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from Justin Sunseri, LMFT99147
Polyvagal Intro
The fundamentals of the Polyvagal Theory
What is the Polyvagal Theory?
The Polyvagal Theory, in essence, is the science of how mammals connect, but also how they respond to danger. You've heard of fight & flight. Wellll, there's more to it than that. The PVT is the first to explain that there are actually three distinct primary states the body may be in:
Shutdown
(aka "dorsal vagal") 2nd parasympathetic
Life threat response - allows for the end of life with little to no pain. Numbing and dissociation allow for possibility of escape.
Active when the internal or external worlds are perceived as life threatening.
Body numbs, dissociation, drop in blood pressure and heart rate.
Mixed states
Those 3 are just the primary states. It's also possible to have "mixed states," meaning the primaries are activated at the same time. Just like mixing primary colors creates another color. But you can't create a primary color by mixing other colors. They simply exist on their own.
Built on
the Polyvagal Theory
Just like my free resources, my courses are also built from the ground up on the Polyvagal Theory. I adhere to the fundamental teachings from the primary sources.
My Polyvagal Trinity
Dr. Stephen Porges
(creator of the PVT)
Author/Editor of:
-
Polyvagal Safety (2021)
Deb Dana, LCSW
(pioneer of PVT in therapy)
Author/Editor of:
Peter Levine, PhD
(creator of Somatic Experiencing)
Author of:
...we are not voluntarily controlling whether we shift in or out of these states.
Dr. Stephen Porges
the Autonomic nervous system
The PVT has everything to do with the Autonomic Nervous System. The ANS is responsible for regulating all the internal stuff you don't need to think about, like: breathing, digestion and heart rate. When we go into the different primary or mixed states, there are autonomic shifts that take place.
For example, our breathing changes significantly if we are in our safe/social system (calm, deep & into the belly) versus our flight/fight system (faster, shallow & into the chest area). And changes significantly again when we go into a shutdown state (very shallow and small).
Central to the PVT and how the ANS works is neuroception and the Deb Dana concept of the Polyvagal Ladder.
A sequence of events,
not a menu of options
In my presentations, I explain that the autonomic states are a sequence of events, not a menu of options. This means that we climb up or down the Polyvagal Ladder in order. These are biological instincts, not conscious choices.
If we neurocept that we are not safe, we drop down the ladder into sympathetic arousal. Flight first, then fight. If we cannot run away and we cannot fight, we drop down the ladder further into the shutdown state.
The reverse of this is true as well. To come out of shutdown, our sympathetic state needs to kick in first. A powerful fight state followed by flight and then into safety once again.
