Polyvagal Theory Therapy in Orange County, CA
Healing the body through awareness
Online therapy for Polyvagal Theory in California and Florida
Are you someone who feels anxiety and distress in your body?
You are watching your favorite TV show (maybe Ted Lasso) and you suddenly notice your heart racing and it feels like you cannot catch your breath. It may feel like you are restless in your legs and you need to move around or you may even feel like you need to pace. You simply cannot stay seated. You are so tired of this happening, especially at night when you just want to sleep.
Other times you may feel so sluggish and have difficulty getting out of bed. You find yourself hitting snooze again and again and you’re in jeopardy of getting in trouble due to being late at work. You want to workout but your body feels so heavy; even breathing feels hard. You know that there are things you need to get done but you simply cannot get yourself moving.
Feel at peace and connected to your body
What is Polyvagal Theory?
Polyvagal Theory (PVT) focuses on providing education around what is happening in your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and how it impacts your emotions and behaviors. The ANS is part of the nervous system that regulates heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and respiration.
Your brain is constantly noticing things in your environment and sending signals that things could be dangerous or unsafe. There are times however when your body may sense danger when you are actually safe. PVT can help those who have experienced trauma to understand why the body is reacting this way and to know that it is not your fault that your body is reacting this way; your body is trying to protect you. When a person has experienced trauma, the brain can sense reminders of what occurred during the original trauma and can interpret danger if something similar happens in the future (a trigger).
For example, a war veteran who has been involved in combat can react strongly to loud noises such as fireworks or when a car backfires because the brain automatically associates these sounds with war. Our brains are speedy and smart!
PVT helps you to understand and have empathy for why you may react in “fight or flight” mode while other times you might respond with a “freeze or shut down” response. With PVT, we can have a better understanding of how to intervene with our bodies as well as become more aware of how our social connection to others can sometimes be helpful if we have safe, loving people (or pets) in our lives. The safe feeling that comes from a warm hug from a loved one or a nuzzle from a beloved dog also affects the ANS and will result in our heart rate and breathing slowing down after feeling scared and anxious.
This approach to therapy helps normalize our experiences within our body, know that our body is always trying to help us survive, and know how to move in and out of various states to our benefit.
Applying Polyvagal Theory in Therapy:
Firstly, I would provide education on Polyvagal Theory such as what are the three levels of the Autonomic Nervous System and how it focuses on protection. Then we would work on becoming more aware of when you are in a stressed or calm state. Throughout therapy we would use somatic interventions to practice being more aware of how your body feels and how to handle those feelings. The purpose here is to have more empathy for how your body is trying to protect you as well as to empower you to be able to move through states of stres and calm.
What can seem unique about this type of therapy is that I will be more directive about having you focus on your body. Questions I may ask are, “What sensations are you noticing?”, “Where do you feel that in your body?”. Then we will have you stay with that feeling (if you can) and notice what thoughts, images, emotions come up. If those sensations feel too hard to manage, then we would work on shifting out to a place of feeling neutral or calm.
What PVT Therapy can do for you…
● Increase awareness of when in Fight/Flight, Shut down/Freeze, or Social Connectedness
● Increase ability to tolerate discomfort
● Improve ability to shift into states of calm and rest
● Reduction of tension and anxiety
Your body needs help sometimes too
FAQs
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Polyvagal Theory was discovered by Stephen Porges and it talks about the vagus nerve, which contributes to us feeling calm or stressed.
Porges found a third part of the nervous system that helps us feel relaxed and calm when we are with people we feel safe and comfortable around.
If we feel scared or alarmed, we can go into two other parts which are fight/flight or shutdown/freeze.
Trauma affects our body and can make it hard to feel in control of our body and we may behave in ways we don’t like. However, the body is trying to protect us and help us survive. Polyvagal Theory can help us understand this and feel safe once more.
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This type of therapy uses the understanding of Polyvagal Theory to make sense of feelings and behaviors that the body experiences. This involves mindfulness and body-awareness interventions so that people can learn to manage their reactions to stress. It can feel scary when our body reacts strongly.
Through therapy, we can make sense of why the body is reacting the way it does and help get to a state of calm and relaxed again.
With this type of therapy, there is an focus on the body and sensations happening in the body as well as education about the vagus nerve. With understanding of the vagus nerve, we can know when one is having signs of being in fight/flight and how to return to a state of calm.
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At this time, empirical evidence finds PVT as a psychotherapy inconclusive and continues to be considered a theory.
However, for many therapists, PVT is used in combination with other types of therapy which are considered evidenced based practice and I have found that many of my clients benefit from an understanding of what is happening in their body, especially for those who experience more body-based anxiety (i.e. restlessness) rather than mind based-anxiety (i.e. worries)
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