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Polyvagal Ladder:

Three States of the Nervous System

Session 2

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    • Landing Practice
    • Review & Connection
    • Teaching: The Polyvagal Ladder
    • State Mapping Exercise
    • Embodied Practice
    • Integration & Sharing

Agenda

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Any insights from last week?

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Did you learn something about your nervous system?

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Did you listen? Did you pay attention?

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What opens up when we feel safe in the body?

Reflection

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A regulated nervous system is central to phsycical and psychological health and well being

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What is it like to feel safe in the body?

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The vagus nerve is the primary cranial nerve in the parasympathetic nervous system

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2 parts - ventral vagal and dorsal vagal

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Key Concepts

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Polyvagal Theory informs us that autonomic state functions as an intervening variable - moving the individual from states of vulnerability in response to threat to states of accessibility when supported by cues of safety and appropriate social support”

- Dr. Stephen Porges, creator of polyvagal theory

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State: Safe and Social

    • Calm, curious, open, and compassionate
    • Feeling connected to others, able to think clearly
    • Physical body is in a state of balance - steady breath, good digestion

State: Fight or Flight

    • Anxious, restless, tense, angry
    • Trouble focusing or sitting still
    • Urgency to act or escape the situation
    • Physical body is in a state of stress - shallow breath, increased heart rate, tense muscles

State: Shutdown

    • Numb, disconnected, total freeze
    • Sense of hopelessness
    • Physical body is in withdrawn, or “out of body”- heavy limbs, slow heart rate

Ventral Vagal

Sympathetic Activation

Dorsal Vagal

Polyvagal Ladder

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By learning to map and recognize our nervous system states, we can better understand our reactions, support deeper therapeutic work, and live more fully in our bodies.

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This exercise will help you practice identifying your states and noticing how you move through them toward safety.

Nervous System Mapping

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Ventral Vagal:

Safe, Social

Sympathetic Activation: Fight or Flight

Dorsal Vagal: Shutdown

How does my body feel when I’m here?

How does my body feel when I’m here?

How does my body feel when I’m here?

What emotions do I feel?

What emotions do I feel?

What emotions do I feel?

What kind of thoughts do I have?

What kind of thought do I have?

What kind of thoughts do I have?

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Texture

Tingling

Numb

Itchy

Crawling

Buzzing

Prickly

Soft

Rough

Sticky

Sweaty

Dry

Pressure

Heavy

Light

Pressing

Expansive

Tight

Constricted

Bound

Open

Grounded

Floating

Energy

Flowing

Stuck

Dense

Radiating

Buzzing

Surging

Draining

Lively

Empty

Swirling

Movement/Vibration

Trembling

Pulsing

Vibrating

Twitching

Shaking

Still

Wavy

Jittery

Quivering

Rocking

Spinning

Muscles and Joints

Tense

Achy

Relaxed

Cramping

Stiff

Loose

Locked

Flexible

Jerky

Fluid

Heart & Pulse

Racing

Pounding

Calm

Slow

Fluttering

Heavy

Skipping

Even

Hollow

Ache

Stomach & Gut

Nauseous

Hungry

Full

Tight

Gurgling

Twisting

Empty

Sinking

Clenched

Fluttery

Breath

Shallow

Deep

Held

Fast

Slow

Restricted

Open

Smooth

Uneven

Temperature

Warm

Cool

Hot

Cold

Neutral

Icy

Burning

Overall Body States

Relaxed

Alert

Frozen

Restless

Sleepy

Energized

Calm

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In somatic therapy, we slow down and listen to the language of the body.

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Sensations are how your nervous system communicates.

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Finding words to describe what we are feeling helps us to slow down and understand our patterns.

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Move from react to respond.

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Name it to tame it.

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Feel it to heal it.

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State Mapping

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Embodied Practice - Moving Between States

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Home Practice

Observe different states and ask yourself:

What situations tend to bring me into each state?

How do I know when I’ve shifted states?

What helps me move back into a sense of safety and connection?