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This is a section from my free e-book, Trauma & the Polyvagal Paradigm . The eBook is also available in its extended version as Stuck Not Broken: Book 1. Download the eBook in PDF and ePub: 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. Un healthy 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. - Deb 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 > Thanks for reading!

QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE What’s a cue of safety for me could actually be a cue of danger for somebody else based on the context that they went through. “I need to feel better.” “My autonomic nervous system needs more regulation.” Safety cues are not an antidote to make defensive feelings go away. We build safety. We don’t just turn it on. The process of safety - it’s more than just coping with the present moment - it’s more than just applying a cue of “safety medicine”. SAFETY CUES RECAP Safety cues are what provides a neuroception of safety to our ANS Different for everyone Individual differences based on hx But also universal similarities based on evolution SAFETY CUE OR PROTECTION? A safety cue will bring you to safety A protective cue will keep you in defense, but bring a sense of protection SAFETY CUE DEPENDENCY? Do we become dependent on safety cues? A safety cue of another person might be done at their expense If the dysregulated person is not considerate and manipulates another to feel some safety (not safety though) What about a safety cue of smelling an orange? Maybe if that becomes an addiction and basic functioning is a problem Like if I have to sneak off to sniff an orange during a therapy session But just using safety cues to self-regulate? What else would we be doing? External safety cues for our senses Or internal safety cues as top-down The issue for me would be - are we building our self-regulation or not? Are we building our independence or not? Are we building our distress tolerance or not? We all need safety cues, very normal “I need to feel better” vs “My ANS needs more regulation.” “I need to feel better” can turn into addiction, relief-seeking, protection-seeking Medicine mindset, reliant on experts “Splash water in my face to make the discomfort go away” Story follow state - “I need to feel better” can be panicky “My ANS needs more regulation” has an element of mindfulness, of witnessing the somatic needs, of alignment It’s an accurate description of what is happening But this needs safety activated already Brings us back to the issue of whether or not we’re building self-regulation PROCESS OF SAFETY vs. SAFETY MEDICINE Therapy reframe - With our clients, frame it as a process of building the capacity to self-regulate Not as medicine Not a pill we take to feel better This is more than just coping through a moment Example of panicked teen client where we used nature on screen, breath check-ins, fidgets and present-moment sensations What works in the moment and what can be taken and practiced on, developed further Noticing the process of accessing safety Long process, not all at once Often missed but noticed later on when processing in therapy Teaching vs. developing vs. experiencing Teach in session, experience in session, homework to develop Building Safety Anchors incorporates these elements into it Guidance, practice, homework, reflection, mindful noticing and experiencing Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/bsa Polyvagal 101 Class - https://www.justinlmft.com/PVT101 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 and other content produced by Justin Sunseri (“JustinLMFT”) (i.e; podcast, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) 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 should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE If we get too far into our defensive state, that means the safety state is inactive. The social engagement system - the ventral vagal pathways - if they’re active, that keeps our heartbeat at a calmer pace which keeps our defensive [state less active]. Hopefully… your [ventral vagal] safety state - is built up enough to where you have more distress tolerance, more resilience. If you don’t have access to your safety state, you don’t exactly think critically. It’s not necessarily a destructive thing or dysfunctional thing or maladaptive thing to access these defensive states, it just depends on whether you have access also with your safety state. HIGH STRESS JOBS & VAGAL BRAKE Psychiatric ward, police, ambulance, nurses Any sort of crisis response and front line work Need to stay active and mobile for these jobs Does this activate the flight/fight state? Sure. Also jobs that are potentially high stress but immobile Therapists don’t necessarily move much, but lots of stress But that means safety state is inactive This is the vagal brake Being mobilized or in a sympathetic state is not a bad thing Need safety active along with it RATIONAL THINKING & DEFENSIVE STATES Yes, rational thinking does “go out the window” when in defensive states But not if safety state is active Some people can do high stress jobs and stay anchored enough in safety When the vagal brake is off, then rational thinking is not possible more or less Defensive states are not bad to access Just need vagal brake FREE Polyvagal eBook - https://www.justinlmft.com/signup Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/bsa Polyvagal 101 Class - https://www.justinlmft.com/PVT101 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 and other content produced by Justin Sunseri (“JustinLMFT”) (i.e; podcast, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) 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 should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

QUOTES FROM THIS EPISODE: The flavor of your thoughts, the intensity of your thoughts comes from your Polyvagal state… the story of it, the theme of your thoughts, that’s going to come from culture, family, social norms, religious views. Cognitive themes can be connected to Polyvagal states … the flavor of the thought is different, but the theme is still there. These themes or these beliefs that are given to us can absolutely keep us down our Polyvagal ladder and limit our potential to climb up it and experience more… If you can catch your thoughts, notice them… then become curious about what is driving those thoughts… Notice the feeling that is driving that thought. A thought doesn’t just exist on its own. It pops into your mind without you really summoning it… it’s driven by a [Polyvagal] state. You may not be used to feeling. You may be ignoring, stuffing down, minimizing or somehow coping as a way to distract yourself from how you feel. Feelings can be scary. But - eventually, we do need to feel. You don’t have to. It’s your choice. But if you do nothing different, you probably know how it’s going to go. What may be seen day to day is anger or irritability, but really there’s other things under there. Those feelings are there . You do have feelings. Whether or not you feel them, they still affect you and they’re not really going anywhere. YOUR THOUGHTS KEEP YOU STUCK What are thoughts? Words and images that are in your brain Memories, beliefs, reasoning I don’t think we control what is in our mind Kind of pops in and out without us directing it 2+2=? Where do thoughts come from? The flavor of your thoughts come from your state (“Story Follows State” from PVT101) The theme of your thoughts come from: culture, family, social norms, religious views Teach you how the world is, how your family is, how you are Can be limiting, like social norms for your gender and what can be accomplished or felt I was told that my family had less Made selling my course very difficult Themes become connected to polyvagal defensive states If others have more than me and my family, then there is no point in trying from a shutdown state Likewise, it might result in jealousy or resentment thoughts from fight “You didn’t earn it” From safety, you can think about earning more while others do the same or even partnering with others to earn together YOU NEED TO FEEL Thoughts are a clue to your state Thoughts can be caught Notice, then become curious about what is driving that A coach or therapist or other person can catch them Notice the feeling driving the thought And then the state driving the feeling through somatic sensations Feeling can be scary, intimidating You may not be used to feeling, you may be ignoring or stuffing or coping somehow But eventually, we need to feel “Feel the feelings” isn’t easy When ready Often layers to feeling Bits at a time One layer can uncover another Anger isn’t just anger Not because there is something wrong with you We all do this It’s just hard to feel Even if you really really want to Might not even see the issue The feelings are there They just are So… Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/bsa Polyvagal 101 Class - https://www.justinlmft.com/PVT101 Become a $5 Patron - 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 This and other content produced by Justin Sunseri (“JustinLMFT”) (i.e; podcast, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) 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 should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

Do I recommend it? Yeah and nah Depends What it covers, a sampling: Play, compassion, neurocardiology, yoga therapy, mindfulness-based movement, group psychotherapy, human-animal interactions, therapeutic presence, autism and stillness Key - response to critiques of the PVT Still out of our league Who it’s for: For those that need to own everything relating to the PVT Polyvagal enthusiasts and collectors Many of these articles are available online for free (links below) Who it’s not for: People new to PVT Go to PVT101 or 101-109 or eBook or Polyvagal Intro on website People looking to build their Polyvagal safety Not a workbook, not a journaling thing Pure education, lecture, writing Building Safety Anchors will do that What I like: Really really good reference book Worth owning to use as a reference Broad range of topics Collection of topics in one book you can own and have on your shelf Audio - mostly digestible if you have PVT101 knowledge New wrinkles - “preparatory sets” and not states or mixed states What I didn’t like Super redundant Each article touches upon the basics of the PVT Seriously irritating Predictable if you’re into the PVT Really just for collecting and owning Must be a market for it Audio - not for reference use Audio - can get boring af, voice is fairly monotone and lacking prosody Amazon link - https://amzn.to/3FbVXbu Polyvagal 101 - https://www.justinlmft.com/polyvagalclarity Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/bsa Intro/Outro music & Transition Sounds by Benjo Beats - https://soundcloud.com/benjobeats Neurocardiology Through the Lens of the Polyvagal Theory - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c1d025fb27e390a78569537/t/5cb67958eef1a19d9940fb5d/1555462489535/Neurocardiology+final+Porges+Kolacz.pdf Polyvagal Theory: A Biobehavioral Journey to Sociality - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497621000436 Play as a Neural Exercise - https://olivebranchsa.com/portfolio-view/play-as-a-neural-exercise-insights-from-the-polyvagal-theory/ Vagal Pathways: Portals to Compassion - https://integratedlistening.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/porges_compassion-final-7.2016.pdf Yoga Therapy and Polyvagal Theory - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5835127/ Mindfulness-Based Movement - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5482784/ Brain-Body Connection May Ease Autistic People’s Social Problems - https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/viewpoint/brain-body-connection-may-ease-autistic-peoples-social-problems/ Reducing Auditory Hypersensitivities in Autistic Spectrum Disorder - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264902145_Reducing_Auditory_Hypersensitivities_in_Autistic_Spectrum_Disorder_Preliminary_Findings_Evaluating_the_Listening_Project_Protocol The COVID-19 Pandemic is a Paradoxical Challenge - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8629069/ 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.

Reminder - Be patient! I am willing to bet that you're more than a bit frustrated or anxious with your process of getting unstuck. I've been there as well. And I still get there, probably more frustration than anything. This is a reminder to be patient. Getting unstuck is not simply a decision that you make. No, it's not simply an issue of changing your thinking or adopting a new mindset. No, it's not about having more gratitude and appreciation. When I refer to "getting unstuck," I am referring to re-regulating yourself on a nervous system level. Not just in behaviors or thoughts, not just in feelings, but in your biology as well. That's what this comes down to. There is a good chance that you are stuck in a defensive state of flight/fight, shutdown or freeze. Your body shifted to one of these defensive states out of necessity, but then it got stuck . This is something that is very common for each of us, though it can take one of two different paths. Path 1 - an acute life threat reaction This happens as a result of surviving some event, like an assault, a car crash or a shooting. The event happens once, then it's over, but it potentially leaves someone in a traumatized stuck defensive state. During the event, they shifted to a defensive state, like flight. But they were not able to escape and utilize the energy and impulses of the defensive state. While in this state, they were also immobilized in some fashion, which freezes the defensive state into their system. This first path is referred to as "shock trauma" often and is associated with PTSD. Path 2 - a chronic disruption of connectedness This is different than the first path. In Path 2 , the individual repeatedly has their impulse for connections with safe others disrupted. This is common in children of abusive and neglectful homes. Children are born with the impulse to connect with safe adults. If the safe adults in their life repeatedly disrupt that impulse, then the child will not be able to develop a safe attachment. If they can't do that, then they do not develop the biological pathways necessary for connection. These pathways only develop in the contexts of safe relationships and safe environments. At least, safe enough . You can learn more about these two paths of trauma in my Polyvagal 101 course . It condenses the fundamental Polyvagal information into an easy-to-understand course, saving you time and confusion. In my opinion, this is necessary knowledge for those in the helping professions. A gradual process No matter the path, I want you to give yourself some more patience in getting unstuck . In order to get out of these stuck defensive states, you need to gradually do so. Getting unstuck is not typically something done all at once. Maybe on a behavioral level, someone can seemingly miraculously change their behavior. The alcoholic can stop drinking "cold turkey" and never go back to it. And that's great for them (also not common, realistic or recommended), but that's not what I am talking about. Just because someone's behavior has stopped, doesn't mean they have changed on a deeper, biological level. One of my teen clients - the child of two alcoholic parents - said their parents "aren't drinking, but they haven't changed!" Meaning, their parents stopped their drinking behavior, but their emotional regulation didn't change along with it. Getting unstuck on a biological level refers to re-regulating your autonomic nervous system . It means activating the ventral vagal biological pathways responsible for social engagement and maintaining access to those pathways. If you exist in a stuck defensive state, it can be difficult to activate those safety pathways in the first place and even more difficult to maintain access to them. It takes practice and is therefore a gradual process , just like anything else that takes practice. If you want to hit a 100mph fastball, you first need to hit a 90mph one. And before that, a 75mph one. (I've never hit any of these, but I assume this is the case.) If you want to paint a landscape within 30 minutes like the great Bob Ross, you need to be able to practice and nail 45 minutes first. Before you do that, you need to learn how to mix paint and use the tools. And to hit a fastball, you need to practice swinging a bat and know how to stand at the plate. You get the idea. Getting unstuck is not going to happen right now. Probably not overnight. Probably not from gathering enough insight into yourself and your childhood. Probably not from confronting your fears head-on without being ready for it. And probably not from berating yourself with misplaced shame and guilt. The importance of building safety It's something that is done little by little. And this is where patience needs to come in. Getting unstuck will happen. It can happen. You can make change in your life. But accepting that it's a gradual process will probably be more helpful than whatever else you're doing. Maybe you're one of the unicorns that can make a huge change all at once. Best of luck to you if you are. For the majority of us, for my therapy clients and for myself, it's a process. This is also the exact same idea I utilize in my Building Safety Anchors course . I don't expect the participants to just sit down and meditate and get unstuck, releasing their trauma in one trembling and shaking session. Or to dance their stuck state away. Or breathe in some fashion that gets them unstuck. In BSA, I lay out daily activities to getting those safety pathways more and more active. As these ventral vagal safety pathways continue to develop, then getting unstuck becomes more and more likely. This is not a one-time event, but a series of concerted efforts toward building the strength of your safety pathways - in effect, increasing the strength of your vagal brake . When the vagal brake is strong enough, then the intensity of the defensive state will soften. This is what getting unstuck feels like over a longer span of time. A softening of defensive feelings, like anxiety and anger. At least, that's been my experience and what I see in my therapy clients and why I created Building Safety Anchors in the way that I did. (This and other content produced by Justin Sunseri (“JustinLMFT”) (i.e; podcast, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) 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 symptoms. Nothing should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.)

INTRO - In this episode, I discuss… Having tried everything, shutdown and numbness and how safety can actually lead to defensive feelings. My hope is that… You gain some clarity into what is keeping you stuck as well as some new ideas for getting a bit more unstuck starting today. My name is Justin Sunseri. I’m a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist that thinks the world needs a new understanding of mental health. Welcome to Stuck Not Broken. DISCLAIMERS - This podcast is not therapy, nor intended to be a replacement for therapy. From ? - Stucknaut Andy Marsh! Hello! So I’ve been working with a trauma specialist therapist once a week and we’ve been doing EMDR. I’m on Zoloft which I started back in February which has been the only thing to help me basically be able to function again. I am diagnosed with CPTSD from childhood misattunement basically. I have really no connection with feelings. I don’t have DID but I just don’t feel connected anymore. Whenever I feel into my body I never feel safety. I know you have a safety anchors course and at this point I am skeptical about anything being able to help me. I assume I’m stuck at the way bottom of the Polyvagal ladder and just feel like I haven’t budged up at all. I know everyone probably thinks they are the worst case scenario- but I swear I am. I’ve literally tried everything. When I try to feel safety in my body all I can feel is anxiousness rolling around my tummy. Every time. I can’t seem to get past it. Hoping you maybe have experienced this before… "I’VE TRIED EVERYTHING!" Might not be an issue of technique or ideas But an issue of implementation Meditating can look different Find a way that works for you, no matter what the technique is A way that feels safe enough Even the same therapy modality will be different person to person! How I do somatic work may be different EMDR may be different Fidelity to the modality is not guaranteed I’ve seen this in tx teams, trust me! What do you need in the moment for your state? EMDR might not be it CBT might not be it Try things based on your state Therapist needs to be able to read your state and adapt LACK OF FEELING & SHUTDOWN These go together Dorsal response, conservation, numbness, dissociation even Body is often numb, empty, hopeless (“nothing will help!”) Yes, this is the bottom of the ladder Last option for a mammal to survive Can’t run, can’t fight, then shut down Shutdown might be the most difficult to climb out of Defeated person, lack of motivation Have to reconnect with the world, with the self Learn everything all over again in a sense Get used to sympathetic energy, connection, safety C-PTSD makes this even more difficult Lack of a history of these things Lack of healthy play, attachment, co-regulation Connecting with others is a major challenge and also with the self Development of a true self may not have happened, or truer self We learn who we are in the context of others, building off of a safe attachment and co-regulation SAFETY CAN LEAD TO DEFENSIVE FEELINGS Might seem odd But the ans is neurocepting safety and attempting to self-regulate Maybe safe environment or safe person Mindfulness can allow defensive energy to surface as well Mindfulness is like giving permission to self-regulate, aligning consciousness to body Like meditating successfully, then feeling anxiety or anger Even therapy can too Need to build the window of tolerance Vagal brake Feel safety in tolerable doses Build safety little by little Like lifting weights JustinLMFT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCduAkQrvmvWq2oy8aJSNcEQ Building Safety Anchors - https://www.justinlmft.com/bsa Polyvagal 101 Class - https://www.justinlmft.com/PVT101 Become a $5 Patron - 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 This and other content produced by Justin Sunseri (“JustinLMFT”) (i.e; podcast, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) 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 should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

I think it's really important that the process of therapy be crystal clear for both therapists and clients. And part of that - which should be a part of any informed consent for treatment - is the potential risks of being a part of therapy. Therapists should already know this stuff, so I am really talking more to the clients of therapy. Therapists & therapeers, feel free to read on and contribute in the comments if you've got a thought to share. Therapy is supposed to be a place where people can go to work through emotional or cognitive obstacles that are interfering with their basic life functioning. Or maybe those are obstacles in achieving some new level of success and they need the help of an expert in clearing the way. (Yes, somatic elements are absolutely important, but it's typically the thoughts and emotions that bring people to therapy.) Sadly, clients sometimes find that therapy is not what they were expecting, wanting or needing it to be. And they may have even found it to be so unpleasant that they gave up on therapy altogether. Furthermore, they may have found it retraumatizing. I want to discuss two potential paths to retraumatization through therapy. One of these is unethical behavior and the other is a potential common therapeutic mistake or misunderstanding in the field. 1. Therapeutic Unethical Behavior Retraumatization Therapy can go way way wrong and be obviously retraumatizing. A good example of therapeutic unethical behavior is covered in this Bad Therapy episode I did on my Stuck Not Broken podcast - This type of retraumatization can look extreme, like manipulating a client into a sexual relationship ( therapy never includes sex , btw) or a secondary financial one. A therapist (or anyone else with ill intent) can exploit someone's dependency on another. Therapy is not supposed to be a relationship of power or dependency, but the inherent dynamic of the situation could result in a manipulation of others if the therapist is coming from their own selfish intent. Therapy is a contextual relationship of one person in need, going to another for help. The person in need may also be in desperate need and unwittingly open to possible exploitation. If this individual has a history of poor attachment or otherwise lives stuck down their Polyvagal ladder , they may not be able to identify red flags from others . This is especially true in a relationship that has an imbalance of power, like a therapeutic relationship. (This has also been seen in exploitation of parishioners by various religious leaders.) Unfortunately, therapy can be delivered as or viewed as an expert dispensing some sort of remedy. The expert therapist is "normal" and the client has the problem. The expert identifies the problem, labels it and then provides treatment for the problem. The client is the one in need, seeks out a remedy and then receives the treatment. This is a very medical model of therapy and has limited usefulness, in my opinion . This view of the therapeutic alliance can be exploited by someone holding the power who also has ill intent. Of course, therapy should not be an imbalance of power, but it also kind of is. Therapy should be collaborative. Therapy should be two individuals meeting and working on a goal. Yes, a therapist is an expert in the room. But there is also another - the client. The therapist is an expert on psychology and technique, but the client is the expert on their life. The two meet and work together. This understanding forms the collaborative therapeutic relationship. A therapist may act outside of the profession's norms, ethics and laws. I wouldn't call this therapy. It's more like a therapist behaving badly . Exploitation of others is not therapy. Even when done by a therapist. If a plumber were to play video games at a client's house, that wouldn't be called plumbing. Even though it was done by a plumber while they were on the job. But even in the context of typical therapeutic practice, retraumatization can still occur... 2. Narrative & Experiential Retraumatization Therapy can also inadvertedly retraumatize someone, even despite the best efforts of the therapist. We're commonly taught in therapy schools that to "get over" or "heal" from a trauma, clients need to talk about it directly. Clients need to talk about it in detail even and confront their feelings. There's an entire modality built around the idea of sharing the trauma narrative - Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy . This is a modality that has telling the trauma narrative at its very core. The client is expected to tell and retell the narrative until it no longer has a triggering charge over them. Sharing the story with a trusted other at the end of tx is also expected. The client is also expected to not simply tell the story verbally, but to create it in some way, like through collage or writing. EMDR utilizes exposure through memory and expects the client to explicitly revisit the traumatic incident in the 3rd step of the modality - assessment. In this step the client actually begins to target a specific memory. The therapist may build up a full image of the target by asking questions about the incident, such as what happened, when, where, and also what negative beliefs about themself that they hold in relation to this memory. The individual components of the target image are brought out. I don't think either of these modalities are inherently retraumatizing. No. In fact, they both have features built into them that are supposed to soften the intensity of the narrative, like bilateral stimulation or gradually telling more of the trauma narrative in each iteration of the narrative. These and other modalities are not my immediate concern (as long as the therapist is implementing to fidelity and with the client’s consen). I am more concerned about a prevalent belief amongst therapists - that clients need to confront and share their narratives - even if they're not ready. Even if they don't know how to ground themselves in their Polyvagal state of safety. Too early for trauma work What ends up happening is that clients are pushed into talking about something that they are simply not ready for. So these clients end up in a Polyvagal defensive state, like flight/fight, shutdown or freeze. There's a good chance that the client is triggered back into the moment of the event(s) that they are trying to get help for in the first place. They are back in the defensive state and are unable to self-regulate into their safety state. They leave the session dysregulated and retraumatized. Their stuck autonomic nervous system state is simply reinforced. The therapist is not intentionally doing so. They may even believe they are doing a "good job." They're getting their clients to confront their past and that's good, right? They're getting their clients to "feel their feelings"... that's good therapy, right? They're getting the client to feel those difficult feelings and then to "sit with them." Yay... right? No. At least - no, for now . All of these things can be helpful. Confronting, feeling, sitting with... these can be great. Just not before the client is ready. The priority in doing trauma work is to maintain the client's access to their Polyvagal state of safety and social connection. From there, the client can actually feel the stuck flight/fight, shutdown or freeze states. But those states won't be felt in the same way. A stuck fight sympathetic state won't be experienced as uncontrollable anger. It may instead turn into power and a sense of possibility and motivation. Even if it is experienced as anger, it won't be out of control. Instead, it will be tolerable and the client is able to process it. The priority for trauma work is safety The client needs to be anchored in their state of safety. This means that their biological pathways (ventral vagal) responsible for connection will be active. When these myelinated pathways are active, they will keep the heartbeat of the client at a calmer pace, which keeps the flight/fight potential lower. If the safety pathways are off, then the heart rate goes up and the sympathetic flight/fight state kicks in, resulting in feelings like anxiety and anger, possibly panic or overwhelm. This is a concept called the "vagal brake," which you can learn more about in my Polyvagal 101 course. If you're a therapist, this and other Polyvagal concepts are necessary knowledge for your practice. Safety comes first. Then , once anchored in safety , the client can turn their attention toward the more difficult experiences they are having. Once they are anchored, then they can delve into their grief, shame, trauma and more. But even while doing the more difficult work, they still need to be checking in with themselves to gauge their capacity to continue. When the defensive energies surface - which they will - they need to be balanced out by safety. It's completely okay for those defensive Polyvagal states and feelings to come up. It's going to happen. But we want to be able to balance it with feelings of safety: connection, calm, joy, confidence and more.

Listen to the episode above. There are also three more episodes on this topic. You can find the playlist for the series here . Poster Here is my poster for episode 149. Download and print on 11x17 paper if you have it. :) Show notes Stucknaut letter from Sieghild Liza, 65y/o Austrian woman *behindthename.com I listened to a podcast (Complex Trauma Recovery) you were a guest on and ended up buying your course (Polyvagal 101?). I got through the first part of the course but I am a little confused. I have a limited understanding of psychology (or whatever the proper term is) and I'm getting caught up in how all these systems and ideas fit/don't fit together. Yes, things are confusing BSA is about increasing the vagal brake strength through practicing being in safety PVT101 is about learning the biology underneath our mental health General mh ideas fit into PVT because PVT is not mental health specific, it’s cross-professions It’s science. It’s foundational to other professions. So the question then is how to other psychological ideas connect to PVT? Where is the intersection? I am looking to take courses like yours but I'm reaching information overload. I've been studying attachment theory, abandonment issues, been doing cbt and emdr in therapy, and have heard about inner child healing, shadow work, somatic therapy, and I'm sure there are hundreds of ideas I haven't come across yet. Problem but not a problem Competition is good Consumers need to be aware and look for what clicks within us I am not interested in psychological constructs like parts work, reparenting, shadow work, ego Unnecessary cognitive layer for me Competing therapy modalities is okay too But the basics is what works I've been diagnosed with adhd, anxiety, cptsd, depression but like you mentioned in the podcast, I'm not sure if the diagnostics are really that meaningful or even accurate. They’re really not imo And they can become part of our identities Not temporary state dysregulation And professionals disagree about this stuff all the time We don’t even agree on the purpose and functionality or criteria of dx There is no blood test or urine test Is polyvagal the best place to direct my energy? Are there other resources/theories you think are essential to learn in congruence? Foundational knowledge, helpful concepts, psychological constructs and therapeutic techniques Understanding concepts is important, like attachment and abandonment These are truths that could apply to your life Important for learning and applying Not enough on their own Understanding psychological constructs is less important These are not true, but could be applied to your life as a metaphor/reframe Functional in state regulation Not enough on their own Doing specific techniques is important, but also not as important as therapy alliance Techniques can be helpful, like reframes, talking to an empty chair, reality testing, practicing listening and communication skills But not sufficient on their own PVT is foundational knowledge To understanding consciousness, connection, danger Imo, this is the starting point if you’re open to something new Are these other ideas in conflict with polyvagal theory? No, but how do they connect? These are mostly top-down reframes to the brain stem These help with state regulation There is no shadow state, no parts state for different internal family members They may get your closer to your state by regulating enough and then looking inward But this is an added cognitive layer too And this relies on an expert giving wisdom about shadow selves and parts and egos and child selves and true selves I’ll make one up right now! Puzzle Completion Therapy (PCT) You’re missing a puzzle piece to become your completed self You need to identify where the missing piece is inside of you A technique is to start with the outside edges Like maybe the easier facets of your life - like school Then work toward the middle pieces, aka the traumas and attachments and abandonments PST will be available for coaching soon, called Puzzle Self Coaching Is polyvagal the best place to start or are there other things I need to master before/alongside? I think it’s foundational knowledge, great place to start Somatic focused things But comprehensive of thoughts, feelings, sensations Not just moving around, dancing, breathing SE seems great BSA is the next step imo PVT101 and then BSA Honestly, I'm just really overwhelmed and heard you give a little push back on inner child work on the podcast so I thought I'd ask which ideas are the most valuable. I feel really behind and it seems that polyvagal is the best place to start, but I feel like I'm dipping my toes into a little bit of everything and not really retaining a lot of info. Thank you again for your work. It's succinct and easy for me to process, I just worry I don't know how any of this works. You’re welcome Yeah, it’s overwhelming I hope this was clear for you as well And thanks again for taking one of my courses Disclaimer This and other content produced by Justin Sunseri (“JustinLMFT”) (i.e; podcast, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) 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 symptoms. Nothing should be construed to be specific life advice; it is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

You’ve heard about this Polyvagal stuff and are interested to learn more. Specifically, what the heck is the safety stuff and how to use it? A great question! What is Polyvagal Safety? As I am apt to point out often on the podcast , Polyvagal safety is a reference to biology first and foremost. In the PVT, we are discussing biology. Not simply feelings. Not just “trauma responses.” But biology. Polyvagal safety refers to the ventral vagal pathways of the autonomic nervous system. When active, these ventral vagal pathways result in your ability to connect with yourself and with others . They allow you to socially engage and provide cues of safety to another, a process called co-regulation. When you’re in your safety state, you can then: smile genuinely, use vocal prosody, make eye crinkles from listening or smiling and get close physically to another. You also are able to use a couple of Polyvagal mixed states - play and stillness. Meaning, you can mobilize while socially engaged in play and/or you can immobilize without fear in stillness. If the safety state is not active, then these mixed states and their resulting behaviors and experiences are not possible. Of course, you can learn a lot more about the Polyvagal Theory in my Polyvagal 101 course . It covers the essentials of the Polyvagal Theory in a self-paced course. You’ll also be able to join me once a month in an Open Office Hour to ask questions about the PVT or other topics of interest. You’re probably wondering how to access your Polyvagal state of safety and social engagement. A fair question. Check off what you're learning through the Polyvagal Checklist download below. Join the Stucknaut Collective for free  and gain instant access to a course on trauma recovery, practical Polyvagal Theory resources, and exclusive downloadable tools to support your healing journey. Accessing Polyvagal Safety To access Polyvagal safety, you need a couple basic things: Environmental safety - You need literal safety. To be free from actual danger to your person. This also includes a more subtle form of "safety," which involves passive cues of safety from the environment. Things like the hums of electronics, loud sounds, harsh lighting and crowded spaces will all give you cues of danger, even though they are not literally dangerous. Interpersonal safety - Again, literal safety. To be free from danger from others. But it's more than that. This involves receiving co-regulative cues of safety from others. Smiles, eye crinkles, vocal prosody, you get the idea... Having these two pieces are essential to accessing the Polyvagal state of safety and social engagement. However, it may not be that simple. Duh. If you live in a traumatized defensive state, then accessing and remaining in your state of safety is a significant challenge. Those pathways may not be developed enough yet. Feeling your safety state might be uncomfortable, things like feeling trust and vulnerability. It's exceedingly important that you not only access safety once, but continue to do so. So on top of the two things listed above, you also need to have a third, which is to practice being in safety. Building Polyvagal Safety The safety state needs to be exercised, just like anything else. Through exercising it, you build the strength of the pathways. This builds the strength of your "vagal brake," (another Polyvagal concept ) which is the influence of the social engagement system on the heart, keeping it at a calmer pace and keeping sympathetic energy from activating. Polyvagal safety is not something to be used. It's something to be developed. It's not something you can make a conscious choice to turn off or on. You can definitely increase the chances of your safety state being active. You can do so through creating passive safety cues for yourself in your environment. In BSA , this is the starting point for building safety. Creating environmental safety cues. From there, you can then create active safety cues. These would be activities that you can do, like mindfully using your senses or movement, to feel more safety in your system. If you can mindfully do so, you can then exercise and increase the safety pathways.

I think this is what most people get wrong about the Polyvagal Theory... When I see what others are putting out about the Polyvagal Theory, they tend to focus on a couple of things. And both are short-sighted. The first thing that they focus on is the behavioral aspect of the Theory. Specifically, the "trauma response" aspect. They've learned that the PVT has something to do with trauma and lump it in with other vague learnings about "trauma responses". You'll often see people talk about "fight, flight and freeze." Sometimes they mention "fawn." Sometimes they mention "friend" or "f***" or "faint" or other things that all seemingly somehow start with the letter "f". This is a convoluted mess. It's unnecessary and confuses the issue of understanding trauma and understanding the Polyvagal Theory. Click here to learn the Polyvagal Theory simply the first time in under 2 hours > The other thing they tend to focus on is an over-emphasis of the biology. People love love love to mention things like "dorsal vagal" and "ventral vagal". They love it. Really, they do. Oh and the "vagus nerve"? Forget about it. Talk of the vagus nerve is all the rage. Stimulating it? Sure. Resetting it? Heck yeah. Rewiring it? Maybe? Activating it? Most definitely. All of these things at the same time? I mean, sure, why not, right? Then they instruct you to do things like gargle. Or tilt your head and stretch your neck. Or rub your neck. Or go into a cold body of water. Or splash water on your face. Or dance or sing. Huh? What is this accomplishing? How can you tell? (This is all a convoluted mess as well. Unnecessary and confusing to the beginner.) The reality is the heart of the Polyvagal Theory has little to do with the vagus nerve itself. I know, I know. This doesn't make sense. The PVT is much more than the vagus nerve. It's much more than "trauma responses". It's much more than - you guessed it - gargling. The PVT is a biological unified theory of various human domains. Thought, emotion, sensation, impulse, autonomic state. The Theory connects the biology of our everyday experience to the theory of evolution. It's the science of connection and survival. It's not a psychological theory. It's not an educational one. It's not a medical one. It's all of these and more. It's the underlying biology of what makes us who we are (and other organisms too, but focuses on mammals), which is then applied to various professional pursuits. It doesn't belong to the trauma sphere. Nor the educational. Nor the psychological. Nor any other. It unifies each of these professions. And yeah, it's more than the vagus nerve. It describes how the brainstem and our senses are involved in something called "neuroception". It connects to other biological processes, like optimizing bodily resources for safety or defense. (Things that I lack knowledge in, sorry.) The vagus nerve is the conduit. Messages are sent from the brainstem down to your various bodily organs and processes. The vagus nerve is like a highway the information travels. That's it. If you don't believe me, give my interview with Dr. Porges a listen (he created the Theory). He says so himself - The vagus nerve is a conduit. It's a wire. That's not what we're really concerned about. We're more concerned about the regulator that's sending signals through that wire and the impact of those signals to the target organs and then the target organs through the sensory part of the vagus sending signals back to the brain. So we're more concerned with the feedback loop between organ and brainstem that's going through the vagus than the nerve itself. Click here to listen to the entire interview from my podcast > We need clarity, not novelty and confusion The Polyvagal Theory is deep and complex and highly academic. Rather than attempting to fit it into other ideas you already have about "trauma responses" or popular psychology trends, focus on understanding the Theory for what it is. Yeah, it's fun to connect to other things and I have done a lot of that on the podcast. But you need to have a clear understanding of the Theory first. Podcast listeners and students of my online courses tell me consistently that I make the Polyvagal Theory easy to understand right away. Thom is a member of my Polyvagal 101 course and he said in a feedback form that he got "a clearer understanding of the fundamentals of the polyvagal theory and its relationship with trauma." And that's exactly my goal when I teach the PVT. Easy peasy, no confusion. Makes sense the first time. No more and no less. Click here to learn more about my Polyvagal 101 course > Check off what you're learning through the Polyvagal Checklist download below. Join the Stucknaut Collective for free  and gain instant access to a course on trauma recovery, practical Polyvagal Theory resources, and exclusive downloadable tools to support your healing journey.

No, me saying I'm "shocked" in the title is not an understatement. Maybe I shouldn't be. I'll also share the reason why I think people are confusing these two different Polyvagal states. If I'm right, it's a ridiculous reason. I hope I'm wrong. Shutdown and Freeze are not the same thing I used to make this same mistake. I would use the word "freeze" when referring to the state of immobilization, the bottom rung on the Polyvagal ladder. I even used it on my podcast for the first 15 episodes until I talked with the Theory's creator, Dr. Stephen Porges. That's when he told me this - There is this whole ambiguity because people use the word ‘freeze’ when they really mean “shutting down.” The mouse in the jaws of a cat is not frozen, it’s just limp… The limp loss of muscle tone is a dorsal vagal response (Porges, Stuck Not Broken episode 15). Shutdown is collapsing or going limp. Freeze is stiffening. Let me do a little Porges translation here. He's saying freeze and shutting down are distinct. They aren't the same. He uses the example of a mouse in the jaws of a cat. And he uses the imagery of the mouse being limp. That's shutting down; what he calls a "dorsal vagal response," which is the bottom of the Polyvagal ladder. Freeze is also a dorsal vagal response, but different. Freeze is the combination of dorsal vagal shutdown plus sympathetic flight/fight response. Freeze is flight/fight in combination with shutdown. Mobilization and immobilization at the same time. There is an intense and rapid buildup of energy to run or fight, while at the same time the body is immobilized or immobilizing. When functioning defensively as a fight/flight machine, humans and other mammals need to move. If we are... placed in isolation or restrained, our nervous system… wants to immobilize (Porges, Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory 67). The body will immobilize with a neuroception of life threat. This can be through external physical forced immobilization or the internal perception that the body is going to die. Assaults are an obvious example - there is an impulse to run away, but the individual may be unable to do so for various reasons. They also aren’t able to fight back. They may also be physically forced into immobilization with the sympathetic energy in their system. As a result, they may enter a freeze mixed state. Check off what you're learning through the Polyvagal Checklist download below. Join the Stucknaut Collective for free  and gain instant access to a course on trauma recovery, practical Polyvagal Theory resources, and exclusive downloadable tools to support your healing journey. Why I think people continue to confuse the two I really hope I'm wrong, but I think people love to focus on "trauma responses" that start with the letter "F". The idea is absurd, I know. But that's what I see over and over and over again. People in the trauma content creation space love their "F" trauma responses. From fight and flight to fawn and flop to friend and forget and even f***. I hope I'm wrong. But I don't think people want to say "shutdown" because it breaks the F pattern. Truth is, I had a hard time letting go of it too after Dr. Porges clarified the difference for me. *sad face* I want you to have clear and accurate information That's why I made Polyvagal 101. It's my course that teaches the Polyvagal Theory clearly. You'll know the theory and be able to connect it to trauma. Doing so will also lay the foundation for you to have a new self-narrative and reduce your self-blame, shame and judgment. Click the link below to find out more about Polyvagal 101. ​Click here to learn more about Polyvagal 101 >​