Our lives are made up of many moving parts: our families, our careers, our relationships, our health and bodies. And it can often feel all too easy to succumb to stress and overwhelm.
Experiencing stress is a natural part of life. It only becomes problematic when we exist in a stressed state for long periods of time, which is exacerbated when we’re living with stored trauma or chronic physical or mental health issues.
The first step in moving from stress to a more calm, harmonious state of being? It lies in differentiating between the states of your nervous system, says Janine Kreft, a wellness and energetics mentor with a doctorate in clinical psychology who is also a DailyOM course creator.
“I find polyvagal therapy to be a very helpful model for people to gain clarity on their current nervous system state,” says Dr. Kreft. “Using a polyvagal-informed approach is essential to healing from trauma and a high-stress lifestyle.”
Interested in learning more? Check out Heal Yourself With Polyvagal Therapy
Meet Your Teacher: Dr. Janine Kreft
While training as a clinical psychologist, Kreft witnessed complex trauma, depression, and anxiety through her in-depth work with veterans. What became clear was that the traditional two-state model of the nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) was lacking. Upon graduating, she began studying more holistic, alternative, and energetic-focused modalities — and finally understood the missing piece to helping others heal on a deep level. Now her work with others incorporates polyvagal theory.
“It is so imperative to understand how to relax, as that is where healing, creativity, and connecting with the divine is found,” she explains.
What Is Polyvagal Therapy?
A derivative of the polyvagal theory developed by American psychologist and neuroscientist Stephen Porges, PhD, polyvagal therapy (PT) offers important insights into the multiple states of the nervous system that we can reside in at any given time, Kreft tells us. “It includes the following three states: ventral vagal (which captures our relaxed and socially engaged state); sympathetic (our fight-or-flight state); and lastly, dorsal vagal (our freeze and shutdown states).”
According to Kreft, identifying which state you’re currently in is key — and this is a big part of the work in PT. “Differentiating between the stress states is important for people to understand so that, at any given moment, they know which tools to use to re-regulate. Otherwise, you may use the wrong tool for the job, like using a screwdriver for a nail, so to speak,” she says.
Important Things to Know About Polyvagal Therapy
- It’s especially beneficial for those holding onto trauma or with chronic disease. “PT used in practice is important for everyone to learn. However, it is especially important for those with past trauma and chronic mental or physical illness,” says Kreft.
- A polyvagal-informed approach encompasses various tools. “When used in therapy, clients are taught somatic and mindfulness tools to connect and engage their bodies to re-regulate,” Kreft explains.
- It’s simple to learn. While the tools involved in PT are easy to grasp, the real work becomes about building awareness around your current stress state, Kreft says.
- The vagus nerve is a key player in PT. Part of the autonomic nervous system, the vagus nerve plays an important role in getting your body back into a parasympathetic or ventral vagal state, notes Kreft.
Why the Vagus Nerve Is Key to Reducing Stress and Trauma
A big focus in PT is the vagus nerve — and for good reason. “The vagus nerve connects and sends signals from the brain to the heart, immune, respiratory, and digestive systems,” explains Kreft. “It plays a key role in getting your body back into a parasympathetic or ventral vagal state.”
Returning to this state is essential because it activates the rest-and-digest mode — aka your healing and recovery state. “So, then, training our vagus nerve is important to help stimulate these recovery states,” Kreft says. “A weak vagus nerve results in more activation of the sympathetic and dorsal vagal (collapse) states.” This likely explains why a study found that vagus nerve stimulation reduced the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, and why some research linked low vagal tone with digestive issues.
6 Reasons Polyvagal Therapy Helps Reduce Everyday Stress and Heal Past Trauma
Simply put, PT helps you more easily and confidently engage in regular nervous system regulation work. And when you know how to move from a state of stress to one of calm, it dramatically influences your well-being on every level.
Adds Kreft, “At any given time, we are either reinforcing a stress state or a relaxation state. And oftentimes, folks think they are relaxed, yet are really in a stressed state.”
With that in mind, Kreft shares some of the biggest benefits to regulating your nervous system through PT.
1. It supports deep trauma healing
“Trauma often locks the nervous system in a chronic dysregulated state, leading to disease and emotional distress,” Kreft says.
Learning to regulate your nervous system is essential to recovery — and it’s something that can be learned with the support of PT. “Nervous system regulation is the first stop when healing. When we learn to relax and feel safe in doing so, our whole life changes.”
2. It reduces stress and “triggers” in every aspect of your life
“When you feel stressed and like you can’t relax, the nervous system is activated when it doesn’t need to be,” Kreft says. “It’s like leaving your car on all the time. Learning to regulate allows you to park your car, turn it off, and get tune-ups — which means it will be able to drive for years to come. Your body is no different. It was not meant to live in the emergency states.”
With PT, Kreft says you’ll learn to navigate stressful situations with more ease and re-regulate more rapidly.
3. It helps you feel more emotionally balanced — and more likely to choose behaviors that feel good
“When we are dysregulated, we tend to be more reactive,” Kreft shares. “We are less aware and mindful in the moment, making it harder to choose helpful habits.” This might look like binge-scrolling through social media, eating too much junk food, or avoiding exercise.
“It may also be difficult to get work done or take intentional risks, like working on goals toward our dreams,” she adds.
Now, just imagine feeling emotionally stable with the help of PT — and not having how you feel dictate your choices. This is how true transformation begins.
4. It improves your relationship with yourself and others
“We communicate best when relaxed versus when we are emotionally triggered — where we may say things we regret,” Kreft says. “When we are regulated, we are more clear-headed, can focus more easily, and are more intuitive. Which means we are much more likely to be heard and understood and foster better relationships overall.”
5. It helps you feel at home in your body
“Understanding the different nervous system states enhances your connection to the language of your body. And then you can more easily pay attention to and choose things that would be of benefit rather than overriding signals you are ignoring,” Kreft explains.
“Your body is your main home in life, and learning to become fluent in the language of your body will create significantly more ease in how you move through and experience this reality.”
6. It allows you to take aligned action with greater ease
“When you are triggered, frozen, or shut down, it makes it challenging to take action on what you are excited about. Even more so when things are outside of your comfort zone, as your nervous system is already compromised,” Kreft says.
“Now, imagine feeling relaxed and excited to work on those big goals. You have your desires for a reason. Yet, you need to be regulated enough to work toward them.” And PT can help get you there.
The Bottom Line
Learning how to regulate your nervous system is key to feeling more calm, joyful, well, and connected in all areas of your life. Polyvagal therapy gives you the tools to move swiftly into a relaxed state of being, where deep healing and transformation occur.
