Polyvagal Theory and Autonomic Repair

We take autonomic function for granted until it's dysfunctional or completely lost. I'm referring to our automatic nervous system that controls vital processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and so on. The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous branches where the sympathetic portion is activated by stress and known as the fight or flight system. The parasympathetic system on the other hand, is the rest and digest system, and perhaps more relevant here to this blog. Think about it this way, when we see a bear, tiger or other predator, our stress response is initiated and our pupils dilate, heart rate goes up and our muscles become more reactive to the impending threat, as some examples. Of course, this was common thousands of years ago with hunting. These days are stressors are quite different. Perhaps, excess traffic, divorce, taxes, work deadlines, and finances to name some. Whichever it is, our same stress response system kicks into gear and our sympathetic system gets expressed and becomes more dominant.

In regard to the parasympathetic branch, it can be further divided into the dorsal and ventral nerves that both play a role in relaxation, safety and survival. And, importantly, these neural circuits must be re-trained after trauma as the sympathetic system and changes to the parasympathetic system have become plastic, or hard wired. Slowly, over time, with the right neurological exercises, the vagus or what some call "vagal tone" can be retrained. This means to say, the ventral vagus can be modulated along with the sympathetic system. I find this piece of rehabilitation invaluable as some patients have conditions such as chronic fatigue and/or pain, biotoxin illness, auto-immunity, lyme disease, and POTS, where the autonomic nervous system has become dysregulated and they struggle to cope. Most often though, they have trauma, which has left them living with in fear and anxiety for many years.

Re-training is focused on the limbic system and vagal tone, and may include breath work, applying cold water to the body, being calm and present in the moment, listening to the rain, physical activity to tolerance, play, foam rolling, chanting and singing and laughing, as some examples. With autonomic retraining and using polyvagal methods, patients (you) can heal from trauma and feel safe again. It just takes time, but there's always hope.