Polyvagal Therapy
“A Pathway to Healing Through the Nervous System.”
What is Polyvagal Therapy?
Polyvagal Therapy is a cutting-edge approach to mental health that leverages the science of the nervous system to help individuals heal from trauma, stress, and emotional dysregulation.
Grounded in Polyvagal Theory, this therapy offers a compassionate and effective way to understand and address the physiological roots of psychological distress. By working directly with the nervous system, Polyvagal Therapy helps clients move from survival mode to a state of safety and connection, enabling deep and lasting healing.
The Autonomic Nervous System
Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, provides a revolutionary understanding of how the nervous system influences our emotional and psychological states. The theory focuses on the Vagus Nerve as a key player in regulating our physical and psychological responses.
To learn more about Polyvagal Theory, I recommend visiting the Polyvagal Institute website by clicking here.
“If you want to improve the world, start by making people feel safer.”
Stephen Porges
Polyvagal Theory in Therapy
I have trained directly with Deb Dana, a pioneering clinician who has brought Polyvagal Theory into the world of therapeutic practice. This approach supports healing by helping clients understand and reframe their internal experiences—both in body and mind—through the lens of Polyvagal Theory.
This framework reveals how the state of our nervous system directly shapes how we feel, respond, and perceive the world around us.
Deb Dana’s work offers practical, accessible tools rooted in this knowledge, empowering clients to learn and practice regulation techniques that foster emotional resilience and physical wellness. These tools can be seamlessly integrated into daily life, supporting clients on their journey toward balance, safety, and connection.
How Polyvagal Informed Therapy Can Help
Polyvagal Therapy’s approach to healing focuses on reconnecting individuals with their body’s natural responses, which can bring profound benefits. By helping people recognize and regulate their nervous system states, Polyvagal Therapy addresses the root of emotional and physiological dysregulation rather than just managing symptoms. Here’s how it can help people facing a variety of challenges:
-
Reduces Anxiety and Stress: Polyvagal Therapy teaches clients to recognize when they’re in a fight-or-flight (sympathetic) state and provides tools to shift into a calm, ventral vagal state. By learning to bring themselves back to safety, clients can break the cycle of chronic anxiety and stress, finding relief and a greater sense of control over their reactions.
-
Supports Trauma Recovery: For individuals with trauma, the nervous system often becomes “stuck” in survival states like fight-or-flight or shutdown. Polyvagal Therapy helps clients gently process and integrate traumatic experiences through practices like titration and pendulation, allowing them to revisit these memories without being re-triggered. This gradual approach allows trauma survivors to process distressing memories without feeling overwhelmed, fostering a sense of safety and closure.
-
Improves Emotional Regulation: Many people with trauma or chronic stress experience intense or overwhelming emotions. Polyvagal Therapy equips clients with somatic techniques to help stabilize their mood and reduce emotional volatility. By practicing these regulation techniques, clients develop an internal toolkit to manage feelings of anger, sadness, or frustration without becoming overwhelmed.
-
Enhances Connection and Relationships: The nervous system plays a key role in social interactions and feelings of connection. Polyvagal Therapy helps clients build relational safety, starting with the therapeutic relationship through co-regulation. Clients learn to navigate relationships with greater trust and openness, eventually fostering healthier attachments with others.
-
Promotes Resilience to Life Stressors: A flexible nervous system can move between states of arousal and calm, allowing a person to adapt to changing circumstances. By practicing nervous system regulation, clients increase their resilience to life’s challenges and build a foundation for coping with stress. As they become more skilled at regulating themselves, they find it easier to face daily challenges with a sense of calm and balance.
-
Helps Reconnect to the Body: Many people who have experienced trauma or chronic stress feel disconnected or numb. Polyvagal Therapy’s somatic techniques encourage clients to gently reconnect with their bodies in a safe and gradual way. This can help them regain a sense of presence and feel more engaged in their lives, fostering a deeper sense of vitality and well-being.
-
Addresses Chronic Pain and Physical Symptoms: Chronic stress and unresolved trauma can manifest as physical symptoms, including muscle tension, digestive issues, and chronic pain. By teaching clients to down-regulate their nervous system, Polyvagal Therapy can alleviate these physical symptoms, offering relief from discomfort that often doesn’t respond to conventional treatments.
By engaging directly with the body’s physiological responses, Polyvagal Therapy enables people to move beyond survival mode. For anyone struggling with trauma, anxiety, or disconnection, it offers a compassionate and empowering path to healing, transforming both emotional and physical well-being.
