Anchored How To Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory

Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory* is Deb Dana'southward latest book. Designed for the layperson, it could be a useful book to recommend to clients who are interested in learning to manage anxiety and deal with dysregulated states.

In advance of our one day online CPD event: Feet: Attachment, Neuroscience and The Body on eighth October 2022, Bella Cranmore, one of the squad at BTP provides a summary of the volume and also some thoughts on how the volume might exist useful to counsellors and therapists, and where additional cloth might demand to be considered every bit well. The commodity likewise includes excerpts and links to the Sounds True podcast: Deb Dana: Befriending Your Nervous Organization, published in conjunction with the book'due south release.

Deb opens the volume with this quote:

"Polyvagal Theory is the science of feeling safe enough to fall in love with life and take the risks of living."

The volume aims to provide an attainable language and metaphor that helps readers 'befriend' and develop a good relationship with their nervous system. She introduces the language of the nervous organisation, and also invites readers to find their own words for each country which personally resonate.

Deb besides invites united states to go beyond words and also include visualisations and body sensations, with the intention of helping people move back to a place of felt safe in their trunk. Each chapter includes "explorations" or practices to help embody the theory.

Through this befriending process, we tin can develop a more resilient nervous system, and with increased internal self-regulation and co-regulation with others. The aim is to befriend our nervous system and to go "active operators of this essential system" (p.ii) creating more regulation, and a greater sense of ease and safety while navigating through life.

From a therapeutic perspective, Anchored aims to help readers to establish a secure anchor in their bodies, from which they can safely explore and experience into wounds from the past. Supporting a shift from a feeling of threat to sense of humour, interest and curiosity.

She writes:

"When we learn to befriend the nervous system, track states, and ballast in autonomic condom, the inevitable challenges that nosotros all face as we become through our days aren't quite so formidable. If we put a trouble bated and turn our attending toward learning how to shape our systems in the management of safety and connection, nosotros can render to the problem and run into information technology in a new mode. Anchored in a regulated system, options appear and possibilities emerge." (p2).

Chapter 1 – Principles and Elements of Polyvagal Theory

The opening chapter introduces an overview of how the nervous system works including:

The Autonomic Hierarchy
Neuroception
Co-Regulation

The post-obit diagram provides a visual summary of the autonomic hierarchy equally described past Deb Dana:

"The earth is…" and "I am…"

Deb writes: "A adept way to get a flavour if each of the iii building blocks is by exploring 2 statements: "The world is…" and "I am…". Finding the words that depict how you view the world and your place in it brings sensation to the beliefs stored in each state." (p.eight)

Neuroception

Neuroception is introduced as our internal surveillance system. The nervous organization is on constant alert always running in the groundwork and looking for signs of safety and signals of danger. These signals tin can be internal to the body, in the external surroundings, or in the play in-betwixt these.

We can't manage neuroception directly only can work with the body'south responses to the signals. By bringing sensation to our body and nervous system, we then have an opportunity to potentially tell different stories and make dissimilar interpretations.

Co-regulation

Recognising our fundamental wiring and dependence on others for our survival, co-regulation focuses on finding safe connection with another. As counsellors and therapists this is a key part of the therapeutic procedure. Beingness able to sit down with the other with our own regulated system, tin can help clients find a sense of safety in themselves.

3 Elements for Well-Being

Deb besides identifies three Elements for Well-Being (p.10). These include context, pick and connexion, and have an bear upon on our power to exist able to anchor in a felt sense of safety:

Context allows usa to connect more than objectively with what is truthful in the here and now, rather than defaulting to a past response which may be out of proportion to the present state of affairs.

Choice is important in assuasive a sense of bureau and prophylactic. There tin also be a personal sweetness spot, with also little choice beingness experienced as confining and restrictive, and as well much choice resulting in paralysis.

Connection has different facets including:

Connexion to self
Connection to other people and our pets
Connectedness to nature
Connection to the globe around us

Chapter 2 – Travelling Autonomic Pathways

"While we may recollect our brains are in charge, the heart of our daily experience and the mode we navigate the globe begins in tour bodies with the autonomic nervous organization. This is the identify where stories sally virtually who we are and how the earth works, what nosotros practise and how nosotros feel. It is our biology that shapes our experiences of condom and connection" (p.thirteen)

Deb goes onto provide an evolutionary insight into the evolution of the unlike survival mechanisms and nervous system states added to the summary below:

Deb then provides a simplified model of the autonomic nervous system including the vagal pathways (p.14). "Vagal" refers to the vagus nerve, named from the latin for "wanderer" reflecting the long length of the nervus.

Vesalius on the Anatomy and Function of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerves: Medical Analogy and Reintroduction of a Physiological Demonstration from Galen – Scientific Effigy on ResearchGate. Available from: https://world wide web.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-representation-of-the-cranial-nerves-in-the-Fabrica-1543-by-Vesalius-The_fig4_262693095 [accessed 21 Sep, 2022]

Exercises to Map the Vagus Nerve

In her Sounds True podcast: Deb Dana: Befriending Your Nervous System, Deb helps listeners to map the vagus nervus using their hands and body (28:30 into interview) explaining in the episode transcript:

DD: So if y'all want to put your hand at the base of operations of your skull, that would exist where your both ventral and dorsal vagus brainstorm. That's the origination point for them. And so if you put ane manus, bring i hand down the side of your neck and then come down the front of your body, through your pharynx, down your chest, your lungs, your heart, reach your belly and so wander through your abdomen, that is total length of the vagus.

The other thing that the vagus does is if you put your hands on the side of your face, if you're belongings your cheek, the ventral vagus, from its beginning indicate in your brainstem connects with a nerve that as well connects to your face, to your eyes, to your facial expression.

And so once more, if you put one hand on the side of your face and the other hand over your middle, that would be your biology of what we call a heart connection, your vagus going into your heart and then connecting with the fretfulness in your face. And it's a beautiful experience of being in that place of connecting with others through our eyes and our vocalism and that open up-hearted feeling.

So then simply to visit the dorsal vagus one more than time, if you put one hand on the back of your neck and the other hand over your stomach and your abdomen and experience the connectedness at that place, that'southward your dorsal vagus connection from your medulla in your encephalon stem downwardly to your digestive organs, and it's feeding nutrients to you.

Exercises to Connect with Different Parts of the Vagus Nerve

In the volume itself, Deb Dana introduces 2 embodied exercises to make it touch with the dissimilar parts of the vagus nerve (p.xviii) inviting readers to:

"Place one paw on the base of your skull and the other hand over your eye. Imagine the ventral vagal pathway and experience the energy moving between your two easily. Have a moment to admit the abilities for regulation and connexion this system brings".

Then…"move your paw from your middle to your abdomen. With one hand on your brainstem and one hand on your abdomen you're connected to the dorsal vagal pathway. Imagine this pathway and feel the energy that moves here. Take a moment and acknowledge the means this organisation works on your behalf, both nourishing yous through your digestive processes and protecting you when necessary by taking yous out of awareness".

Vagal Brake

The book goes on to explain how the vagal restriction works to regulate our eye beat with each breath, including an embodiment exercises to imagine the different qualities of free energy in the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.

Deb reassures us that leaving a regulated land is non the problem. It is non possible to always remain in a land of regulation. The key then is to develop enough cocky sensation to recognise when nosotros are leaving ventral vagal and moving into a survival response. From this awareness we tin can then have conscious activity to return to a regulated state. It is this flexibility and agility to motion between states that creates well-being and resilience. In contrast, it is getting tangled and caught upwardly in a dysregulated state that results in distress. (p.22).

Finding Our Own Linguistic communication and Words

To support developing this awareness, Deb invites readers to notice their ain words for the experience of each of the 3 states in the autonomic bureaucracy. Examples reflecting ventral, sympathetic and dorsal include (p.24):

Sunny, stormy, foggy
Flow, chaos, collapse
Connected, activated, gone

These can then be drawn, photographed or collaged as a reminder. Here is an instance that I created:

Subsequent Capacity

In subsequent chapters in the book Deb Dana explores different aspects of befriending our nervous system including:

Chapter 3: Learning to Mind (to our nervous system) including the role of self-compassion and curiosity which are qualities of the ventral vagal state, to help to move away from the self-criticism that arises the other survival states.
Affiliate four: The Longing for Connexion and the importance of relationship, including an exploration of the Social Engagement System and Four Connections (with self, others, the earth, and with spirit). She too explores the difference between loneliness and solitude, with the latter providing a regulating and nourishing experience and choice.
Chapter five: Neuroception: Your Nervous Organisation'due south Intuition, looking at learning to tune in to our intuition and learning to notice and evaluate cues for rubber.
Chapter 6: Patterns of Connection and Protection
Chapter 7: Anchoring in Safety
Chapter 8: Gentle Shaping
Chapter 9: Re-Storying
Affiliate 10: Self-Transcendent Experiences
Affiliate 11: Caring for the Nervous System
Chapter 12: Creating Community

Exercises for Befriending the Nervous Organisation

Peppered throughout the book are suggestions and exercises for befriending our nervous systems; developing resilience and bringing ourselves back to Ventral Vagal states. These include:

Working with the breath (p.114)
- Our breathing is controlled by our autonomic nervous system, merely can likewise be consciously changed helping us to consciously regulate our nervous system. This includes the power of sighing (p.118)
Working with touch (p.119) and exploring the touch on continuum from touch hungry to touch on filled.
- Self-bear upon can be useful here including putting our paw on our eye; holding our neck; crossing our artillery in a self-hug; or placing our hands in a prayer/namaste position; all of which can offering the potential of a regulating experience.
Imagining a new story (p.129)
- to get unstuck and create a feeling of connection.
Cultivating a sense of:
- Awe (p.137) which can stimulate wonder and curiosity;
- Gratitude (p.139) through journaling, prayer and expressing thanks to others;
- Elevation (p.140) with an intention to discover and pay forrad skilful deeds;
- Compassion (p.141) using a 'Just Like Me' practice;
- Forgiveness (p.144);
- Finding Stillness (p.146); and
- Benignancy (p.147) through the practise of loving kindness.

Reflections and Thoughts

There is some groovy content in Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous Arrangement Using Polyvagal Theory, and the invitation to explore and develop a personal language and set up of imaginary for each state helps to ground the theory in 24-hour interval to mean solar day life. Many of the explorations include embodied physical exercises which many could find useful.

However, polyvagal theory is still complex and it may non appeal to all, or even many clients, especially those who are more visual learners, who would benefit from more imagery and diagrams to support the text. The Window of Tolerance model is probable to be more accessible and understandable, and more explicitly focuses on strategies for managing hyper and hypo aroused states. Our commodity Working with Feet: A Resource List for Therapists provides recommendations for a wide range of tools and books that may be useful to back up this approach.

Information technology is also worth begetting in mind that polyvagal theory may need further nuance and development. For instance also including the fawn response which tin can exist a common survival strategy for women, people of colour and minority communities. For example, Dr. Arielle Schwartz writes about the Fawn response in her commodity: The Fawn Response in Complex PTSD:

"Physiologically, a fawn response involves reading the social and emotional cues of others to nourish to and care for their needs. Fawning besides involves disconnecting from torso sensations, going "numb" and becoming "cut off" from your ain needs. This can pb to derealization and depersonalization symptoms in which they feel as if the world around them isn't real, as if their body and deportment are not part of them, or as if they are living in a fog.

From a polyvagal perspective, these symptoms suggest ii dissimilar patterns of engagement of the vagus nervus. One is an over-reliance upon the ventral vagal circuit or social nervous system for the purpose of appeasing and pleasing others. Secondly, this patterns suggests reliance upon the evolutionary older circuit of the vagus nerve chosen the dorsal vagal circuitous."

Ultimately, the power of Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory perchance in counsellors and therapists working with this cloth to help self regulate themselves so that they can help co-regulate clients in session. They may also take greater conviction in recommending practises such as breathing exercises, knowing that their effectiveness is supported by biological research, evidence and understanding.

Upcoming Workshop

Interested in exploring further how to work with clients experiencing anxiety? Join us for our 1 day online CPD outcome: Anxiety: Attachment, Neuroscience and The Torso on eighth Oct 2022.

In this one-day seminar our three speakers: Victoria Settle, Smita Rajput Kamble and Suzanne Worrica, will explore the feel of anxiety, and how we tin can effectively work with clients experiencing these symptoms in therapy.

We will explore the neuroscience of anxiety, the function of anxiety in everyday life and the feel of collective anxiety experienced in response to world events. The twenty-four hours will offer ideas near why some people become overwhelmed with anxiety and panic, including early causes effectually attachment rupture, and also offer some means to work with feet and panic, including somatic/body-based approaches.

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Source: https://brightontherapypartnership.org.uk/anchored-how-to-befriend-your-nervous-system-book-review/