Polyvagal Theory, Part 1: Connection & Protection
[Polyvagal theory] explains the science of connection, offering a map of the nervous system to guide our exploration as well as skills we can practice to strengthen our ability to anchor ourselves and each other in safety and regulation.
—Deb Dana, Anchored [i]
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This is the first of a 5-article series exploring polyvagal theory, trauma, and healing.
There’s so much happening around us and within us at any given moment. In order to navigate this complex existence, we mammals have evolved a sophisticated autonomic nervous system. (It’s called “autonomic” because of the automatic manner in which it functions.)
This autonomic nervous system (ANS) discerns whether we’re safe or in danger at a particular point in time, and it tells our bodies and minds to respond accordingly. In essence, we can either be in “connection mode” or “protection mode.”
When we’re in connection mode, we feel safely engaged with our life in a way that is resourced and resilient. It’s a great place to be!
A core component of connection mode is a branch of the vagus nerve known as the “ventral” vagus, which helps us feel calm yet engaged. Activation of the ventral vagus nerve is a distinctly mammalian response to stimuli that our ancestors evolved 200 million years ago. Through this nerve, we access a sense of safety through connection—connection to other nervous systems, to our environment, and to our own inner experience.
But sometimes we need to shift into protection mode.
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Protection mode comes in two “flavors.”
The first flavor of protection mode is known as hyper-arousal, where energy floods in to our system. Here, we have access to both the fight-or-flight and the freeze responses. In fight-or-flight, we act with speed and power, while in freeze, we tense ourselves into stillness.
The second flavor of protection mode is hypo-arousal, where energy floods out of our system. This is the collapse response—we’re “playing dead,” going numb to that which is unbearable.
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Let’s return to connection mode for a sec.
In connection mode, our “waves” of arousal and rest comfortably rise and fall in the background of our experience. The up-waves represent mobilization (we’re active); the down-waves represent immobilization (we’re relaxing). Notice in the image below how the waves don’t get too high or too low. They stay within a “window of tolerance” (also known as a “zone of resilience”).
In large part, mobilization (the up-wave) is driven by the brain’s relationship with the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys and squirt out stress hormones. This stimulates us into action.
Meanwhile, immbolization (the down-wave) is made possible by the vagus nerve, which keeps us from getting “too up.” Through the vagus, we’re able sloooooow down, relax, and restore ourselves.
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Now, when we face a danger that requires energy, our autonomic nervous system might spike our wave of arousal upward into hyper-arousal. (Remember, it’s an automatic process; the ANS is working underneath the level of our conscious awareness.) Notice how our wave now crosses the threshold of the zone of resilience:
If our ANS determines that we need to act with speed and power, we use this energy for fight-or-flight. Or our ANS might decide that the most effective use of our energy is for making our body really rigid, so as to avoid being seen (the freeze response).
But if hyper-arousal proves to be inappropriate or ineffective, we have another option: hypo-arousal. Here, the dorsal vagus crashes us down into collapse:
Now, energy has left our system. We’re numb, dissociated, so we can hide from the terror of an overwhelming situation.
When we’re in either flavor of protection mode, we’re operating outside our window of tolerance. Our manageable wave has become more extreme.
I want to emphasize here that these two flavors of protection mode are superpowers! They’re life-saving capacities.
The fight-or-flight response mobilizes our resources for quick and powerful action. (Like darting out of the way of a falling tree branch.) Freeze gives us the opportunity to avoid detection by a predator. (Say someone has broken into our house.) And the collapse response protects us by numbing us to overwhelming experiences. (Like if we’re pinned in a car crash.)
Once we’ve used these protection-mode superpowers to access safety, we have the opportunity to return to connection mode, reestablishing our wave in our comfortable zone.
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This framework is called “polyvagal theory” because it hinges on more than one (“poly”) branch of the vagus nerve (“vagal”): there’s the ventral vagus and then there’s the dorsal vagus. Stephen Porges developed the theory in the 1990s, and I find it so incredibly useful.
Why is this framework useful? Well, because it’s easy for us to get stuck in protection mode.
Protection mode is intended to be temporary. But if it becomes our default mode, life becomes very uncomfortable. We find ourselves constantly revved up or checked out. We find ourselves living outside our window of tolerance.
Polyvagal theory gives us a means to understand our nervous system and to shape it in a way that serves us. By strengthening our ability to access safety through connection, we can promote pathways toward ease and belonging, instead of only relying on our protection strategies.
In doing so, we can minimize the mental-emotional states of hyper-arousal (anxiety, anger, insomnia, etc.) and hypo-arousal (depression, fatigue, withdrawal, etc.) that arise when our protection modes become our defaults.
Polyvagal theory has provided me with a pathway for shaping my own autonomic nervous system, and it serves as a foundation for my work with my clients. So, I’m providing this exploration as a resource for my clients and for anyone else who might be interested in accessing greater clarity and skillfullness in navigating life’s challenges.
In the next article, we’ll dig a little deeper into our connection and protection states. Click here to read on!
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[i] Dana D. Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory. Boulder, CO: Sounds True; 2021: 1.