Navigating the Nervous System: Polyvagal Theory in Practice

Please note that all registrations have to be paid in full before the event takes place - otherwise you will miss out on receiving the Zoom link (this is usually sent two days before the event takes place). This event will be recorded for all those who are registered on the day. Recording is available for three weeks.

The autonomic nervous system is at the heart of daily living, powerfully shaping experiences of safety and influencing the capacity for connection. How clients move through the world—turning toward, backing away, sometimes attaching and other times isolating—is guided by this system. We now understand how in response to traumatic experiences, autonomic pathways of connection are replaced with patterns of protection and the drive to survive operates in opposition to the need for connection. With the development of Polyvagal Theory, therapists have a guide to the neurophysiological processes of mobilization, collapse, and social engagement and can reliably help clients reshape their autonomic responses and rewrite the stories that are carried in their autonomic pathways. With an updated map of the autonomic circuits that underlie behaviors and beliefs, we can lead our clients out of adaptive survival responses into the autonomically regulated state of safety that sets the stage for connection and is necessary for successful treatment.  

Through didactic teaching and experiential practices, participants will develop an understanding of the organizing principles of Polyvagal Theory and learn how to use autonomic responses to support clinical decision making. 

Participants will:

• Categorize ways neuroception shapes behavior
• Construct an autonomic map to identify the emergent properties of states
• Analyze the elements of the social engagement system

Presenter: Deb Dana (USA)

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, author and speaker. She is a founding member of the Polyvagal Institute, consultant to Khiron Clinics, and advisor to Unyte. Deb’s work delves into the intricacies of how understanding and befriending the nervous system can change the way we navigate our daily lives. She is well known for translating Polyvagal Theory into a language and application that is both clear and accessible and for her significant contribution pioneering Rhythm of Regulation® methodology, tools, techniques and practices which continue to open up the power of Polyvagal Theory for professionals and curious people from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life.

Deb’s clinical work published with W.W. Norton includes The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, Polyvagal Exercises, the Polyvagal Flip Chart, and the Glimmers Journal. Her work with Sounds True for a general audience includes Anchored and The Nervous System Workbook.