The Mind-Body Connection with Polyvagal Theory Series- Part 3

In Part 2 of this series, we talked about the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Today, we are going to discuss one of the three organizational principles of Polyvagal Theory: Hierarchy.

Organizing principle 1- Hierarchy

Shifts in our ANS lead to three different states:

Ventral Vagal

Sympathetic

Dorsal Vagal

Think of these three states on a ladder, and we move up and down this ladder throughout the day.

Ventral Vagal is at the top of the ladder. In this state we feel calm, safe, social, and connected to others. You can think of Ventral as "home base."

Sympathetic, our "fight or flight," is the next rung down the ladder. Let's imagine something happens that stresses you out. For example, you give a presentation and feel nervous, you have a fight with a coworker, or something in your environment feels threatening. When we move into this state, our body is mobilizing us for action- to either fight or flight. When we are in Sympathetic, we often notice signs in our body including heart racing, sweating, shallow breathing, and we may feel angry, stressed, or panicked.

When we are unable to fight or flight, we continue to move down the ladder, to Dorsal Vagal. This is our immobilization response. This happens when we shut down, collapse, or freeze. Think of what happens when a possum is playing dead- the body has shut down and collapsed.

What is important to know here is that the goal is NOT to stay in Ventral Vagal all the time. We need each of these states for survival; they serve important purposes! Also, we have flavors of each state every day. When you are engaging and laughing with a friend, you are likely in Ventral Vagal. When you prepare to present in a meeting, you likely are moving into Sympathetic. When you are driving or bored in a work meeting (like when you are there physically but checked out mentally) you are likely in a flavor of Dorsal. So the goal isn't to stay away from of these states. Rather, the goal is to be able to move up and down this ladder with resilience and ease.

Thanks for reading. Next week, I will introduce the second organizing principle of Polyvagal Theory: Neuroception. Stay Tuned!