Despite the fact that it floated around me for years, I never paid attention to the word “polyvagal.” My (incorrect) assumption was that if polyvagal theory really worked, I’d hear about it via word of mouth. That changeI’ve begrudgingly accepted that I am that word of mouth.
As this Wikipedia entry on polyvagal theory shows, this is a new and emerging field of science. Wiki editors are adding new links to impassioned scholarly articles on all sides of the debate as we speak. Instead of hand-wringing about this, I’m focusing on how polyvagal theory helps me understand which actions to take depending on the state my nervous system is in. I’ve needed this for a long time.
Polyvagal is a new understanding of how the autonomic nervous system regulates behavior to keep us safe pioneered by Stephen Porges in 1994. In the same way that critical somatics helped me establish a daily foundational practice for nervous system regulation, polyvagal theory has given me in-the-moment techniques that help me regulate. It also provides me a framework for understanding how my nervous system works and what it needs to function properly.
