By Don Tinsley and Skylar Carl
Over time the concept of how our body responds to stress has changed vastly. One way of conceptualizing this is the polyvagal theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges in 1994. His original article on polyvagal theory discussed the biology behind the theory such as the anatomy of the structure and the biology behind how it worked. In follow up articles, Dr. Porges theorized that the body has three separate responses to stress; social communication, immobilization, and mobilization.
The polyvagal theory involves the parasympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, and the vagus nerve. In this theory, the vagus nerve processes environmental data, and the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems regulate the body accordingly. The parasympathetic nervous system calms the brain, whereas the sympathetic nervous system helps send our body into fight or flight.
Social communication, otherwise known as social engagement, is the body’s most regulated state. This stage is read by the front of the vagus nerve and taps into our parasympathetic nervous system which seeks to calm the brain. During this stage, we feel safe and connected to our environment and the people around us.
Mobilization, otherwise known as flight or fight, is a stage in which the body prepares to fight a stressor or run away from the stressor. During this stage, you might feel an adrenaline rush which might involve you beginning to sweat and your muscles tensing.
Immobilization is read by the backside of the vagus nerve and causes us to shut down completely as if our system has become overwhelmed by the stimuli around us. This might feel like fatigue in your muscles, heaviness in your chest, and lightheadedness. Immobilization stops us in our tracks and makes us unable to confront the stimuli that sent us into immobilization in the first place.
In order to switch between social communication, immobilization, and mobilization the body has to do two things: 1). Assess the risk of the situation and 2). If the environment is assessed to be safe, then the body must enter into regulation. The process of neuroception is how the body assesses risk, which was named to represent a neural process that is different from perception. In layman’s terms, neuroception is how the body determines whether something is safe or dangerous. For example; familiar faces are perceived as safe through neuroception. In some people, the brain is able to properly assess the environment, however, in some people the brain experiences a mismatch between the perceived safety of the environment and the actual safety of the environment which can lead to psychological distress. Trauma can affect how our brain uses neuroception and can skew our sense of safety in our environment.
So you might be wondering what are some simple ways I can help get myself back into social communication when I find myself entering into immobilization or mobilization. There are a few simple strategies you can use whenever you find yourself dysregulated:
- Raising your arms above your head which helps circulate blood flow
- Relaxing your jaw
- Do a quick breathing exercise such as a 4-8-4 exercise (breath in for four counts through your nose, hold your breath for a count of four, and exhale through your mouth while making a ‘wooshing’ sound for a count of 8, then repeat)
These are just some simple techniques you can use next time you feel immobilization or mobilization coming on, but there are many more out there. For example, Stephen Porges suggests listening to music could be helpful for those who have suffered from trauma.
The polyvagal theory seeks to explain how our body handles stressful situations. Firstly our body takes in the cues in our environment through neuroception, and after our body processes those cues it can respond in one of three ways: social communication, immobilization, and mobilization, with social communication being the most regulatory state. There are simple techniques that you can use to get yourself back into social communication such as raising your arms above your head and relaxing your jaw. Overall, the polyvagal theory is a simple way of explaining how the body responds to stress that we can use to understand stress reactions and use them to our advantage.
Sources cited:
Clarke, J. (2019, August 5). Polyvagal Theory and How it Relates to Social Cues. Verywell Mind. Polyvagal Theory and How it Relates to Social Cues
Porges, S.W. (1994). Orienting in a Defensive World: Mammalian Modifications of our Evolutionary Heritage. A Polyvagal Theory. Psychophysiology, 32(1995), 301-318. https://doi-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/10.1111/j.1469-8986.1995.tb01213.x
Porges, S.W. The Polyvagal Theory: New Insights into Adaptive Reactions of the Autonomic Nervous System. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 76 (Suppl 2), S86- S90. 10.3949/ccjm.76.s2.17
Wagner, D. (2016, June 27). Polyvagal Theory in Practice. Counseling Today. Polyvagal Theory in Practice