets
-
how to calm mismatch fast
Here is the link to the Neuro Adnatage - The Transformation Ladder
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