As human beings, we are in a state of constant change, both individually and collectively. When this ever-shifting landscape collides with the exponential rise of technology and complex socio-political realities, the impact of these shifts on our mental well-being becomes profound. While humanity has made remarkable intellectual advancements to navigate metamodern life, our social structures often tell a different story: one of isolation, chronic stress, and burnout.
While these conditions should not be normalized, most of us are living with them, and they have therefore become part of our everyday reality. Recent nervous system science is introducing a new approach that breaks the cycle of normalizing isolation, stress, and burnout, and instead offers a sustainable way to cultivate greater capacity to cope with the difficulties of today’s world.
In this article, we’ll explore the basics of Polyvagal Theory and what it means to befriend your nervous system during times of polycrisis. We will also examine practices for self-regulation and co-regulation.
Basics of the Polyvagal Theory
Polyvagal Theory is a recent update to our understanding of the autonomic nervous system and the role it plays in human mental health. The autonomic nervous system is an integral part of the human nervous system, monitoring and regulating the activity of the visceral organs: the heart, lungs, liver, gallbladder, stomach, intestines, kidneys, and sexual organs. In the past, the nervous system was explained through two states: stress and relaxation. Stress is the response of the sympathetic nervous system, and rest is the response of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Polyvagal Theory offers a more nuanced understanding of how the vagus nerve functions and how it relates to the nervous system as a whole. This updated perspective suggests that the parasympathetic nervous system bifurcates into two circuits: the ventral vagal circuit, which supports a sense of safety, and the dorsal vagal circuit, which is associated with shutdown and depressive behavior.
Polyvagal Theory explains the nervous system as operating within a hierarchy. The three pathways (and their corresponding patterns of response), in evolutionary order from oldest to newest, are the dorsal vagus (immobilization), the sympathetic nervous system (mobilization), and the ventral vagus (social engagement and connection). In more commonly used terms, the dorsal vagal state is associated with freeze responses, sympathetic activation with fight-or-flight responses, and the ventral vagal state with regulation and social engagement.
Befriending the nervous system
Befriending the nervous system begins with understanding how it functions. This understanding is not a linear process, because the body and an individual’s lived experience are complex systems that often cannot be fully captured in words. This is why somatic coaching can be a largely non-verbal space, or a space in which one can move away from purely cognitive meaning-making processes and instead sink into sensing and feeling the shifting states of the body.
Through deliberate nervous system work, one can engage the resources of the ventral vagus and recruit the circuits that support the Social Engagement System. Somatic coaching sessions often offer a co-regulatory practice in which clients can rebuild a sense of safety. Through this sense of safety, particularly in post-trauma contexts, the possibility of working through other challenges becomes more accessible.
Befriending the nervous system happens through both understanding the theory behind it and engaging in deliberate practices of co-regulation and self-regulation, allowing the nervous system to relearn and recreate patterns of safety. This kind of work can be experienced through somatic coaching sessions, as well as by practicing simple tools independently or with trusted others.
3 best practices for self-regulation
Regulating the nervous system in moments of dysregulation can be difficult; therefore, it is helpful to practice deliberately so that your nervous system becomes more wired for self-regulation.
- Orientation practice: Set aside three minutes each day to bring your attention to your five senses. Notice what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.
- Observe your breath: Throughout the day, take moments to bring your attention to your breath. Where do you feel it: the nose, chest, or belly? What is the quality of your breath: deep or shallow, fast or slow? Observe without trying to change anything.
- Move: If you tend to experience dorsal vagal shutdown, deliberately changing your posture throughout the day can be supportive. Shift from sitting to standing, or try sitting on a ball or a dynamic chair. Get curious about micro-movements and allow yourself to enjoy them.
3 best practices for co-regulation
- Bring awareness to cues of safety and cues of danger: When in connection with others, our nervous systems constantly exchange cues of safety or danger. Can you notice these cues and observe how your nervous system responds? This is not about good or bad, but about navigating risk and safety, which can differ greatly from person to person.
- Recognize your autonomic states: Social engagement and connection occur when the ventral vagal system is active, meaning you feel relatively safe and relaxed. Take note of moments when you recognize yourself in a ventral vagal state, a sympathetic arousal state, or a dorsal vagal state.
- Curious observation: Continue observing your social environment and your personal perception of a given moment of connection.
Sources:
- The Pocket Guide to Polyvagal Theory The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, Stephen W. Porges, Kindle Edition
- The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation, Deb Dana, Kindle Edition
- Accessing the healing power of the vagus nerve, Stanley Rosenberg, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California, Kindle Edition
- The Listening Society, A Guide to Metamodern Politics, Part One, Hanzi Freinacht, Kindle Edition
- https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/
- https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/
