How Trauma Dysregulates the Nervous System: A Polyvagal Perspective
Healing from anxiety starts with understanding your body’s signals. Learn how Polyvagal Theory explains emotional responses, safety, and connection.
When we think about healing from anxiety or trauma, we often focus on the mind—changing thought patterns or learning coping skills. While these approaches are important and helpful, they only provide part of the whole story. The body, especially the nervous system, plays a crucial role in how we process and recover from overwhelming experiences. This is where Polyvagal Theory offers new hope and understanding.
How Trauma Shapes the Nervous System
Trauma and chronic stress can disrupt the natural rhythm of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). When the ANS becomes dysregulated, it may get "stuck" in a heightened state of alertness (fight-or-flight) or a shutdown response (freeze). These states are adaptive survival mechanisms, but when they persist beyond the initial threat, they can lead to long-term physical and emotional challenges - including attachment and relational challenges.
Research shows that chronic dysregulation of the nervous system contributes to conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. For many people seeking Anxiety Therapy in San Francisco, these patterns show up as persistent feelings of unease, hypervigilance, or emotional numbness.
The Power of Co-Regulation in Healing
One of the most profound insights from Polyvagal Theory is the concept of co-regulation. Humans are social beings, and our nervous systems are designed to regulate in the presence of others. When we are with someone who is calm, present, and attuned, our own nervous system can begin to settle and shift toward a state of safety.
This is why the therapeutic relationship is such a powerful tool for healing. In In-Person Therapy in San Francisco, the experience of being seen, heard, and understood can help retrain the nervous system and support one’s overall wellbeing. Over time, this fosters greater resilience and the ability to navigate stress more effectively.
Practical Tools for Nervous System Regulation
Here are a few practical strategies that help to support nervous system regulation:
Recognizing Your State: Learn to identify whether you are in a state of safety, fight-or-flight, or shutdown. What does it look like or sound like. How do you see or hear the world? What are a few common thoughts or cognitions? This is a muscle to be built over time.
Respecting Adaptive Responses: Understand that these survival states are not "bad" but are your body's attempt to protect you. I’ll often say to folks, we don’t want to erase that or really any part of you. We aim to invite balance and regulation. Our adaptive fight, flight, freeze responses help to keep us safe and warn us of danger.
Regulating Through Connection: Use grounding techniques, mindful breathing, and safe social connection to shift toward calm and safety.
Re-Storying Your Experience: With support, you can begin to reframe your experiences and build a new narrative of safety and possibility. Overtime, and organically, one’s perspective begins to shift. When we have a fuller understanding of ourselves and the necessity for being guarded begins to dissipate, new insights and perspectives begin to make themselves known.
A Path to Greater Freedom
Healing from anxiety and trauma does not end at managing your “symptoms”. While this is important, and often times a vital first step, bigger shifts occur over time that go beyond symptomatology. This is more so about the reclaiming your life. By working with your nervous system, you can move beyond patterns of fear and disconnection to experience more ease, joy, and authentic connection.
If you're ready to explore a new path toward healing, Social Anxiety Treatment in San Francisco offers a compassionate and science-backed approach to help you feel safe, connected, and free to live the life you deserve.
