Polyvagal Theory was a new way to understand trauma through the neuropsychological role of the vagus nerve in regulating emotions and fear responses and how they affect social connections in 1994 when it was introduced by Stephen Porges. The theory expands the two types of threat responses, fight or flight, into a third called “freeze.” It is what some animals do in the wild. Freezing is the body’s way of “playing dead” to become uninteresting to a threat until it passes. The natural way someone exits the freeze response and return to balance in the body is to bring ourselves into social engagement, in which we are open and receptive which establishes within the body that we’re not under threat.

The autonomic nervous system is responsible for this survival mechanism. It regulates heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. In times of extreme threat, one branch of our parasympathetic nervous system kicks us into shutdown mode. When we look back on the experience it is normal to wonder why we did not react differently such as fighting off the attack or running away. It can be confusing and make us think we are weak.

That confusion causes trauma energy to become blocked in the body where it is stored. The person can stay stuck in trauma and anxiety perpetually until it is discharged. The way this stored energy is discharged is through entering back into a state of threat, shut-down and immobilization, and working back into social engagement where we become relaxed and open again. Traveling back and forth threat to safety allows a person to truly recognize they are safe, where they can become open and receptive again so they can explore further healing.

The Three Parts of the Nervous System

Deb Dana, a clinical social worker and therapist recognized the need for a practical application of polyvagal theory and developed a therapy around it. She published three books, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, Clinical Application of the Polyvagal Theory and Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection. In her books, she organizes the nervous system into three parts, hierarchy, neuroception and co-regulation.

Hierarchy refers to the three states of the nervous system: The ventral vagal, sympathetic and dorsal vagal, and how they activate in a particular order. The ventral vagal helps us feel safe, show up and communicate. It is our home base line and place of safety. Sympathetic is that energy that gives us fight or flight to help us survive danger. If we cannot flee or fight, then the dorsal vagal has us shut down, collapse and go numb to protect ourselves.

Neuroception is when our nervous system is constantly scanning the environment for clues of any danger. It listens inside and outside our bodies, and to interactions between people for any trouble. Neuroception determines whether we need to be in ventral vagal, sympathetic or dorsal vagal, depending on the environment and threat level. Dana describes co-regulation as the need to be safely connected with others throughout our lifetime in order to survive.

Understanding our nervous system is the first step in navigating challenges more effectively. The nervous system informs the brain, therefore it is essential to first comprehend the processes of the nervous system before understanding the brain. When people come to an understanding of why their nervous system acts the way it does, people can guide themselves back to their home safety state. When people are stuck in the sympathetic state, people with unhealed trauma may carry fear, lack of trust and anxiety. Those stuck in the vagal state may carry loneliness, disconnection and numbness. When survivors heal, it is a triumph because they can reside in the ventral vagal state of their home base where they have let go of their stories of suffering and become connected and attuned with others.