Most people tend to focus on the mind as the primary control center of human thought, emotion, and behavior. And while it is true that thought-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) have proven to be tremendously effective as a psychotherapy approach, science is always evolving and a newer theory is currently causing quite a paradigm shift in the field: The Polyvagal Theory.
The Polyvagal Theory identifies a causal link between mind and body through an understanding of the nervous system’s role in regulating emotions and behavior. In simple terms, when a person senses a threat in their environment, it is common for the nervous system to override the logical brain, making it difficult for the person to think rationally until the system is brought back into a more peaceful state. Whether the threat is real or not is irrelevant – since it is the nervous system’s perception of a threat that can trigger symptoms of anxiety, panic, agitation, or emotional dysregulation.
Although the mind/body connection is not a new concept, the connection is now better understood. According to the Polyvagal Theory, the body’s longest nerve – the vagus nerve, which runs from the base of the brain and travels down to the lungs, heart, and stomach – plays a key role in behavior. Furthermore, a revolutionary new treatment modality has been designed to help people regulate their nervous systems by essentially “resetting” the vagus nerve. This so called “bottom-up” treatment allows people who may be dealing with symptoms of emotional pain and dysregulation to find relief through a gentle, non-invasive approach that uses specially treated music to calm the nervous system. The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an auditory listening program that works to stimulate a small muscle in the middle ear – effectively resetting the vagus nerve. Over time, the person’s response patterns become more regulated.
Polyvagal Theory: The Basics
Dr. Stephen Porges introduced Polyvagal Theory to the scientific community in 1994. Dr. Porges is a renowned scientist whose research in the field of neurophysiological sciences has earned him notoriety in the field of mental health. The Polyvagal Theory originally focused on mammals’ ability to evolve and adapt to survive threats in their environments by regulating their defensive responses. At the time, Dr. Porges’ did not realize that his theory would go on to revolutionize the mental health field – providing therapists around the world with a new way to understand behavior and allowing new tools for healing.
The Polyvagal Theory tells us that the human nervous system has evolved over time and that there are three basic responses (or three distinct nervous system pathways) that support survival. These responses, or physiological states, align with what we perceive in our environment. Essentially, we are constantly gathering information through the five senses to assess safety. Dr. Porges uses the term, neuroception, to describe the nervous system’s sensory understanding of potential threat. The nervous system’s three main questions that it constantly assesses in the environment are as follows:
- Am I safe?
- Is this a threat to my safety?
- Am I in danger of not surviving this?
Ventral Vagal State: Neuroception of “I am Safe”
When we feel a sense of safety, we are focused, socially engaged, and connected to others in the community. This is what Dr. Porges’ calls the Ventral Vagal state. The vagus nerve is not activated, and we can access the higher brain functions of the neocortex (e.g., logic, reason, and executive functioning). Obviously, we all want to remain in this state as much as possible.
Sympathetic State: Neuroception of “This is a Threat”
This is our “fight or flight” state. We are mobilized to protect from a potential threat – anxiety, panic, irritability, emotional overwhelm are indicators that we are in the Sympathetic state. We enter this state when the nervous system detects a threat (no matter how logical or illogical). The vagus nerve activates the older parts of our brain and our sympathetic nervous system is triggered to respond. Essentially, our logical brain gets “highjacked” to support survival. The body’s autonomic nervous system (think automatic) kicks things up a notch and bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, digestion, and body temperature may increase. (Keep in mind that this state is purposeful and not always maladaptive – as there are indeed times we need to be mobilized to respond to an actual threat or even simply an approaching deadline).
Dorsal Vagal State: Neuroception of “I am in Extreme Danger”
This is where our very old “lizard brain” is activated, and our nervous system tells us to respond by essentially “playing dead.” We are overwhelmed with fear or dread, and we freeze or shut down. We may be temporarily paralyzed, disassociate, or simply crawl into bed and pull the covers over our head. Dr. Porges calls this the Dorsal Vagal state. Repetition of this response is associated with symptoms of depression.
Here are more details to explain the Polyvagal Theory:
- The autonomic nervous system(ANS) is the body’s control panel for every response we have. It has two parts—the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
- The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) runs along the middle of the spinal cord and releases adrenaline to fuel “fight-or-flight” responses. Through an evolutionary lens, the SNS provides a survival response to either run away or enter combat.
- The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)is responsible for both the social engagement response, and the “freeze” response. The PNS is controlled by the vagus nerve.
- The vagus nervestarts at the base of the skull at the brain stem and moves down through the lungs, heart, and stomach. It also runs upward and connects some nerves in the neck and face. It contains two branches: the ventral pathway and the dorsal pathway, which is a more recent evolutionary development.
- The dorsal vagus pathwayresponds to a neuroception of perceived danger, causing the body to shut down, freeze, and disconnect.
- The ventral vagus pathwayresponds to cues of safety and is responsible for inviting connection with others.
Another important concept that is important for understanding nervous system responses is the idea of co-regulation. Co-regulation is closely related to the neuroception of safety and is vital for social connection. In short, if we want to bring another person’s energy to a calmer, more regulated state of being – we ourselves must become calm and regulated.
The Safe and Sound Protocol
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) is an auditory listening program that helps regulate the nervous system. The SSP was developed by Unyte-iLs, where Dr. Stephen Porges, the author of the Polyvagal Theory sits on the advisory board. Dr. Porges played an integral role in the development of the SSP.
To complete the SSP, the client simply listens to 5 hours of music through headphones. These 5 hours of listening are completed in no more than 30-minute increments. This is done in the office at Illuminate Therapy & Wellness, and in some instances can be completed remotely by the client in their home. The music in the SSP has been algorithmically filtered and works to stimulate a small muscle in the middle ear which effectively resets the vagus nerve. Although the client simply hears a playlist of popular songs, the music focuses on the frequency range of the human voice. This alters the way sounds are interpreted. To illustrate this point, imagine the nervous system responding to the calming sound of a mother’s lullaby – with no screams, sirens, or growls of approaching predators to worry about.
As an SSP certified practitioner, I have been trained to deliver this powerful, yet gentle treatment modality. The SSP helps regulate the nervous system and is appropriate for children and adults who suffer from such issues as anxiety, panic, depression, trauma, emotional dysregulation, and sensory processing issues. The SSP is not a stand-alone treatment, but rather part of a broader psychotherapeutic treatment plan that is individual to each client.
If you know someone who could benefit from the healing potential of the SSP, please share this article with them. Many do not yet know about this powerful bottom-up treatment approach. By working with the nervous system, people can find relief from symptoms that can be detrimental to their life functioning.
By Teresa Gregory, MAAT, LPC, ATR-P
References
Dana, D. (2020.) Anchoring in ventral: Understanding your own nervous system. [PowerPoint slides]. Unyte-iLs Remote SSP Faciliation Certificate Course. https://my.unyte.com/resources/open/Remote-Delivery:-Autonomic-Mapping/3861fd7d-a6f8-457f-a8eb-0f25bb254951
Kling, J. (2020, November 9) The Neuroscience of connection: Applying polyvagal theory in family therapy. Open Sky Wilderness Therapy. https://www.openskywilderness.com/neupolyvagal-theory-family-therapy/
The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). (n.d.) Unyte-iLs. https://integratedlistening.com/ssp-safe-sound-protocol/
