Polyvagal Theory
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
Polyvagal Theory, as created by Dr. Stephen Porges, is also known as “the science of safety”
Our nervous system plays a central role in how we respond to stress, connect with others, and experience the world. Polyvagal Theory offers a powerful framework for understanding how our bodies react to safety, danger, or life threat—and how these responses shape our emotions, behaviors, and sense of self.
At the core of this theory are three states of the autonomic nervous system:
Ventral Vagal – associated with feelings of safety, connection, and calm
Sympathetic – the fight-or-flight response, linked to alertness, anxiety, or anger
Dorsal Vagal – a shutdown or freeze response, often tied to disconnection or numbness
These states aren't just mental—they influence everything from our heart rate to our digestion, and affect how we relate to others and ourselves.
When we experience trauma, our nervous system adapts to help us survive. But even after the danger has passed, these survival patterns can remain, leaving us feeling stuck in anxiety, disconnection, or overwhelm. Healing involves re-tuning the nervous system—learning to recognize these states, respond with compassion, and build new pathways to safety, connection, and resilience.
Discover what it feels like to feel safe in your own body—reach out to schedule your first appointment.
How does this apply to therapy?
Many of the emotional or physical symptoms that come with trauma can feel confusing, overwhelming, or difficult to explain. Polyvagal Theory offers a science-backed way to understand how your nervous system responds to stress—and why those responses are completely valid.
By exploring this framework together, we can:
Build awareness of your nervous system’s survival responses
Learn tools to gently re-tune and regulate your system using breath, movement, and music
Develop the ability to shift into a more balanced and calm state when needed
I also incorporate other trauma-informed therapies such as:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Dance/Movement Therapy
The Safe and Sound Protocol (a listening-based intervention designed to support nervous system regulation to promote social connection and self-regulation)
The Rest and Repair Protocol (a listening-based intervention designed to support nervous system regulation to promote relaxation and homeostasis)
At the heart of this work is our therapeutic relationship. I strive to offer consistent cues of safety and co-regulation so that you feel supported, seen, and empowered as you navigate the healing process—especially when discomfort arises.
Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
As part of my trauma-informed approach, I offer the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)—a gentle, evidence-based listening therapy designed to support nervous system regulation and promote a greater sense of safety and connection.
Rooted in Polyvagal Theory, SSP uses specially filtered music to stimulate the vagus nerve, helping to calm the body’s stress response and improve:
Auditory processing and sound sensitivity
Emotional regulation
Social connection and engagement
SSP can be delivered in person or remotely, and is suitable for both children and adults. It’s especially helpful for individuals navigating:
Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety or chronic stress
Sensory processing challenges
Emotional reactivity or shutdown
By incorporating SSP into our work together, we create space for your nervous system to experience safety in a non-invasive, accessible way—supporting long-term healing and greater resilience.
To learn more, visit https://www.whatisthessp.com
Rest and Repair Protocol (RRP)
As part of my trauma-informed approach, I offer the Rest and Repair Protocol (RRP)—a supportive, body-centered framework designed to help restore balance to the nervous system and deepen your capacity for rest, regulation, and healing.
Grounded in the principles of Polyvagal Theory and somatic therapy, RRP gently guides the body out of survival mode and into a state of repair, using practices that encourage parasympathetic activation and internal safety. This protocol nurtures:
Nervous system regulation and restfulness
Improved sleep quality and fatigue recovery
Enhanced body awareness and self-connection
Balanced digestive system and natural gut healing
RRP can be integrated into sessions and eventually practiced at home. It can be particularly beneficial for those working through:
Burnout or chronic stress
Sleep disturbances or exhaustion
Hypervigilance or difficulty relaxing
Trauma-related dysregulation
By weaving RRP into our work together, we offer your body consistent opportunities to reset and restore—creating a foundation for sustainable healing, grounded presence, and a more regulated life.
Want to learn more from the experts?
Learn more about Polyvagal Theory from the Polyvagal Institute is a non-profit organization that provides training, community support, and shares research based on the work of Dr. Stephen Porges and Polyvagal Theory https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory
Deb Dana, LCSW has been a leader in helping clinicians apply the Polyvagal Theory to clinical practice. https://www.rhythmofregulation.com/polyvagal-theory
How does this apply outside of therapy?
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
In addition to my day job as a therapist, I have recently begun practicing the Krav Maga form of martial arts in my spare time. I have been able to take my knowledge and training of the Polyvagal Theory and personally integrate it into my martial arts training.
I can recognize when my nervous system state has down-regulated and how it interferes with my capacity to focus, maintain control over my body, and stay present in what I am doing; and I can implement coping skills to redirect and regulate.
I have been able to look back over the course of my training and recognize where instructors and sparring partners have provided cues of safety, as well as identify experiences where I may have been triggered by cues of danger via the presence/absence of instructor cues, environmental cues, and/or internal cues (based on my own personal triggers).
I can also track improvements in my technique and skillset parallel to my increased sense of safety over the course of my ongoing training.
“As a result, I have developed a training program to introduce martial arts instructors to the Polyvagal Theory and how they can integrate it with their instruction process”
This professional development training will address the following goals to:
Increase physical safety via increased emotional safety,
Increase capacity for learning,
Increase student resilience, and
Increase student retention
Polyvagal theory has been widely researched and adapted to a variety of contexts from the classroom to the therapy office. It has shown to be applicable to benefit all students from youth to adult.
If you are interested in learning more or scheduling a training, click here .
Next steps include:
Sending a proposal outlining the objectives and training overview.
Scheduling a consultation call to discuss how the training can be adapted to fit the needs of your program and instructors.
““Indeed, martial arts are characterized by a hybrid physiological state of mobilization where there is a dynamic interaction in which the vagal brake is repeatedly inhibited to support body movement and then recovered in socially engaging behaviors, thus, exercising neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system” -”