Polyvagal Theory Made Simple

poly vagal theory developed by Dr Steven pores reshaped our understanding of the human nervous system and the body's response to threat and social interactions before poly vagal Theory the nervous system was thought to act in a binary manner like a light switch with the body's stress response being in an on or off State according to this perspective threat causes the autonomic nervous system to activate a fight or flight response and once the threat is gone we return to feeling safe and calm according to Dr Poes human responses to stress are too varied and nuanced to

be adequately explained by a binary model instead he proposed a three-part hierarchy like a ladder at the top of the ladder is vental vagal social engagement this is a state of safety in which we can emotionally relate and connect to others in this state we can feel more open peaceful and curious moving down one rung we get to sympathetic activation this is a defensive state in which the body mobilizes us for fight or flight in order to quickly dispatch threat to do this our heart beats faster our breathing becomes fast and shallow our muscles tense

and stress hormones flood our body at the bottom of the ladder is dorsal vagle shutdown when our nervous system is intensely activated and we still can't dispatch the threat a protective part of the nervous system shuts down or freezes like a turtle withdrawing into its shell we may flop to the floor or curl up in a ball our heart rate blood pressure and facial expressions all decrease we may have difficulty thinking and speaking clearly and we can feel numb dizzy or disconnected here's a very simple example of the poly vagal ladder in action Jane is

enjoying a video call with an old friend she is in a V natural vagal State and feels safe and able to connect and empathize with others a loud crash upstairs startles her Jane's sympathetic nervous system responds to the Potential Threat by mobilizing her body for fight or flight Jane's pupils dilate her breathing becomes shallower and her heart beats faster alternatively Jane might respond by entering a dorsal vagle State a kind of playing Dead survival mechanism of Last Resort Jane becomes still and holds her breath she is unable to communicate with her friend or take any

kind of action how Jane's nervous system will react will depend on a range of factors not least her previous life experiences another key part of poly vagal theory is the role of the vagus nerve in Latin vagus means wandering and true to its name the vagus nerve wanders from the brain stem throughout the body regulating many bodily functions including heart rate breathing digestion and immune function the vagus nerve is responsible for the body's rest and digest response as opposed to the fight ORF flight response of the sympathetic nervous system there are two branches to the

vegus nerve ventral meaning front and dorsal meaning back a good way to understand the difference is to think of the ventrol as a foot break that slows you down allowing you to enter a calm and safe place and the dorsal as an emergency break stopping you immediately in your tracks the Vagas nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system which itself is part of the autonomic nervous system don't worry too much about these details the key point is that the Vagas nerve is separate from the sympathetic vital flight pathway the goal of the autonomic nervous

system is to keep us safe and alive and it achiev achieves this using something called neuroception which works a bit like an internal smoke detector for acced to safety and danger before Jane had time to think neuroception in her body had already scanned her environment and used this information to make changes to her heart rate breathing and muscle tension via the vagus nerve neuroception takes place automatically and without involving the thinking part of our brain it's the reason why you might feel uneasy in a situation ation without consciously knowing why neuroception is essential to survival

as it allows us to react rapidly to potential threats and social interactions co-regulation is another core component of poly vagal Theory and is fundamental to feeling safe and secure in relationships the autonomic nervous system does not work in isolation and is regulated through connections with other nervous systems these nervous systems support and influence each other through the mutual sending and receiving of signals for safety through co-regulation emotional and physiological states such as heart rate and breathing become synchronized when we feel safe and supported by others our autonomic nervous system can manage stress and emotional responses

better this is why poly vagel theory is sometimes called the science of safety co-regulation begins in the womb when an unborn baby hears it mother's voice which becomes a comforting sound as an infant they associate this voice with other comforting cues such as a parents smile and as a toddler they learn to seek co-regulation from their parent whenever they feel distressed even when we learn to self-regulate we continue to seek co-regulation so that we can feel safe calm and connected to others co-regulation could be more difficult for those who've experienced chronic stress or trauma as

they may find it harder to establish a sense of safety faulty neuroception that is the inability to accurately assess whether a situation is safe or dangerous can cause us to become hardwired to experience threat Stress and Anxiety even when we're safe as a consequence we can become locked in a protective fight or flight or shutdown State unable to connect with others if we don't have a safe relationship in our life we can get back to a ventral vagal state with safe therapeutic relationships and exercises that activate the vagus nerve even noticing micro moments of peace

or Joy known as glimmers can help us to get back to a vental vagal State faster like muscle toning it's possible to increase vagal tone so that we can cope better with stress and return to a ventral vagal State faster here are some ways to activate and tone the vagus nerve breathing deeply and slowly from the diaphragm stimulates the vagus nerve techniques such as box breathing and physiological sighing that is two inhales followed by an extended exhale have been found to lower blood pressure and heart rate the vagus nerve is connected to muscles at the

back of the throat gargling contracts the muscles of the pallet which stimulates the vagus nerve vibrations caused by singing humming and chanting stimulate the vagus nerve which passes through the vocal cords and the inner ear and is linked to increased heart rate variability reduced illness and improved well-being the vagus nerve is stimulated when the body is exposed to cold cold showers splashing your face with cold water or a blast of cold air through an open window dampen the vital flight response and increase the rest and digest response vigorous movement like walking and running weightlifting and

somatic exercises are good for our cognitive faculties gut flow and vagal tone laughter induces diaphragmatic breathing which stimulates the vagus nerve lowers blood pressure and improves mood body scan meditation can also activate the vagus nerve lie down and close your eyes starting at the top of your head scan down through your body noticing areas of discomfort take deep breaths and imagine sending relaxing energy to each part of your body self havening is technique involving the Touch of Hands upper arms and face specific motions such as cupping your cheeks or crossing your arms like a self

hug stimulate the vagus nerve poly vagal theory has reshaped our understanding of the nervous system and the way we view stress behavior and well-being I hope you found this video useful and if you have any questions about poly vagel Theory I'll do my best to answer them in the comments below [Music]