There are three autonomous nervous system (ANS) states, each of which has adaptive value (Porges, 2003). During the day, we move up and down the evolutionary ladder of these neural pathways i.e., the ventral vagal, sympathetic and dorsal vagal circuits. Each circuit represents a specific response to cues of safety and danger.

The ventral vagal pathway from the heart connects with pathways that control muscles of the face and head, regulating how we turn and tilt our head to smell, see, hear, speak and express emotion. This has been named the “face-heart connection” (Porges, 2003).

The ventral vagus connects with the heart’s pacemaker (sinoatrial node), which regulates the rhythms of the heart, can make it step up its pace or slow down. In fact, this function has been called the ventral brake. A flexible ventral brake allows ease in transit from one state to another, and one can rapidly engage and disengage, energize and calm, in a purposeful way. Instead of merely reacting, one can reflect and choose how to best respond to a given challenge or situation (Dana, 2020).

Like most systems, the ventral vagal system can be taxed beyond its limits by a feeling of overwhelm, whether at work, family, relationship and/or a sense of loneliness.

When mobilization by the sympathetic system with its action programs of “Fight or Flight” cannot resolve or ameliorate one’s distress, if there aren’t enough resources available, the ANS may collapse into an experience of dorsal vagal lifelessness, in which we retreat to an energetic conservation mode, functioning at a bare minimum. (This is when we decide to crawl back into bed and hide under the blanket, binge mindlessly on a Netflix series, or retreat into sleep.) The dorsal vagal response is a response to what appears inescapable, and is thus characterized by disconnection and numbing, and even dissociation.

Upon subsequently moving out of the dorsal vagal mode, there is a surge of sympathetic energy (i.e., a return to the Fight or Flight modes), but without a regulating influence, it may be too much and flood the system, leading back to a return to dorsal vagal shutdown. 

Modulating factors that may prevent this shutdown include both inner and outer resources, such as a connection to another person, or an organized way to use or channel the energy. (The latter may include the conscious utilization of dance or the practice of Qigong.)

Since the ability to return to regulation is the essence of resilience [1], it is important to be able to access and strengthen pathways to ventral vagal regulation, which include those of co-regulation. A regulated person in our immediate vicinity is an invaluable resource, allowing us to take a much needed deep breath and calm down a bit.

Sometimes, however, we may be lulled safety when, in fact, we are not safe, remaining unaware of the danger lurking around the corner; conversely, we may see danger where it is not. For example, as recently described on a documentary on the Mossad (Channel One), an undercover agent, constantly on the lookout for signs of danger and life-threat, may become overly paranoid and overreact, becoming a danger to himself and others. Conversely, a survivor of sexual abuse may be less than optimally alert to danger in a social situation.

Often these faulty “neuroceptions” are due to traumatic experiences that have not been adequately processed, and alert us that the nervous system needs to be recalibrated. This reset is possible via SE or EMDR therapy, both of which are thought to favor a “bottom-up” approach (as opposed to a “top-down” one.) The processing is done primarily by sub-cortical structures (e.g., the ANS and amygdala, limbic system) informing the neocortex via afferent pathways.