The Polyvagal Ladder and Understanding Your Nervous System States
Safe and Social, Flight, Fight, and Freeze
Polyvagal Theory, created by Dr. Stephen Porges, helps to explain how our nervous systems are organized around felt senses of safety or danger. Our autonomic nervous system is constantly scanning our environments for cues that we can relax or that we should respond to keep ourselves safe. This process, called neuroception, happens before conscious awareness and can describe the power behind intuition.
Depending on how safe or unsafe we feel, we will occupy internal states of calm, flight, fight, or freeze. The polyvagal ladder, created by Deb Dana, is a helpful way to visualize how these autonomic nervous system states are organized within us.
Top of Ladder - Safe & Social (Ventral Vagal)
When our neuroception perceives environmental safety, we are likely to be in a calm and open state of being. This safe and social state allows us to engage positively with others and to use our full brain power - we can problem solve and be more creative in this state.
Physically, being in this state of regulation allows for healthy digestion, better immune response, deep breathing, a steady heart rate, and healthy blood pressure.
Life does not have to be perfect or without stress to mainly occupy this state. In fact, when ventral vagal is our baseline, we are more equipped to handle challenges, because we can use our brains more effectively and our bodies are more resilient.
Middle of Ladder - Flight and Fight (Sympathetic Activation)
When our nervous systems perceive danger, we are likely to move down the ladder, to states of sympathetic activation. Flight and fight are normal survival responses to danger that are easier to see in animals, who don’t also try to hide or mask what may be happening internally. This is a mobilized state of being, where our adrenaline may surge and our heart rate increases, preparing us to either run away or to fight to stay safe. Chronically being in flight or fight is linked to anxiety, panic, and anger issues.
Blood pressure tends to increase and pupils may dilate to better focus on potential dangers. You may feel hot in this state. Shallow breathing, and inhaling for longer than exhaling, are features of this state (and why panic can often feature hyperventilating).
*Hint: This is one reason why deep breathing is such an effective tool for finding calm. Especially breathing that features longer exhales than inhales. Try 4-7-8 breathing, where you breathe in to the count of 4, hold your breath for 7, and breathe out for 8. Repeat this as many times as needed until you feel your body relaxing.
Bottom of Ladder - Freeze/Shut Down (Dorsal Vagal)
On the bottom rung of the ladder, is the immobilized state of freeze, also called shut down or dissociation. This state can be seen in animals who have tried to run away but then got caught by the predator. At that point, their best option may be to shut down and go numb, so as not to feel the pain they are experiencing. Our autonomic nervous system may determine that fighting or fleeing is not an option, so it moves to the freeze response to try and stay safe. The world seems fuzzy in this state and you likely feel low energy and numb. Chronically experiencing a freeze state is linked to depression.
During freeze, your blood pressure can drop lower, you are more likely to feel cold, to have a decreased heart rate, and to hold your breath. Your limbs may feel more rigid and heavy as well.
Trauma and Stuck States
Sadly, trauma and chronically unsafe environments (emotionally or physically) can wire your nervous system to detect danger even when there is none.
Staying stuck in states of flight, fight, and freeze are also connected to greater loneliness, since it is harder to connect with others. In fact, in these states, neutral faces may be perceived as mean or threatening and calm voices can sound harsh. The world generally seems scarier and meaner when our nervous systems are activated or shut down. Because neuroception happens before conscious awareness, the stories we tell ourselves and the thoughts we have are formed through the lens of our nervous system state.
When your neuroception becomes faulty, through your body’s heroic attempt to survive and keep you safe, you are likely to perceive there is a fire when toast is burning or to live in a state of hopelessness, disconnection, or autopilot.
In order to get back to safe and social regulation from freeze, you actually need to first move up the ladder through activation. In animals who froze, but then somehow escaped danger, you will see them shake. This shaking is them moving from freeze, through, activation, before they can get to the top of the ladder, where they can find safe and social mode again. While it can be hard to move through activation if you have grown comfortable in numbness, it is necessary to really find relief and healing that will allow you to feel positively connected to yourself and to others.
While our autonomic nervous system and neuroception are automatic functions, if we can start to distinguish what state we are in, there are actions that we can take to help ourselves move up the ladder so that we can find calm again. Especially if you exist in a stuck state of flight, fight, or freeze, it is important to start training your nervous system in a new way so that safety and calm can begin to feel normal and that neural network can deepen.
Some ways to move up the ladder and train your body to more easily find safety:
4-7-8 breathing
Splash cold water on your face
Sing or hum to activate your vagus nerve
Self massage (especially your ears, neck, and face)
Play with our cuddle your furry friend
Spend time with a supportive friend (especially one that seems to be in a safe and social state themselves)
Practice restorative or yin yoga
Toss a ball back and forth with someone (this helps you to be socially engaged and connected to yourself and the other person - it requires focus to follow the ball that would be harder to access in freeze as well)
Drink water (when we are in flight/fight our mouths get dry since the body decides digesting is not a priority during survival mode)
Watch comedy (ideally with others so we can have more cues of social safety and connection)
Listen to calming or upbeat music
Practice mindfulness exercises
Speak to yourself with compassion and kindness, like a child you love
Listen to a guided meditation
Go for a run to release the activation energy
Create something
Shake or dance it out
Do progressive muscle relaxation
4-7-8 Breathing