Introduction to the Polyvagal System

The polyvagal system is an expanded view of the autonomic nervous system that was developed by Dr. Steven Porges over 20 years ago. The Autonomic nervous system regulates all the automatic functions in the body, including breathing, heart rate and digestion.

The old model divides the autonomic nervous system into two parts: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. The Sympathetic nervous system increases the body’s activity during the daytime and the Parasympathetic nervous system decreases activity during sleep.

The Polyvagal system takes us a step further by looking at the two branches of the Vagus Nerve in the Parasympathetic nervous system. The Vagus Nerve has two branches: a front and a back branch. The front branch: the Ventral Vagal nerve runs down the front of the body and the Dorsal Vagal nerve runs down the back of the body (Porges 2017, Dana 2018.)

The Ventral Vagus Nerve functions to create balance, and regulates the entire Autonomic Nervous System. The Dorsal Vagus Nerve slows down body functions, such as heart rate and breathing. Under stress it can slow down the body too much to the point of causing fainting or shock. The Sympathetic Nervous System is important because it increases activity, but under stress it can increase activity too much and cause rapid heart rate and breathing.

It is important to have all three parts of the Autonomic Nervous System working in good balance:

When the Ventral Vagus Nerve is not working well because of emotional or physical stress/trauma, it throws the entire system is out of balance. The Sympathetic and Dorsal Vagal Nerves are not able to function properly, and this can result in emotional and physical problems.

This imbalance can result in flight/flight or freeze reactions to stress. It can produce a feeling of being unsafe, a low sense of well-being, and feeling disconnected from self, friends and family. It can lead to anxiety, irritability, and depression. Over time it can lead to serious physical and emotional effects (Dana 2018, Rosenberg 2017.)

Having good Ventral Vagus nerve function is a key factor for health:

The Sympathetic Nervous System gives us energy, passion, creativity, and playfulness when it is good balance with the Ventral Vagus Nerve. In the morning the Sympathetic Nervous System creates a burst of cortisol (adrenaline) to wake us up to start the day. When the Sympathetic Nervous System is out of balance, it can release too much cortisol at the wrong times, leading to patterns of nervous or angry energy. This can negatively affect the body, such as continuously elevated heart rate and blood pressure.

The Dorsal Vagus Nerve helps us “chill” by slowing down our heart rate and blood pressure. When both Ventral and Dorsal Vagal Nerves are balanced, we can wind down for sleep so the body can rest and repair itself. When the Dorsal Vagus Nerve is out of balance, the body and emotions can “freeze,” even to the point of causing fainting or going into shock. This can lead to depression and a variety of digestive problems.

There are many ways to bring the emotions and body back into balance.

The bottom line is, the body wants to find the way back to balance. I’ll be exploring some specific balancing techniques in my next article. Under some circumstances it can be difficult to rebalance, and professional help may be needed.

Schedule an appointment with me to explore this!

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References:

Dana D (2018) The polyvagal theory in therapy: engaging the rhythm of regulation. New York: WW Norton & Company.

Porges S (2017) The pocket guide to the polyvagal theory: the transformative power of feeling safe. New York: WW Norton & Company.

Rosenberg S (2017) Accessing the healing power of the vagus nerve: self-help exercises for anxiety, depression, trauma, and autism. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.