Polyvagal Theory and Our Nervous System: A Path to Healing Through Understanding
Our nervous system plays a central role in how we experience and respond to stress, trauma, and everyday challenges. When it becomes dysregulated, we can feel stuck in patterns of anxiety, anger, or overwhelm. Through Polyvagal Theory, we can learn about how our nervous system functions to better understand and regulate our emotional states.
Imagine yourself taking an afternoon stroll when you suddenly come face-to-face with a bear. You feel your adrenaline kicking in and you quickly assess how to respond to keep yourself safe. You first consider fighting back or running away (“fight-or-flight”) before deciding to lay down and play dead (“freeze”). Once the bear has returned to the woods, do you get up and calmly continue your stroll? No! You run back to the car as quickly as you can. Throughout your drive home you slowly start to notice your adrenaline subside and your body returns to a state of calm, but the next time you visit that path, you’re likely to find yourself more alert than before. Now imagine that happens again and again and again. You may find yourself extremely on edge and anxious even anticipating the walk, or you may avoid going on walks altogether. This is what it’s like for our system to experience chronic stress and trauma.
What is Polyvagal Theory?
Polyvagal Theory, developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, explains how our nervous system influences our emotional experiences and behaviors. This theory focuses on the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is responsible for our autonomic functions like heart rate, breathing, and digestion, as well as how we respond to stress and danger. Our nervous system is constantly seeking a state of safety and connectedness, and our emotional and physiological states are deeply interconnected with our sense of safety.
The theory identifies three primary states of the nervous system:
The Social Engagement System (Ventral Vagal State): This is the state of safety and connection. When we are in this state, our body is calm, and we feel relaxed, present, and able to connect with others. We engage in healthy communication, and our emotional responses are balanced.
Fight or Flight (Sympathetic Nervous System): When we sense danger or threat, our body enters a state of heightened alertness. In this state, we may experience anxiety, rapid heart rate, or feelings of anger or fear. This response helps us survive, but when overactive, it can lead to chronic stress and difficulty calming down.
Freeze or Shutdown (Dorsal Vagal State): When the body perceives a threat as overwhelming, it may enter a state of collapse or shutdown. This is often linked to feelings of numbness, dissociation, or immobilization.
How Polyvagal Theory Can Help in Therapy
Utilizing Polyvagal Theory in therapy can help clients recognize where they are in their nervous system and how to shift toward more balanced states of being. Here’s some examples of what Polyvagal Theory may look like in therapy:
1. Building Safety and Connection
The relationship between the therapist and client is shown to be the biggest factor in determining client outcomes, meaning it is crucial to create a space where clients feel safe, heard, and understood. Polyvagal Theory emphasizes the importance of tapping into the ventral vagal state to increase social engagement and connection. Therapists trained in Polyvagal Theory will often work to establish a strong therapeutic alliance, offering a grounding presence for coregulation, attunement to the client’s emotional experiences, and unconditional positive regard. When a client feels safe, they are better equipped to engage in the therapeutic process.
2. Recognizing and Tracking States
Through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, clients can begin to identify their experiences within each state of their nervous system. Therapists may help clients track their emotions, noticing when they feel grounded, activated, or shut down. By learning to identify these states in real-time, clients can begin to develop tailored tools for self-regulation.
3. Regulating the Nervous System
Therapists can help clients develop strategies for shifting from dysregulated states back into a balanced, ventral vagal state. Techniques often used include:
Grounding exercises: Mindful movement and sensory awareness can help clients reconnect with the present moment and their bodies.
Somatic experiencing: Focusing on bodily sensations and using movement and stretching helps to release stored tension in the body.
Breathing exercises: Slow, deep breathing signals to your brain that you're safe.
Guided imagery: Clients may be guided to imagine a container to help hold heavy feelings and experiences, or imagine a safe, calming environment, which can activate the social engagement system and promote a sense of safety.
4. Healing Trauma and Chronic Stress
Trauma and chronic stress can keep us feeling stuck in a state of arousal or dissociation. Polyvagal Theory is particularly helpful in treating trauma because it helps clients understand how trauma can be stored in our bodies. Clients may explore how their trauma has influenced their nervous system and work to create a safety and stability before diving into deeper emotional work.
Moving Toward Healing and Regulation
By understanding the science behind Polyvagal Theory and learning how our nervous system works, we can take an active role in restoring balance within our system. The journey often begins with awareness—recognizing when we are dysregulated and learning ways to gently bring ourselves back into a grounded state. If you are feeling “stuck” in a state of overwhelm, anxiety, or disconnection, know that you are not alone. Your body is doing what it is designed to do… Keeping you safe! Through therapy, clients can begin to restore their sense of safety and heal the effects of chronic stress and trauma
Written by: Hailey Adams, M.Ed., LPC