Polyvagel Theory
Polyvagal theory explains the role that our autonomic nervous system (ANS), which you could consider the smoke detector of the body, plays in our ability to feel safe and connected in our day to day lives. Poly refers to the three proposed arousal states of the ANS, and Vagal refers to the role of the vagus nerve as an information highway that connects our perception of safety with appropriate bodily responses. Polyvagal theory is inherently trauma-informed, in that it acknowledges that experiences of trauma impact the nervous system’s ability to accurately detect safety or threat in the present moment. The more prolonged or complex our experiences of stress or trauma are, the more sensitive our ANS becomes to states of hyperarousal.
Core Aspects of PVT
The Autonomic Hierarchy
The autonomic hierarchy refers to the three functional states of the ANS evolution and the order in which we shift from states of safety to threat: The ventral vagal, or social engagement system state, the sympathetic, or fight/flight state, and our dorsal vagal, or freeze/collapse state. Deb Dana, an expert on the use of polyvagal theory in therapy, describes these states as a ladder.
At the top of the ladder, is our ventral vagal state, also called our social engagement system. When this state is activated, we experience a sense of safety, connection, warmth, and openness.
The sympathetic, or fight/flight state of our ANS becomes activated when we perceive danger. We move down the ladder and experience a felt shift when this is activated. In this fight/flight state, we often experience things such as increased heart rate, shallow breathing, perspiration, racing thoughts, and rumination.
At the bottom of the ladder, exists our dorsal vagal state, which is our oldest, most primitive threat response state. The dorsal, or freeze state, becomes activated when we perceive a life-threat. Dorsal activation is often characterized by feelings of numbness, detachment, fogginess, and dissociation.
The autonomic hierarchy functions like a ladder in that our shifts/moves through these states are sequential and predictable. We cannot go from experiencing a dorsal state of perceived life-threat to a state of feeling safe and connected without first shifting through the fight/flight, sympathetic state.
Neuroception
The ANS is constantly working to protect us from threats and to seek safety and connection with other humans through a process referred to as neuroception. Have you ever been in a situation that just felt off and you weren’t quite sure why? This is neuroception: detection without conscious awareness.
Co-Regulation
From birth, we learn to feel safe through the presence of warm, emotionally attuned caregivers. This is our first experience of co-regulation, or the ability of our nervous systems to be soothed through the nervous system of another human. This is why early experiences of disconnection, abandonment, or mistreatment from our caregivers impact our ability to feel safe and secure in adult relationships.
By using polyvagal theory in therapy, we are better able to make sense of seemingly unusual or unwanted physical and emotional reactions and can learn to shift between states intentionally in order to manage over- or under-reactions to life stressors. We learn to integrate the body and the mind in real time to improve our overall wellbeing.
