Pull Your Hand Away
Lizette Sandoval
I was assigned to write a process analysis essay, so I chose to
write about only one of the fascinating systems in the body: the
nervous system. I put my knowledge to the test by trying to
explain how the nervous system causes reflexes.
You’re moving your hands on the fluffy carpet in your
bedroom, and you suddenly pull your hand back at the exact
moment that you feel a sharp pain on the tip of your finger.
You glance at your hand but direct your attention to the
carpet, searching for the cause of your pain. A shiny, silver line
stands out and you make a mental note: put away all the
sewing supplies.
With our sense of touch, our bodies can feel and recognize
objects in our surroundings. When we suddenly feel something
sharp, we might move before we can process what happened.
Within our bodies, messages are sent among cells for us to
accomplish every step involved in a reflex. It is complex—but
not for our bodies, since they are capable of executing
hundreds of complex processes at once. Let’s try to understand
at a basic level what is happening inside our bodies when a
reflex occurs.