THE VAGUS
The Vagus is the main highway or connection between the brain and the body
Vagus regulates all the Autonomic stuff we don’t have to think about: breathing, heart rate, digestion and so on
Freeway analogy - 4 lanes going north and 1 lane going south
80% of the fibers are going to the brain and 20% going from the brain down
This is important because we can heal from the bottom up, from the body to the brain.
Breathing can change our State.
Movement, dancing, art, yoga can all change our State.
We can send signals to the brain that we’re safe from the bottom up
Also from the outside in with cues of safety
THE VAGAL BRAKE
The Safe & Social System calms the heart
This is the “Vagal Brake,” basically keeping the Flight/Fight behaviors in control
Without the vagal brake, the heart would beat 20 to 30 beats per minute faster
Which would result in mobilization behavior
The strength of the Vagal Brake depends on co-regulating experiences of early childhood
TRAUMA & THE VAGAL BRAKE
Trauma survivors have a compromised vagal break
Small moments of distress become enormous challenges to their ability to utilize the brake
They may leave school or work when something goes wrong
They fight when they perceive threat
THE WINDOW OF TOLERANCE
How much can we tolerate before going into defensive behaviors?
CO-REGULATION
We are a social species. We regulate with each other.
Co-regulation is integral to mental and physical health
Keeps us at the top of the polyvagal ladder ideally
Before language, mammals used their voice to indicate if they were safe or dangerous to come close to
Still do. Dogs growl when they want to appear threatening and bark in a high pitch when there is potential danger
Safety leads to closeness and touch
Closeness may have been adaptive for survival
Non-traumatized individuals can move up and down the ladder
Self-regulation is built upon co-regulation
Those self-regulation skills we hope kids have first come from co-regulation at home and with peers
When it comes to successful co-regulation, we have to have at least one safe person that can tolerate their neuroception of going down the ladder
CO-REGULATION
FEEDBACK LOOP
Two nervous systems (people) engage in back-and-forth communication
Cues of safety = connection/reciprocity
Cues of danger = disconnection/rupture
MISATTUNEMENT
Nervous systems in different states
Comes with a powerful story
Is felt on both ends as a significant shift in State
RUPTURES
Routine events that lead us away from Safety: Looking at a cell phone, looking away, internal distractions
Ruptures can easily turn into self-criticism or judgment of the other
Experienced as a withdrawal or confrontation
When ruptures happen, they need to be repaired. If not, negative expectations of future interactions result
FACE TO FACE INTERACTION
All mammals do this
Face-to-face is often very helpful in reducing conflict, especially if the interactions occur in a safe environment
Defense turns off the face/heart connection
Faces become blank when challenged, in pain or scared
Heart rate increases
There is a direct connection from the heart, to the brain, to the face and neck muscles
The face is a polygraph
The state of your heart is shown on your face
Using the upper part of the face means the heart is calm and the person is Safe & Social
Upper part of the face communicates State
Muscles around the eye make “crinkles”
Listening, smiling
Inner ear muscles are tense and able to hear human voice very well
Shutting off response to low frequency sounds that trigger predator
