Polyvagal Theory
You may have heard terms like “fight or flight.” What do these concepts have to do with our mental health from day to day? Polyvagal theory looks at how we feel in different states of nervous system activation. This provides a framework, based on the biology of the autonomic nervous system, for helping us understand and treat stress responses.
I have been fortunate to train with Stephen Porges in the past, on applications of the theory for treating trauma. So what is the polyvagal theory?
The autonomic nervous system connects the brain to internal organs. It controls automatic body processes. Two major divisions of the autonomic nervous system are the sympathetic nervous system, which gets us ready for physical activity, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which prepares us to “rest and digest.”
Polyvagal theory explains that our autonomic nervous system has three response states. These states activate when we experience various stimuli.
We can feel open, mindful, calm or grounded in the ventral vagal state. Our bodies are prepared to breathe more shallowly, decrease heart rate, divert blood to the digestive system, and produce more saliva. Ever had a nap so amazing that you started to drool? You felt safe and calm to drift off in the ventral vagal state. When awake, you can also feel alert to engage in positive social interactions in this state.
When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, that is when we may experience “fight or flight.” We are kicked into gear to run away from danger or combat a threat. Heart rate and breathing rate increases, our mouths get dry due to less saliva production, and our digestion may be upset. Some practitioners also acknowledge a “fawn” state in which we may feel compelled to please another person in order to evade harsh consequences. This can happen in a chronically harmful or abusive environment. With an activated sympathetic nervous system, we can feel angry, scared, worried, or panicked.
In dorsal vagal activation, we experience “freeze” or shutdown. We may feel numb or hopeless, immobilized, and ready to give up. Like fight, flight, and fawn, it is a survival response that kicks in when we face a threat. It’s designed to conserve energy when the threat is inescapable, in order to preserve life. However, it can be tough to move out of this state if you are experiencing chronic overwhelm.
Learning to recognize these states can be helpful when life presents situations that activate responses from our bodies. When we have been through trauma, we may find ourselves activated into a state without really understanding why. We might experience hypervigilance, a feeling of being on edge, dissociation, or a prolonged freeze response. Anna and I are passionate about helping you tune in to your body to name how you have felt in times of stress. Gathering knowledge about your experience can inform us on good ways to bring you back to the comfort of “rest and digest.”
Our bodies protect us in ways that we don’t always realize, and sometimes it takes special attention to understand what our bodies need next. As the body and mind are interconnected, you can learn to attend to yourself in a way that brings healing all over.
