Developed by renowned neuroscientist and psychologist
Dr. Steven Porges, Polyvagal Theory offers a clear, scientific understanding of how our body and brain work together through our nervous system to interpret and respond to internal and external stimuli. The vagus nerve is the key component in this communication as it works bidirectionally by sending and receiving messages between the body and brain.
80% of the nerve fibers of the vagus are afferent, meaning that they carry information about the body to the brain, while only 20% are efferent, conveying information from the brain to the body. These messages are crucially important as they influence and regulate all aspects of our health, including managing heart rate, breathing, digestion, emotional state, behavior and social responsiveness. As our vagus nerve is the primary parasympathetic conductor in our bodies, the health and functioning of it is vital as it determines where our nervous system tends to dwell, influencing how we feel both
mentally and physically.
 
By looking through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, we are able to comprehend how our body deciphers input and responds on a neurological level to whether we feel safe or threatened at any given moment. This process is known as neuroception, and it is an innate, subconscious biological response we have to detecting cues of safety or danger in our environment. This process is critical in shaping our Autonomic Nervous System and governs our automatic responses internally and externally. Depending on the cues our neuroception picks up on, one of three main evolutionary response traits will be triggered: ventral vagal (safety and social connection), sympathetic (fight or flight) or dorsal vagal (shutdown or freeze). These nervous system states exist on a hierarchical continuum and we constantly fluctuate between them on a daily basis. However, if our nervous system is functioning optimally we return to a healthy default state of ventral vagal after situational stressors. Due to adverse life experiences, chronic stress or trauma many of us are not able to return to this healthy default state and become stuck in chronic sympathetic or dorsal vagal nervous system states. When this is the case, it can negatively impact both our physical and mental health. When we are able to “tune-in” to the response state our nervous system is having, we have the ability to "up-regulate" or “down-regualte” accordingly to better manage our own
health and well-being. 
 
In providing polyvagal-informed care, there is a very deep understanding that addressing the state of your nervous system is paramount in resolving issues that have manifested in your bodily structure and tissues. When healing techniques (such as the four approaches in Restorative Body Therapy) are centered around the state of your individual nervous system and helping you attain a ventral vagal state, the positive effects can be truly profound and long-lasting. Polyvagal-informed care is a transformative paradigm shift in individualized whole body and mind health that I am honored to offer at AnatomyWorx.