What is the Polyvagal Theory and How Does it Work?
Our nervous system shapes our experiences of safety and connection and guides the way we navigate our world. Most of us have not been taught the pivotal role that the nervous system plays in our daily life and our mental health. But if we can develop an understanding of our nervous system, we can begin to look at our life, our experiences, and our reactions much differently. This is where polyvagal theory comes in.
Polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, focuses on how our nervous system responds to stress and safety. It explains that our vagus nerve (one of our cranial nerves) acts like a communication line between the brain and various parts of the body, pre-dominantly the heart and the gut. It is continually sending our brain internal signals of safety or threat.
We are also always taking in perceived external signals of safety or threat. All these signals are interpreted by our autonomic nervous system (the system that controls involuntary body functions like heartrate and breathing) to determine ‘Am I safe or am I in danger? Is it safe for me to connect?’ The autonomic nervous system will then move into and operate in one of 3 main states and what polyvagal theory calls the Autonomic Hierarchy.
Now, I want you to picture a ladder. At the top of the ladder is our first state:
Safety (Ventral Vagal State): This state is when we feel safe, our body is calm, and we're able to connect with others. This is the most balanced state, where our heart rate is steady, and we're generally social and relaxed.
Now let’s move down the ladder a little bit:
Fight-or-Flight (Sympathetic State): When we perceive danger or stress, our body shifts into a "fight-or-flight" mode, preparing us to act quickly so we can either escape or confront the threat. In this state our heart and respiratory rate might increase, our muscles tense up, and survival becomes our focus.
And then when we move even further down the ladder:
Freeze (Dorsal Vagal State): In extreme stress or life-threatening situations, our body may "shut down,” leading to dissociation, numbness, or feeling frozen. This is a more extreme reaction and can leave us feeling disconnected, out of control, or helpless.
When we find ourselves in a sympathetic state or a dorsal vagal state, our adaptive survival responses take over; we no longer feel safe, have lost our ability to connect to others, and are no longer able to regulate ourselves and our nervous system. But when we can return to a ventral vagal state, then connection, health, growth, restoration, and social engagement once again becomes possible.
We naturally travel up and down this ladder, moving in between these states multiple times a day. The ability to move flexibly between states is a sign of resilience and well-being. It is when we get stuck down the ladder in a state of dysregulation that it becomes a problem, and we experience distress.
So what might this look like? Here’s an example using social anxiety (because although this theory is very effective for trauma, it can apply in so many other areas):
I’m just at home with a family member. I am safe and connected. I feel open, I can communicate easily, I’m able to maintain eye contact, my tone of voice is normal, and I feel completely comfortable. This all means I am in my ventral vagal state.
But now I’m going to a party, and my social anxiety starts to kick-in. I am now starting to move into a sympathetic state, or my “fight or flight response” because I am interpreting a social event as a perceived threat. I begin to feel anxious, my heart rate increases, I have trouble taking a deep breath, my muscles tense up, I feel shaky, I want to run away and escape this situation.
Sometimes, that may be as far as we go. But other times we might shift even further into our dorsal vagal state or freeze state. Now, because this party feels too overwhelming, I begin to feel numb, disconnected, and like I’m shutting down. I might not be able to talk to anyone. I might experience a complete sense of helplessness. I may also have a sense of dissociation where I feel detached from my body.
So how do I get myself back into that ventral vagal state? A state where I feel calm, relaxed, and regulated? This is the goal in working with polyvagal theory.
Polyvagal theory emphasizes that our body's response to safety or danger is automatic, based on how our nervous system interprets our internal and external signals. Understanding these states can help us recognize how trauma or stress affects us and guide us toward practices that promote safety and regulation.
First and foremost, we need to begin to understand our own 3 states. With your therapist you can begin a process called ‘Autonomic Mapping’ or developing a ‘Personal Profile Map.’ Simply put, this map allows us to explore the question “What state am I in?”
This is what that might look like, and let’s use the sympathetic state as an example:
I might ask my client: can you remember a time when you felt a sense of activation in that sympathetic state? A time when you felt the sense of sympathetic mobilizing energy moving through you? This might feel like your system is getting overwhelmed or over-stimulated, or you experience a sense of uneasiness? Let just enough of that into your mind and body and now let’s map it.
Does it have a color? A shape? What label would you give it?
What sensations are you experiencing in your body?
What emotions are you experiencing? What thoughts are going through your mind? What are your behaviors?
There are many ways you and your therapist can explore these states to create your own nervous system road map. This will take time, but once you develop an understanding of what each of these states look like for you, you can work with it! You can use your ‘map’ to find your way back to regulation, back to a sense of safety, back to connection.
If you’re considering therapy and think that the exploration of polyvagal theory and developing an understanding and appreciation for your nervous system might be beneficial for you, we are here to help.
Written by Kelsey Prohaska (Registered Psychotherapist - Qualifying) under Kyla Balderson’s clinical supervision.