Search Results

This is a section from my free e-book - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm. Make sure you're signed up for my email list to get access to this and future ebooks. There's a signup at the top and bottom of this page. Hope you enjoy the read! < Read the previous section first Flight/Fight The second state of the autonomic ladder is sympathetic flight/fight. Flight and fight are both sympathetic, but have unique feelings, behaviors and overall functioning, so will be discussed separately. If we don’t have access to the safe/social state, the flight/fight state follows as we drop one rung down the Polyvagal ladder. The flight/fight state does exactly what it says it does. This state is responsible for an organism’s ability to run away or use aggression. The point of these behaviors is to increase the chances of survival, just like the other states of the autonomic nervous system. But specifically, the flight behaviors come before the fight behaviors. We at first attempt to avoid or run away from danger. If that is unsuccessful, then we shift into our fight behaviors. Rather than creating space, we actually decrease space. The evolutionary benefit is to get the danger to back off (fight), which then creates an opportunity for the potential prey to escape to safety (flight). Flight and fight both stem from the sympathetic nervous system and have the same immediate biological responses, including: Higher heart rate Adrenaline release Tense muscles Wider eyes Ears attuned to danger Increased metabolic rate Shorter breaths into the chest and shoulders Increased pain tolerance Better ability to scan for danger A moment of actual danger involving the flight/fight system looks and feels different than the day-to-day experience of it. This system is supposed to be active for very short periods of time. The sympathetic energy involved in these short periods of time evolved to be used immediately, not to linger in our system day after day. We’re going to focus more on the daily experience of the flight/fight system. What flight feels like There are feelings of anxiety, worry and apprehension. These are feelings of being in or anticipating danger. The body is in a mobilized state; it is prepared to flee. So the experiential feelings reflect an organism that is experiencing danger. What fight feels like If someone is stuck in a sympathetic fight state, they’ll have distinct feelings compared to flight. The body is still in a mobilized state. But if someone is in the fight state, evasion hasn’t worked. So aggression is the next step. Therefore, the feelings associated with fight are ones like anger, irritability and hostility. Danger In the flight/fight state, reality is experienced through the lens of danger. The world in this state is: Scary Threatening Out to get me Untrustworthy Even when this person sees someone else with a neutral face, they may experience it as threatening. A face that is staring forward in a daydream or boredom with no obvious emotion might be seen as dangerous. You can surely imagine that someone in this state is going to experience and interact with the world much differently than someone who is in their safe/social state. What flight/fight looks like The person stuck in a flight/fight state is going to be more tense, fidgety, evasive, loud and direct. This person might be perceived as (or maybe actually is) more rude and socially inappropriate. This person will have more difficulty in interacting with their fellow students or co-workers, seeing threat in their daily interactions. This person is more likely to flee in anxiety or erupt in anger when something goes wrong. Remember - the body is being mobilized. It’s prepared to run or fight in the face of danger. The observable behaviors for someone in this state will reflect this. It may not be overtly obvious, but there are subtle cues that can be observed. One of these is in the breath. When flight/fight is active, the breath becomes shorter and faster. Breath goes quickly into the chest and the shoulders. The shoulders go up and down and the chest expands out and then decompresses. When in the safety state, breath goes lightly into the belly. As a result of this faster rate of breath, the individual will have a faster rate of speaking. In the flight/fight state, we have dropped down the Polyvagal ladder into defense. Now, we are creating distance from others because others are seen as a threat. Someone in this state will have difficulty with being close physically and emotionally, even with safe others. This is not all or nothing. But the more entrenched someone is in their flight/fight state, the more pronounced these difficulties will be. You can recognize someone in a stuck flight/fight state through their face. They will no longer be utilizing their facial muscles in the same way. They won’t be smiling, eyes might be wider, they lack eye crinkles and their neck won’t tilt to the side when they listen. Someone in a stuck flight/fight state will have diminished ability to hear others accurately. Their inner ear muscles are now attuned to listening for danger sounds like high-pitched screams or low bass sounds like a growl. They may not be able to hear the full range of voice of a loved one, nor the intention of their words. Sarcasm is lost to the person who is not identifying the humor and is neurocepting the dead-pan delivery as threat. Creating connections with others is a major challenge to someone in a stuck flight/fight state. Because that individual is perceiving others as a threat and missing cues of safety or misinterpreting neutral cues. Their ability to be close and form relationships is lower. This individual can be seen to be avoiding interactions with others or becoming a bully. This individual will connect with others who are in a similar flight/fight state. Gangs are comprised of individuals in a similar flight/fight state who also share environmental, racial and cultural similarities. Coming out of flight/fight Ideally, the sympathetic energy of the flight/fight state is used in a large burst of movement. The individual runs away or uses aggression as a means to mitigate danger. Then they return to the safe environments and safe people in their lives. Ideally. This ideal may not be the reality for you. But it’s still possible to exit from this state and climb the autonomic ladder, back into the safe/social state. Not easy, but possible. And the way to do that is to mindfully attune your conscious awareness to the inner sensations of what it feels like to be in a stuck flight/fight state. That means being curious (not evaluative and judging) about what it feels like to be in that state. And then allowing those feelings to be felt. The conscious awareness and experiencing allows the stuck energy to begin the process of getting unstuck. But this can be too much to ask. Before delving into the stuck state, it can be helpful to build up the strength of the safe/social pathways. And that means spending more time in that state, activating those pathways. Mindfulness can be helpful here in actually noticing and experiencing what it’s like to feel safe. You can do this through discovering what brings you to feelings of safety. What types of music, hobbies, movements, sensory stimulation, for example. Whatever brings you those feelings of safety can be an avenue for strengthening those pathways. But you have to do so mindfully and really experience the feelings and sensations of safety. Journal: Name one instance from this past week when you felt your flight/fight state active. How could you tell? Read the next section > Read more by downloading the entire book. And to do that, you need to sign up for my email list at the top or bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!

This is a section from my free e-book - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm. Make sure you're signed up for my email list to get access to this and future ebooks. There's a signup at the top and bottom of this page. Hope you enjoy the read! < Read the previous section first Safety & Social Engagement ...connectedness with other mammals, other humans, and even our pet dogs and cats, is really, in a very pragmatic way, our purpose in life. Stephen Porges, Love's Brain This is the first state at the top of the Polyvagal Ladder. This state, like the others to follow, are not just thoughts, behaviors and feelings. They are unique biological pathways that govern thoughts, behaviors and feelings. Specifically, the parasympathetic safe/social ones are referred to as the “ventral vagal” pathways that come from the nucleus ambiguus of the brainstem (but that’s probably more than you needed to know). The state of safety and social engagement is responsible for our feelings and behaviors of social connection. Not just humans, but other mammals as well. We all share some level of ability to connect with each other, build families and herds, tribes or even cities. The ability for early mammals to connect with each other increased the chances of survival. This was especially true in the context of the time, when large reptiles dominated the planet. Along with the evolutionary biological changes of the social pathways, other biological pathways were repurposed to support survival advantages for mammals. Their ears were better attuned to hear the sounds of each other. The large reptiles of the time did not have the ability to hear the full range of mammalian voices. This state is imperative for the general health and wellness for mammals. When we exist in this state, our bodies utilize resources for health, growth and restoration, as Dr. Porges often says. Our bodies function better, we’re healthier and meet developmental milestones more predictably. We form healthy attachments with safe others and live generally happier and more fulfilling lives. What safety feels like These are some examples of what being in the safe/social state can feel like: Happy, joyful Calm, relaxed, still Playful, excited Awe, expansiveness Safe, trusting Interested, motivated Empathetic, understanding These feelings are needed to make safe connections with other people who are also in some level of their own safe/social state. This may not be realistic in all of our lives, but activation of the state of safety is necessary to feel these feelings. The world and our interactions in it just feel more safe. We experience less neuroceptions of threat. And when we are in situations with some elements of danger, these situations do not feel as overwhelming. Life is manageable when we are in this state. Not perfect, but manageable. Life doesn’t feel as overwhelming or tense or pressured. When we do face problems - which we will (sorry) - we can navigate them more easily. We can navigate them using negotiation and cooperation and not panic or overwhelm. When we’re in a safe/social state, we can better detect cues of safety or danger. We identify and feel safety and connection. If we are around someone that is giving off cues of danger, we’re able to identify them more accurately. If we retain our access to our safety pathways in these moments, we can potentially navigate the situation and ameliorate it through providing our own cues of safety to the other person. Along with changes in emotion and feeling, this state also brings cognitive changes. In this state, we can focus, plan, think, learn, assess and weigh pros & cons. We have greater access to our executive functioning, something critical for students to be able to succeed academically. This would also be helpful for someone that is considering a new career, new life path or a significant purchase. These cognitive skills are necessary for daily functioning of all types. What safety looks like You can tell when someone has access to their safety pathways by looking at their body language and their face. Someone in this state will be able to utilize their face and neck muscles. When they listen, their head will tilt to one side and crinkles will form around their eyes as they squint. They wouldn’t be able to do so without these biological pathways being activated. At least, not genuinely. Making eye contact with someone else is a sign that you have access to your safety pathways. When you feel uncomfortable, you look away. When you’re feeling safe and connected, you make and sustain eye contact. Oftentimes in therapy, a client will have difficulty doing so. As they gain more access to their safety pathways, they can make fleeting eye contact. They look up at the therapist and then look away, darting their eyes back and forth. As they gain tolerance to these feelings of being in safety, they can sustain eye contact for longer periods of time. When the safety pathways are active, the inner ear muscles allow in a greater range of mammalian voice (vocal prosody). Human beings can hear each other better. We can even tune out other noises and focus on the prosody in someone else’s voice. Think about being at a concert or some other crowded venue - you can hear the person you’re with because you’re attuned to hear their mammalian voice and can tune out the background noises. Mammals are also capable of using their own vocal prosody. Meaning, they can use their voice to indicate a greater range of emotions and intention. We can raise our voice to show excitement and lower our voice to show threat. Another obvious indicator that someone is in their state of safety is that they can spontaneously get closer to others. Think about the first time that you saw someone after coming out of quarantine in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. You probably felt a spontaneous impulse to hug them, right? When you see someone you love, you probably hug or kiss when you greet each other. Or just shake hands when you greet someone new or someone you have some appreciation for. Someone in their safety state can use a wider range of physical gestures. Their bodies are more animated to express themselves. There are other physiological changes when in safety: Saliva and digestion are stimulated Heart rate slows Fuller breaths into the belly The more the better Nobody exists in a purely safe/social state. Generally, anyone can get these pathways active and feel them on some level. It might be a significant challenge, but it generally seems possible. Even for someone with a significant history of surviving severe traumatic events, they can eventually access these pathways with safe enough environments and safe enough people around them. Again - no one exists 100% in these states. But we don’t need to. We just need to have enough access to these biological pathways to actually feel safe and get the benefits of these biological functions. The safety pathways need to be active. And when they are, the defensive states won’t be out of control. So the more access we have to the safety states, the better. There will always be big and small events in life and even in a single day that will challenge our ability to exist in the safety state. That’s not going to change. But what can change is how much access we have to the state and how exercised those pathways are. What is needed for safety When we discuss what’s needed to feel safe, we’re discussing what is needed for the safety biology to be active. Two major components of that are the environment and people in our lives. These provide potential neuroceptions of safety and help the individual to climb their Polyvagal ladder. Perception can be helpful. If we view the environment as safe enough, we can access our safety biology. Even in environments where there is potential danger, the people within it can still socially engage and connect with each other. The environment doesn't have to be perfect. The school might be in a neighborhood that has danger, but the students within it can potentially access their safety state still. Especially if the people within that school are in their states of safety and are providing other cues of safety and protection. Same for someone in a less than ideal neighborhood or a crowded mall on Christmas Eve. Safe people and safe environments are necessary, but there is a more voluntary method of accessing safety. People and environments can passively provide cues of safety. But you can also purposefully bring yourself to safety. It needs to be done in a safe environment or possibly with safe people, but could also be alone. And to do that requires that you know what helps you to feel the feelings of safety. Journal: What can you actively do to bring about feelings of calm? What can you actively do to bring about feelings of happiness? What can you actively do to bring about feelings of playfulness? What can you actively do to bring about feelings of awe? What can you actively do to bring about feelings of connection to others? What can you actively do to bring about feelings of connection to yourself? This is where my Building Safety Anchors course can be helpful. You might not know the answer to these questions. The feelings of safety might be new to you or you may have only been accessing them passively, dependent on others or on the environment. So the idea that you can take control and direct your ANS toward safety might be new. Building Safety Anchors can act as a guide for you. It teaches you six unique paths to feeling safety: Environment Movement Sensory Music Cognitions Memory Not only does BSA teach you these 6 paths to safety, it also guides you in identifying your own safety and in practicing accessing your own safety. Find out more on JustinLMFT.com/BSA. Read the next section > Read more by downloading the entire book. And to do that, you need to sign up for my email list at the top or bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!

This is a section from my free e-book - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm. Make sure you're signed up for my email list to get access to this and future ebooks. There's a signup at the top and bottom of this page. Hope you enjoy the read! < Read the previous section first Neuroception Even though we may not be aware of danger on a cognitive level, on a neurophysiological level, our body has already started a sequence of neural processes that would facilitate adaptive defense behaviors… Dr Stephen Porges, Neuroception “Neuroception” is the word that Dr Stephen Porges created for the concept of unconsciously detecting cues of safety or danger from the external (and internal) environment and then shifting into defensive or safety autonomic states. The body is constantly scanning the environment for these danger or safety cues. And it does so through the five senses. External information from the environment passes through our five basic senses, then goes to very primitive parts of the brainstem outside of our conscious awareness. Meaning, neuroception has nothing to do with choice. It has everything to do with predetermined neurobiological responses to safety or danger. These responses are encoded into our DNA, passed on from previous generations that survived long enough to pass on what helped them to survive. Ladder descent As the body moves down the Polyvagal ladder, we lose access to the behaviors higher up the ladder. Basically, these three states unlock different behaviors. The neuroception of safety is like a key to utilize social behaviors. Things like gentle eye contact and a fuller range of voice. The neuroception of danger is a key to unlock flight and fight defenses of mobilization and aggressiveness. And the neuroception of a life threat is a key to unlocking the shutdown immobilization state. And along with it come numbness and dissociation. Not only does neuroception unlock these states, it also inhibits the behavior of the other states. We lose access to the behaviors associated with safety when we move down the ladder. And we lose access to both safety and flight/fight when we move down the ladder to shutdown. Imagine a child running away from a dog. The child is in the sympathetic danger state, specifically flight. They aren’t going to be able to use their safe and social state skills, not having access to that rung on their own Polyvagal ladder. They’ve dropped down the Polyvagal ladder and are in a sympathetic survival mode. Their body's potentials are entirely skewed toward survival through mobilized evasion. There is no use to smile or laugh in this state, so this child will not be able to utilize those skills. Going down the ladder is not permanenent. When this child gets to safety, they can climb back up their Polyvagal ladder and access their safety state again. Maybe that means getting into their house and connecting with a parent. As they calm in the arms of their parent, their system will slow down and they will settle gently into their parent's embrace. They may process what just happened, sharing the story and begin to smile and feel comforted. They may even laugh about the situation. But these behaviors only happen in their safety state. Neuroceptive predictability There are some things that are predictably probably going to provide a neuroception of safety or danger. We can safely say these are generally applicable to humans and other mammals too. This looks different between each species or individual organism, but these are generally predictable cues of safety or danger that will be neurocepted as such: Safety: vocal prosody gentle touch face to face interaction gentle eye contact use of facial muscles, especially the upper face Danger: harsh tone of voice - too low or too high wide eyes flat affect encroaching on space This is what Dr. Porges means when he says - “...neurobiologically determined prosocial or defensive behaviors.” The behaviors that we take in through our senses will trigger responses of safety or danger. When someone smiles genuinely, it triggers a neuroception of safety within us. When we see someone that has no facial movement, it triggers a neuroception of danger within us. We don't choose how we feel about these behaviors listed above. We simply take in the external stimuli through our senses, like seeing someone's genuine smile. Then that stimuli gets filtered through our brain stem, which then shifts our ANS accordingly. Because generally, some stimuli are more a cue of danger to our system and some are more a cue of safety. Not just to us in our self-aware, egoic, identity form. I mean to our biology. These are cues of safety or danger to our biology. To ourselves as organisms. Noticing neuroceptions Although unconscious, we can mindfully attune to the experiences of the state shifts that come from neuroceptions. For example, if you’ve ever been around someone that makes your stomach turn, you might be neurocepting a life threat. Not that your life is actually in threat, but that system turns on around that specific person. This is something that can be noticed in that moment. We can be aware of it and listen to it. Even if we’re not consciously aware of the biological shifts happening within us, the biological impulse is still there to do something. Thought Experiment - Use your imagination and notice what internal shifts are happening within you. Fill in the blanks and notice the feelings you have. You’re walking down a sidewalk after having gotten off of work. It’s dark outside as you make your way to your car, which is about a block away. You can hear the dull hum of traffic in the distance. As you walk, you think about the day’s events, particularly the stressful ones. You look down as you walk, remembering what someone said that upset you. You feel _______ within you and begin to lose connection with the sounds of the environment. You don’t consciously hear the footsteps approaching from behind. When you do notice the footsteps, you feel ______. Your body feels the impulse to ___________. You probably had some biological shifts within the imaginary version of you (or maybe even the real you right now). Probably a shift down the Polyvagal ladder into flight/fight, maybe shutdown or even freeze. And that imaginary version of you may have also felt an impulse of some kind. An impulse to walk faster, to run or to turn around and see what the footsteps were. Neuroceptive shifts are noticeable as they are happening or even after the event when thinking back. That’s much more common; that we look back and can then recognize these neuroceptive shifts in our autonomic state. We can see when these shifts happened, identifying what state we were in and what state we shifted to. We may also be able to notice the environmental stimuli that triggered the state shift. But we may not. What we neurocept as safe or dangerous easily goes unnoticed, even when we examine the situation later on. Because there could be otherwise benign aspects of the environment that mean something to a particular individual. I was working with a teen on identifying what fidget might help her to discharge some stuck freeze energy. Fidgets can be useful for this, especially with a wide selection of items to choose from. There is one green rubber ring that I have that I offered to her. She declined it without trying it. She just didn’t want it. She explained later in the session that the color green causes her to feel nauseous, being the color of her Father’s corpse the last time she saw him. Green has no meaning generally. It’s probably more likely to be a neuroception of safety due to the greens found in nature. But for this person, the color green had meaning. Not primarily a cognitive meaning, more a visceral one. She felt that during the session, a defensive neuroception, experienced as nausea. Not all of us neurocept the same way. Even though neuroception has generally predictable elements, these can look different between individuals. We each have slight differences, but neuroception can also be very skewed. This is true for traumatized individuals. Healthy neuroception I understand "healthy" neuroception to indicate functional for the organism in maintaining survival. It's not about good or bad. And it has no judgmental value on the individual. "Healthy" refers to optimal on a biological level to maintain ideal functioning for the body. In healthy neuroception, the body detects and shifts to the appropriate state based on the environment. The body uses social behavior in a safe environment and the body does not use defenses like fighting or fleeing unless in a dangerous environment. The individual is able to accurately identify cues of safety and then climb to the top of their Polyvagal ladder or simply retain access to it. This could be a student that goes to a safe school, is able to sit down, interact with others and learn. The individual is also able to access their defensive states when necessary. If they accurately detect cues of danger, like footsteps from our example, they feel mobilization. They lose access to their safety state and the body prioritizes survival. Again, this is not an issue of the individual choosing to react or choosing to neurocept. Their body's ability to identify safety or danger is in alignment with their biological and evolutionary functions. Having healthy neuroception will ensure their higher likelihood to pass on their genetic material to possible offspring. Unhealthy neuroception In "unhealthy" neuroception, the body does not accurately detect or shift state based on the environment. The body does not fight or flee when in a dangerous environment and the body does not use social behavior in a safe environment. There is danger in the environment but the body does not detect it and then does not shift into flight/fight behaviors. As you can see, if an organism is not identifying danger and then evading, their potential to survive is going to be lower. Their potential to pass on their genes to another generation is in jeopardy. Unhealthy neuroception may be why some traumatized individuals continually repeat the same harmful decisions and even why trauma is passed on through generations. This is a common scenario of generational trauma that I have seen in my practice - the mom that was sexually abused by her authoritarian stepfather doesn’t pick up on the danger of having her short term boyfriend living with her family. He is jealous, controlling of the Mother and demanding of the children. This short term boyfriend sexually abuses a child in the home, creating a new generation of sexual trauma by a substitute authoritarian Father. This scenario is one I see very frequently with the children and families I have worked with. You can see in this sadly common scenario how the Mother’s unhealthy neuroception thwarted her from detecting cues maybe early on. As she looks back, those red flags become more obvious and she’ll realize the cues that she saw, but didn’t register as dangerous. She may remember the first time the boyfriend erupted in anger over something miniscule. Or a “joke” he made with a perverse sexual innuendo that was far from appropriate. She can look back and see the escalation of control over her children he exhibited. In the moment, these red flags were missed because of an unhealthy neuroception from her own traumatic past. And you can probably see that the child victim in this scenario, if they don’t have a safe person to turn to, may end up with their own unhealthy neuroception and repeat these same mistakes in their own adolescent and adult life. This is a piece of how generational trauma continues. Neuroception & mental health Unhealthy neuroception might actually be at the core of many mental health disorders. With unhealthy neuroception, the result is an ANS in a defensive state even when it does not need to be. This person will have a harder time engaging in prosocial behaviors. Their biology is simply prepared for defense. This is something that “disorders” throughout the DSM have in common. They also have other features in common, all with potentially the same etiology - the social engagement system is inactive. Such as: Lack of eye contact Body is hyper- (flight/fight) or hypo-active (shutdown) Being close is a challenge Lack of vocal prosody I would argue that someone who is diagnosed with a mental health disorder probably has less access to their safety pathways. Thus, more defensive state activation than they probably need. Lingering flight sympathetic arousal could look like anxiety in the various anxiety disorders. Lingering fight sympathetic arousal could look like defiance in Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Lingering shutdown state activation could look like the emptiness and isolation of depression. All of these share a lack of access to the biological pathways for social engagement. When I work with clients in therapy - no matter their diagnosis - as they gain more access to social engagement, their “symptoms” ameliorate. First, reducing in intensity and then potentially stopping altogether. As their ability to access safety increases, the capacity to handle the defensive states improves, resulting in less intense defensive state presentations and “symptom” presentations. (This is based on my experience over the past 10+ years working with a wide range of diagnoses, symptoms, dynamics, contexts and so on. I am not making a conclusive statement for every DSM diagnosis.) Story follows state Your autonomic state comes to life and then the information is fed up to your brain and it's your brain's job to make sense of what's happening in the body, so it makes up a story. Dab Dana, SNB When Polyvagal state shifts occur, we create a story to explain why - a concept from Deb Dana called “Story Follows State.” Stories may sound something like this: “There’s no point in trying.” “I deserved it.” “I’m worthless and unlovable.” “I shouldn’t have been there.” “I must have wanted it because I didn’t say '\no.'” These stories are there to explain the world and attempt to make sense of what caused the autonomic state shift. However, these stories do not necessarily reflect reality - they serve the function of creating an explanation and possibly minimizing the overwhelming nature of the state shift. Unfortunately, these narratives can add to the problem by keeping the survivor in their defensive autonomic state. The narrative can unintentionally act as a reinforcer. There’s the actual event that happens, the autonomic shift in response to the event, then the narrative that the survivor creates to explain the state shift. Our autonomic states also directly influence our thoughts throughout a normal day. These “stories” are not just in relation to traumatic events. In our state of safety, our thoughts will be more empathetic, understanding, validating and normalizing. In a flight/fight state, thoughts will be more anxious, catastrophizing, avoidant or aggressive. And in a shutdown state, thoughts will be pessimistic, lacking hope or belief, and devoid of purpose. Think back to the example of my client that had a nauseous reaction to the green rubber fidget ring. Her body responded to the sight of the green rubber ring, feeling nauseous, something she said is common for her with the stimuli of green. Let’s break down what happens within her from the view of the Polyvagal Theory. She sees the green ring, then has a state shift felt as nausea, then remembers the image of her deceased Father, then has the thought that she doesn’t like green. She didn’t first see the green, then have the thought that she doesn’t like green, then have a nauseous reaction. The “story” of not liking green followed the memory, another kind of “story” in this example. And these stories followed the biological autonomic shift. The brain is attempting to explain the state shifts in response to the stimuli. “I felt shutdown, therefore I don’t like green.” And that’s both true and not true. If we were to successfully renegotiate the trauma response for this client and get her more access to her safety state, then she might discover she doesn’t really have any aversion to the color green and maybe even likes it. Stories can be helpful to explain; but they’re also useful to contain the state shift. It provides her an avenue to get a sense of control over the state shift and possibly to not fall further down her Polyvagal ladder. It also provides an avenue for her to communicate with me as a supportive person, which will also help her to maintain her spot on the ladder. Her noticing the “I don’t like green” story is the first step toward getting to the next story, which is the memory of the deceased Father. This second story - the memory - is a direct visual connection to the experience of the state shift from the traumatic experience. If we had just stayed with the thought of not liking green, we would be one step removed from the direct experience of the autonomic state, something she went into in the past and is recurring in the present moment of the therapy session. Read the next section > Read more by downloading the entire book. And to do that, you need to sign up for my email list at the top or bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!

This is a section from my free e-book - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm. Make sure you're signed up for my email list to get access to this and future ebooks. There's a signup at the top and bottom of this page. Hope you enjoy the read! < Read the previous section first Your Autonomic Nervous System Your Autonomic Nervous System governs everything about you, basically. It regulates all the internal organs without any conscious direction or effort. It’s involuntary; automatic. Breathing, heart rate, sweating, pupil dilation, internal temperature regulation, digestion and more. These are not functions that you have to direct or plan out. If they were, daily living would probably be a lot more difficult. Imagine having to be aware of and control your heartbeat. Or your breathing. Or your digestion. Now imagine doing all of these things at the same time. Now imagine doing all of these things at the same time while also knowing the optimal levels of each of these things. And even if you could do all of that, could you also adjust to what is necessary to the specific environment in that specific moment, then adjust to the next environment in the next moment? Probably not. But that’s what your ANS does. It adjusts to varying levels of safety, danger or life threat. Literal danger, but also perceived danger. Every moment of every day. If we could pull off all of that on a conscious level, we probably wouldn’t be able to also enjoy a Netflix binge at the same time. We have a hard enough time just focusing on the person in front of us and sustaining a conversation! It’s a good thing then that the ANS is outside of our conscious control. It’s historically been known as two antagonistic systems: sympathetic and parasympathetic. As if these two were competing against each other for dominance. But Dr Stephen Porges explains that it’s more complex than that in his Polyvagal Theory. It turns out there is actually the sympathetic system and two parasympathetic systems that work in concert to benefit the mammalian organism. The sympathetic system is the flight/fight mobilization biological pathways. The mobilization system is ideal for pushing away a danger and then getting to safety. If you were to notice your flight/fight system being activated, you would probably notice shorter breath, increased heart rate and muscle tension. The first and oldest parasympathetic system is the immobility system, stretching from the dorsal vagal part of the brainstem all the way to the gut. These pathways are responsible for shutdown, collapsed behaviors during a life threat situation. And the second and newer parasympathetic system is the social engagement system, located in the face and neck and connected to the heart. This system is active when safe and allows for social connection with other safe mammals. When autonomic shifts happen, the internal organs and bodily resources are repurposed and used for defensive or connective purposes. For example, when in danger and more sympathetically charged, the mouth may go dry. This is because the body no longer needs saliva for chewing when it’s mobilized for running or fighting. The body prioritizes its processes based on what it detects as safe, dangerous or life threatening. When under life threat, all systems are reduced to support basic life maintenance, such as heart rate and breathing. The entire body slows down, imitating a corpse. Point being, the ANS is always working and doing so outside of our conscious control. It allows you to survive, but also to maintain a basic level of functioning, so that you can then direct your conscious attention elsewhere. Autonomic states Our autonomic nervous system can be said to be basically in one of three different states. These are the primary states of the ANS: Safe/Social Flight/Fight Shutdown There are also three mixed states, which are combinations of the primary states: Freeze (shutdown + flight/fight) Play (safe/social + flight/fight) Stillness (safe/social + shutdown) These primary and mixed states each evolved within us to enhance the chances of survival. They each have a benefit to the organism in staying alive, which then increases the chances of that organism passing on its own genetic code. It’s important to recognize these different states and what they look like and feel like. They each have their own experience and being able to differentiate amongst them can make things more manageable, at least cognitively. We'll be spending a lot of time on understanding these primary and mixed states in depth. These are some of the building blocks for this new Polyvagal paradigm. The Polyvagal ladder The Polyvagal Ladder is a concept from Deb Dana that can help us to understand how we utilize our primary autonomic states on a mammalian level. The fact that it’s a ladder is essential in understanding how this works - just like with a ladder, you must start from the bottom to get to the top. And to get back down to the bottom, you start from the top. You can also stop in the middle and go up or down from there. Same with our Polyvagal states. There’s a top to our primary Polyvagal states. Actually, quite literally. The safety pathways (ventral vagal) connect our brainstem to our heart, neck and facial muscles. This is the top of the Polyvagal ladder and is also at the top of our bodies. In the middle of our Polyvagal ladder is the flight/fight system (sympathetic), which is in the spinal cord and the chest, controlling the arms and legs. And at the bottom of the ladder is the shutdown system (dorsal vagal), residing in the gut. When we look back at things we’ve been through, we often blame ourselves for how we did or did not react. Like, “I should have ____” or “If only I didn’t ______.” But really, it’s not an issue of choice when it comes to our Polyvagal states and what behaviors we utilize from the Polyvagal ladder. It’s a sequence of events, not a menu of options. No one is picking their autonomic state. Remember - these states are functions of the autonomic nervous system. These states are arrived at without our conscious awareness. therefore, we don't choose what autonomic state we exist in. And we don't choose our potential for socially engaging, running, fighting, hiding or freezing. If you aren’t safe, you drop down your ladder into the flight/fight system. If you can’t run or fight the danger, you drop down further into your shutdown system. This is a sequence of shifts, not a choice you make. Just like a ladder, we work down and we work up in a sequence. Same with our autonomic states - we shift through them in a sequence. Not as a result of choice. Read the next section > Read more by downloading the entire book. And to do that, you need to sign up for my email list at the top or bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!

This is a section from my free e-book - Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm. Make sure you're signed up for my email list to get access to this and future ebooks. There's a signup at the top and bottom of this page. Hope you enjoy the read! How I first learned about the Polyvagal Theory I work for a public school district and trauma is a regular aspect of what I work with. During the summers, students typically want nothing to do with school or school personnel, so they elect to skip therapy for a couple of months. Not all, but most. That gives my colleagues and I time to catch up on stuff, create curriculum and increase our professional development. In the summer of 2018, I was caught up on all of my stuff (what I call “busy work”) and chose to use some time for my own professional development. I chose to revisit my understanding of trauma and how to work with trauma. I was taught in therapy school that “trauma lives in the body.” And this is a message that was repeated ad nauseam through various continuing education courses and seminars and lectures. But no one ever explained how. They didn’t explain what that meant. Not really. So I did what any good scholar would do and I searched for “trauma” on YouTube. And then I let the YouTube rabbit hole do what it does, taking in video after video and sifting through the ones that needed to be sifted through. I was looking for primary sources in particular, not one of my peers’ rehashing of general therapist knowledge. But before delving into things, I told myself that I knew nothing about trauma. I needed to start over; to start from scratch and work from the ground up. I eventually stumbled upon Peter Levine’s work on YouTube, probably one of the interviews where talks about “Nancy”. He is the creator of Somatic Experiencing, a modality that utilizes the felt sense of the body to release trauma stuck in the body. He had a treatment for trauma and also an explanation of what “trauma lives in the body” means. He discussed the autonomic nervous system and how the body can be prepared for safety or defense. I saw him perform a little miracle in his work with Rey up on stage, instructing him to slowly move his jaw, which resulted in Rey being able to do some discharge of his trauma, which was presenting as tics. I’m glossing over the specifics; they don’t matter right now and will be discussed later on in this book. The point here is this - I found someone that could answer the question of how trauma lives in the body. And my immediate reaction was - “That’s bulls***.” How could someone “heal trauma” by moving their jaw slowly?! Was this some sort of snake-oil huckster con-man? This is nonsense! And then I reminded myself that I know nothing. I reminded myself about working from the ground up and assuming I had everything to learn and lots of gaps in what I considered my knowledge. So I took a deep breath and continued, giving this Peter Levine character a chance… but also being wary of any snake oil offers. As I continued with Peter Levine, things started to intrigue me. Things started to click. Like why don’t wild animals get traumatized? They are literally at the mercy of predators and the natural environment, but they don’t get traumatized like us humans. It began to make sense how people get stuck in defensive states. It at the very least got me more curious. So I continued down the YouTube autonomic nervous system trauma rabbit hole. The next thing I found was a very dry, very academic lecture by a certain Dr. Stephen Porges. He was lecturing about his “Polyvagal Theory '' using awful power point slides. The audience seemed interested, while I could hardly make out a lot of what he was saying. But I could make out some. He was talking about the autonomic nervous system, just like Peter Levine. But he was able to go deeper into it. Apparently, he had been doing heart rate studies and literature review and could connect it to evolution. Or something like that. Things started to make more sense. The pieces were coming together. As I continued to take in lectures and interviews from Dr. Porges, a bigger picture was forming, providing me with a new grounding in the world of understanding and treating trauma. From Porges, I found Deb Dana through the YouTube autonomic nervous system trauma vagal rabbit hole. She made things a lot easier to understand. A lot. I was able to get my hands on the writings of Levine, Porges and Dana. I studied and studied and studied. I took notes and built presentations, knowing that I could understand and teach this to my colleagues and the teachers and staff of my school district. It made sense. I had answers about how trauma lives in the body. How it gets stuck and how we get unstuck from it. I was able to identify how the theory works in the therapeutic process and could see it live in my therapy clients. When I would share pieces of the theory with them, it would make sense and normalize their experiences. They felt validated and gained a deeper understanding of themselves. I was really onto something. Something revolutionary in my mind, but also the field of psychology and the practice of therapy. Not only did it answer my questions and provide a new foundation, it inspired me to be an evangelist for the theory. I created the Polyvagal Podcast (now Stuck Not Broken), an Instagram, a blog and courses, all grounded in the Polyvagal Theory. I’m not done though. I keep learning and deepening my understanding of the theory and my ability to apply it to whatever I can. Now I want to pass it on through this book. I think you’ll find it interesting, if not enlightening. Probably normalizing and validating. That’s my hope, at least. And no, Peter Levine never tried to sell me any snake oils. Read the next section > Read more by downloading the entire book. And to do that, you need to sign up for my email list at the top or bottom of this page. Thanks for reading!

INTRO - In this episode, I tell you what the equipment of a Stucknaut is. What are we taking on this adventure to make sure we survive and come back home to safety? My name is Justin Sunseri. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that thinks the world needs a new paradigm for mental health. Welcome to Stuck Not Broken. DISCLAIMERS - But before I get into things -put yourself first. I keep every episode as safe as I can, but just by the nature of the topics, you may experience some stuff come up. Take a break if you need to. This one in particular should be... This podcast is not therapy, nor intended to be a replacement for therapy. TOPIC - WHAT IS A STUCKNAUT? It’s you. It’s me. It’s the audience of the Stuck Not Broken podcast. It’s those that are interested in PVT and the somatic elements of being human. TOPIC - THE TOOLS OF A STUCKNAUT Tools and equipment Knowledge - paradigm of the PVT and somatic-based ideas of mind/body Application - narrative of these to the self Reduced judgment Judgment is an obstacle to the Stucknaut adventure New narrative leads to reduced judgment Reduced judgment leads to more room for curiosity, less defensive reinforcement The individual Individual capacity for self-regulation Individual curiosity Healthy boundaries Offerings of co-regulation to other Stucknauts Realization that we must do our own work Can work with others Gather resources from others Accept co-regulation from others While also taking ownership over our own adventure Pendulation Going from safety to danger Pendulating back and forth between these Identify safety in the present moment through the senses or through memory or through imagination or through internal resource Titration Feel things a little at a time Not to overwhelm Anchor when climbing too far down the ladder Appreciation and gratitude To the self and others Apology, forgiveness and gratitude to the self I thank my body for what it accomplished (though not separate) Dedicated practice (BSA) Not a one-time thing Determination and motivation and discipline To learn and practice how to explore Safety anchoring, building vagal brake Top-down paradigm, narrative, stories “Stuck not broken” PVT as paradigm, apply to self Bottom-up practice Majority of vagal fibers are body to the brain Feedback loop is the focus, not the nerve Send cues of safety down and up from the internal world Slowed breathing, muscle relaxation or tension Fundamental organismic response tendencies approach/avoid or attraction/repulsion Identify basic safety, even in simple things THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING! I hope you’ve learned something new to help you climb your polyvagal ladder. If you liked this episode, do me a favor and share it with someone you think will benefit. And make sure you’re following or subscribed on whatever podcast platform you listen to so you get updated immediately with every week’s new episode. Bye! This podcast is not therapy, not intended to be therapy or be a replacement for therapy. Nothing in this creates or indicates a therapeutic relationship. Please consult with your therapist or seek for one in your area if you are experiencing mental health sx. Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only. More resources are available in the description of this episode and in the footer of justinlmft.com. Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/challenge-page/5180d0d1-fa0d-4833-8a96-b41546791435/ This week’s Patreon episode - https://www.patreon.com/justinlmft Intro/Outro music & Transition Sounds by Benjo Beats - https://soundcloud.com/benjobeats National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1 (800) 273-8255 National Domestic Violence Hotline -1 (800) 799-7233 LGBT Trevor Project Lifeline - 1 (866) 488-7386 National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1 (800) 656-4673 Crisis Text Line - Text “HOME” to 741741 Call 911 for emergency

INTRO - In this episode, I discuss the adventures and the treasure of being a Stucknaut! My name is Justin Sunseri. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that thinks the world needs a new paradigm for mental health. Welcome to Stuck Not Broken. DISCLAIMERS - But before I get into things -put yourself first. I keep every episode as safe as I can, but just by the nature of the topics, you may experience some stuff come up. Take a break if you need to. This podcast is not therapy, nor intended to be a replacement for therapy. TOPIC - WHAT IS A STUCKNAUT? It’s you. It’s me. It’s the audience of the Stuck Not Broken podcast. It’s those that are interested in PVT and the somatic elements of being human. Last episode was about the general beliefs of being a Stucknaut. TOPIC - THE INTERNAL WORLD Astronauts - space Argonauts - sea Stucknauts - inner world of themselves How their inner world is impacted by external factors, present and past Every Stucknaut exploration is different than others' Common human experiences, sure Learn and share with each other and build In essence, exploring safety and danger, exploring stuck ANS states From past events or lack of events From lack of safety development Lots of peril that may reinforce the stuck state Resulting in flight, fight, shutdown or freeze possibly Past, flashbacks, stuck autonomic states Some known, some not Good chance there is hidden stuff Good chance there is unknown safety Can be vulnerable and scare someone Memories that will be encountered - Episodic Certain events Emotional Present moment that brings up a past event Mammal-universal: surprise, fear, disgust, sadness, joy and curiosity, excitement, gladness and triumph Procedural Especially emergency responses that were thwarted Bracing, contracting, retracting, fighting, fleeing, freezing, setting and maintaining boundaries Organismic Approach or avoid, attraction or repulsion TOPIC - HOW THE INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CONNECT Affect each other People, environment affect internal and vise versa Safe environment means we can go inside Neuroception is the process of this Info from the outside State shift and then info to the outside We do the inner work to affect the outer world Improve relationships Improve work and school Meet goals The Stucknaut is exploring the inner world, but aware of the external and internal TOPIC -the TREASURE OF A STUCKNAUT Not in this for the riches Goal is safety, connection, inner peace, calm, connection Might look different for all of us individually Shared experiences, shared similarity Change for self Change for family Change for community Inner world first, then the external Individual autonomy in a co-regulative and shared communal world Finding the boundary of themselves and others Co-regulation is helpful and maybe a tool to use in a sense, though we don’t control that and we should not be compelling that imo Work on the internal to become the co-regulator for others Can’t compel others to be what we need That’s not the goal Goal is to be for ourselves what we need THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING! I hope you’ve learned something new to help you climb your polyvagal ladder. If you liked this episode, do me a favor and share it with someone you think will benefit. And make sure you’re following or subscribed on whatever podcast platform you listen to so you get updated immediately with every week’s new episode. Bye! Trauma and Memory book - https://amzn.to/3jGI64h Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/challenge-page/5180d0d1-fa0d-4833-8a96-b41546791435/ This week’s Patreon episode - https://www.patreon.com/justinlmft Intro/Outro music & Transition Sounds by Benjo Beats - https://soundcloud.com/benjobeats National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1 (800) 273-8255 National Domestic Violence Hotline -1 (800) 799-7233 LGBT Trevor Project Lifeline - 1 (866) 488-7386 National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1 (800) 656-4673 Crisis Text Line - Text “HOME” to 741741 Call 911 for emergency

INTRO - In this episode, I tell you what the heck a Stucknaut is. Hint - it might be you! My name is Justin Sunseri. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that thinks the world needs a new paradigm for mental health. Welcome to Stuck Not Broken. DISCLAIMERS - But before I get into things -put yourself first. I keep every episode as safe as I can, but just by the nature of the topics, you may experience some stuff come up. Take a break if you need to. This podcast is not therapy, nor intended to be a replacement for therapy. TOPIC - WHAT IS A STUCKNAUT? It’s you. It’s me. It’s the audience of the Stuck Not Broken podcast. I’ve wanted this for a while! It’s those that are interested in PVT and the somatic elements of being human ANS For those that understand there is more to us than whether or not we are “mentally ill” or have a “chemical imbalance” or a “broken brain” or whatever We understand there has to be more That change is possible TOPIC - BELIEFS OF THE STUCKNAUT STUCK NOT BROKEN Change is possible generally A little can happen every day Slow process Not defective, not broken, not born a certain way We become who we are based on many factors Social, economic, religious, spiritual, familial, community, culture, upbringing, attachment, traumatized from things that did happen and also things that didn’t happen that should have happened Fluidity of emotion, sensation, state, cognition, behavior Noticing, being We are these things and we are more There is no mind/body duality outside of the limitations of language We affect each other Good or bad We are individuals, but individuals that need and affect each other True change comes through love, not force Reason and not shame There are not predetermined conclusions from being a Stucknaut This is how we should: Live Behave Think Feel Vote Worship The safety of our ANS will provide a container for these things How we treat each other will look different, but come from safety Anyone is welcome, despite color, creed, sex, gender, sexuality or ability… Come to be a Stucknaut with all of you, even your hateful ideas and feelings I think these will soften, become more... A Stucknaut is welcoming, not rejecting TOPIC - WORK IN PROGRESS The concept is a work in progress You’re a work in progress Me too There may be an ideal of a Stucknaut and I will flesh that out But it comes down to the belief in being stuck and not broken Change is possible More happiness or connection The stucknaut looks and acts differently, but they will ultimately come from love or be headed in that direction Love for others Love for the self They know there is more within them Just haven’t felt it or sustained it It’s a process You’re not alone on your journey, Dear Listener If you’re this far in, you might be a Stucknaut Listen to the next two to find out We may need to be reminded of these things and that’s okay A Stucknaut is not perfect, nor expected to be THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING! I hope you’ve learned something new to help you climb your polyvagal ladder. If you liked this episode, do me a favor and share it with someone you think will benefit. And make sure you’re following or subscribed on whatever podcast platform you listen to so you get updated immediately with every week’s new episode. Bye! This podcast is not therapy, not intended to be therapy or be a replacement for therapy. Nothing in this creates or indicates a therapeutic relationship. Please consult with your therapist or seek for one in your area if you are experiencing mental health sx. Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only. More resources are available in the description of this episode and in the footer of justinlmft.com. Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/challenge-page/5180d0d1-fa0d-4833-8a96-b41546791435/ Intro/Outro music & Transition Sounds by Benjo Beats - https://soundcloud.com/benjobeats

INTRO - In this short book review episode, I… Am going to give you my thoughts on and tell you whether or not I recommend the book - Trauma Through a Child’s Eyes by Peter Levine and Maggir Kline. My name is Justin Sunseri. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that thinks the world needs a new paradigm for mental health. Welcome to Stuck Not Broken. TOPIC - TRAUMA THROUGH A CHILD’S EYES by Levine and Kline Do I recommend it? Overall, definitely. What it covers, a sampling: Understanding nervous system and trauma brief overview He covers this a lot, so nice that it’s brief Various ways that children can get traumatized Hospitals and doctor visits Through falls and normal play Also sexual abuse, divorce Very comprehensive Trauma First Aid Acting out and acting in Gang behavior and ‘the rage of the unparented’ Cultural trauma ...and much more Who it’s for: Anyone looking to understand trauma, especially when applied to children Those looking for how to directly intervene in a potentially traumatized child Any profession dealing with kiddos imo Parents definitely Schools definitely Adults looking to get a better understanding of themselves, because we were all once children Pieces will fall into place for you What I like: Great reference Huge book 450+ pages Lots of explicit ideas For multiple ages For multiple environments and populations Parents Teachers Medical staff Therapists, school counselors and school psychologists Culturally appropriate For trauma first aid in the immediate aftermath of something A nasty fall Something severe like a natural disaster Good balance of technique and learning I prefer the theory stuff Great resource, and its advanced, but it’s also an intro of sorts Doesn’t teach the fundamentals to implementing and self-regulation Too large a scope Do some self-regulation work along with this, like BSA What I didn’t like Real situations seem far too easy But they’re done by masters of SE Might be unrealistic for you at first and that’s okay Very very long I wanted it to end Too many interventions for me Listening in chunks helps, esp along with other things that are more light-hearted Audio book is not the ideal way to go about this So long - 16 hours? So slow - i listened to on 1.5x No way to use as a reference If you’re needing something and want to pull from a segment, impossible to find Great breadth it goes into in theory and application Like “In an Unspoken Voice” But some of it is lacking depth Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/challenge-page/5180d0d1-fa0d-4833-8a96-b41546791435/ Intro/Outro music & Transition Sounds by Benjo Beats - https://soundcloud.com/benjobeats National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1 (800) 273-8255 National Domestic Violence Hotline -1 (800) 799-7233 LGBT Trevor Project Lifeline - 1 (866) 488-7386 National Sexual Assault Hotline - 1 (800) 656-4673 Crisis Text Line - Text “HOME” to 741741 Call 911 for emergency This podcast is not therapy, not intended to be therapy or be a replacement for therapy. Nothing in this creates or indicates a therapeutic relationship. Please consult with your therapist or seek for one in your area if you are experiencing mental health sx. Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

This is a segment from my Polyvagal One Pagers free PDF in my File Share. There are more short lessons on the fundamentals of the Polyvagal Theory in that PDF as well. These are useful for your own short lessons, classes you might teach or handouts you might give out at a seminar or workshop. flight/fight + shutdown = freeze Freeze is a mixed state combination of the sympathetic mobilization system along with the dorsal vagal shutdown system. Freeze is being immobilized while highly charged. It’s like using the brake and the accelerator at the same time. The freeze mixed state is also possible when the individual is highly charged in sympathetic flight/fight energy and then forced into immobilization. This could be through various potentially traumatic events but could also be from more routine events like surgeries - anesthesia forces the individual into immobilization while they may be in a highly sympathetic state. More commonly, someone may experience freeze as a panic attack. During a panic attack, the body has a high level of sympathetic energy but immobilizes. The muscles are tense, breathing is shallow and thoughts of danger race, yet the body is paralyzed. Freeze energy may become frozen into the body. This is at the heart of PTSD, resulting in flashbacks, nightmares, being easily triggered, intense and prolonged distress, changes in thought and emotion and increased isolation. That frozen energy is either chronically present or easily triggered into overwhelm, panic or rage. The frozen body has less access to the safety pathways. Building the strength of the safety system is important in thawing the freeze mixed state. This builds the individual’s window of tolerance. For even more information on the Polyvagal Theory, check out these other resources I have: You can download a 1-page Polyvagal Theory resource in my File Share. There's this and many many other one-pagers for you to use. The Polyvagal 101 page the Polyvagal Theory on the Stuck Not Broken podcast, episodes 101-109 plus everything else I have in the blog and the Polyvagal 101 course below

This is a segment from my Polyvagal One Pagers free PDF in my File Share. There are more short lessons on the fundamentals of the Polyvagal Theory in that PDF as well. These are useful for your own short lessons, classes you might teach or handouts you might give out at a seminar or workshop. safe & social + shutdown = stillness Stillness is a mixed state combination. It’s the ventral vagal social engagement system being utilized along with the dorsal vagal shutdown system. Stillness is being immobilized while in safety. The ability to be still while safe is imperative for basic life functioning: sitting in silence practicing self-reflection using the restroom being physically intimate sleeping Individuals that are stuck in a more flight/fight defensive state may experience feelings of danger when still. For them, being immobilized in stillness is simply unsafe. The safety pathways are not active enough to settle into a calm stillness. If you’re already in a flight/fight state of danger, then you need to be mobile. If you were in the wild, your body would be ready to run or fight. You wouldn’t sit in a chair in this state. The gazelle that is running from a lion doesn’t lay down to go to sleep. They use the energy within them. For even more information on the Polyvagal Theory, check out these other resources I have: You can download a 1-page Polyvagal Theory resource in my File Share. There's this and many many other one-pagers for you to use. The Polyvagal 101 page the Polyvagal Theory on the Stuck Not Broken podcast, episodes 101-109 plus everything else I have in the blog and the Polyvagal 101 course below

This is a segment from my Polyvagal One Pagers free PDF in my File Share. There are more short lessons on the fundamentals of the Polyvagal Theory in that PDF as well. These are useful for your own short lessons, classes you might teach or handouts you might give out at a seminar or workshop. safe & social + flight/fight = play Play is a mixed state combination. It’s the ventral vagal social engagement system being utilized along with the sympathetic flight/fight system. Play is being mobilized while safe. Play is shared, synchronous, in the same state and following the same rules. Face to face contact is an important aspect of ensuring that play remains safe. Using the face signals that the autonomic nervous system is still accessing the pathways for safety and social engagement. Play exercises the ability to self-regulate; to tap into the defensive states while staying in the safety state. The flight/fight mobilization system is being accessed and utilized, while under the influence of the social engagement system. When playing tag, the flight system is used. In wrestling, the fight system is being used. And when playing hide & seek, the shutdown system is being used. But all while actually safe. Play can also be sharing attention on a task or game. Doing a puzzle, playing soccer, baking a cake or even working together can all be considered play. For traumatized individuals, play may become unsafe or be unappealing. The safety system needs to be accessible, which can be a significant challenge for a nervous system stuck in a defensive state. Both (or all) of the nervous systems that are engaging in play need to be able to give and receive cues of safety. Have you ever heard of kids that “don’t play well with others”? These are kids who have lost access to their safety state and what was once play becomes something else. This kid in a defensive state may end up hurting others, breaking the rules or quitting entirely. For even more information on the Polyvagal Theory, check out these other resources I have: You can download a 1-page Polyvagal Theory resource in my File Share. There's this and many many other one-pagers for you to use. The Polyvagal 101 page the Polyvagal Theory on the Stuck Not Broken podcast, episodes 101-109 plus everything else I have in the blog and the Polyvagal 101 course