At Spencer Psychology, with two locations at Landmark and Arch Haven Avenue in Bloomington, we are committed to providing comprehensive state of the art mental health care. One of the foundational theories we utilize in our practice is the Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges. This theory offers profound insights into how our nervous system influences our mental health and well-being. (Dr. Spencer had a chapter published in Dr. Porges’ most recent book, and Dr. Spencer and Ms. Meg Lewis, one of our therapists, are currently in the submission process of research articles with Dr. Porges in using an auditory intervention based on polyvagal theory for clients with trauma).
What is Polyvagal Theory?
Polyvagal Theory helps us understand how our nervous system responds to stress and connection. It focuses on the vagus nerve, which runs from the brainstem to many of our major organs. This nerve plays a big role in how we feel and react — whether we’re calm and connected or stressed and shut down. When we feel safe, one part of the vagus nerve helps us relax, connect with others, and feel grounded.
When we sense danger, our body may shift into fight or flight. If the threat feels overwhelming, the vagus nerves shifts into a shutdown or freeze state. These shifts are part of our body’s natural survival system. This is not a sign of weakness, but a built-in way to protect us from threats. Peter Levine, who utilized the Polyvagal Theory to develop Somatic Experiencing, identifies trauma as any overwhelming event that is ‘too much, too fast, too soon’ for a particular human nervous system to handle.
These systems are not inherently good or bad- all are useful and necessary for survival. However, they can become dysregulated by stress or trauma, and begin to shift into states that do not match our situations. This is when they become problematic and create what we think of as psychological symptoms or illness. For example, shifting into “fight or flight” is useful if you are being attacked by a lion. It is not useful if your boss wants to talk, and you hit him in the face or run away.
The Role of Neuroception: How Our Body Senses Safety and Danger
One of the key ideas in Polyvagal Theory is something called neuroception — our body’s built-in radar for sensing safety or threat, even when we’re not consciously aware of it. It’s
like your nervous system is always scanning the environment, asking, “Am I safe right now?”
When everything feels safe, your body stays calm and connected. But if your nervous system picks up on something that feels dangerous — even if it’s not actually a threat — it can shift into a stress response to protect you.
For people who’ve experienced trauma or chronic stress, this internal radar can become overly sensitive, like a smoke detector beeping when there is no fire. That can lead to feeling constantly on edge and anxious (hyperarousal) or, on the flip side, feeling numb, shut down, depressed or disconnected (hypoarousal). These are signs of a dysregulated nervous system.
Applying Polyvagal Theory in Therapy
1. Creating a Safe Environment: We prioritize creating a safe and supportive environment for our clients. This helps activate the ventral vagal state, promoting feelings of safety and connection. This helps clients talk more easily, and retain information from therapy better. Our nervous systems will often match those who are around us. Once clients can co-regulate with the therapist, the goal is to also be able to feel regulated when on their own.
2. Mindfulness and Body Awareness: We incorporate mindfulness practices and body awareness exercises to help clients become more attuned to their physiological states. This in turn helps clients learn how to shift from states of hyperarousal or shutdown to a state of calm and connection. Part of therapy is also teaching the client how to recognize that shifts are occurring or about to occur, so there is time to intervene. This often includes a process called “mapping” to help clients learn their own personal triggers and signals. This helps to minimize shifts that do not match the perceived threat, and return to normal more quickly after becoming activated.
Benefits of Polyvagal-Informed Therapy
Benefits include:
· Improved Emotional Regulation: Clients learn to recognize and manage their states (depression, anxiety, panic, overwhelm), leading to better emotional control.
· Enhanced Social Engagement: By learning to work with their own nervous systems, clients can improve their ability to connect and communicate with others, improving relationships to self and others.
· Reduced Symptoms of Trauma, Stress and Anxiety: Once clients understand how the nervous system works, the therapist then helps them develop strategies to recognize and address state shifts. This can allow clients far more control of dysregulation (anger, depression, panic, etc).
For more information, please visit our website pages on polyvagal theory, Safe and Sound Protocol, and our lead polyvagal therapist, Meg Lewis.
Margaret (Meg) Lewis, LMHC, ATR-BC is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Registered and Board Certified Art Therapist at Spencer Psychology. She earned a Master’s of Science degree in Art Therapy from Nazareth College of Rochester and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Painting from Ohio Northern University. She holds additional certification as a Trauma Informed Expressive Arts Therapist (EXAT). Ms. Lewis is our lead polyvagal therapist, offering internal trainings to staff as well as trainings and consultations outside of Spencer Psychology to other professionals. Ms. Meg Lewis is also an expert in delivery of the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) , and is helping to pilot a new cutting edge technology using a televagal biofeedback device.