Polyvagal Theory: Befriending the Nervous System

The Polyvagal Connection

At its core, GoVerbing is grounded in Polyvagal Theory, which helps us understand the

autonomic nervous system’s three primary states:

• Ventral Vagal (safe, connected, social)

• Sympathetic (mobilized, anxious, angry)

• Dorsal Vagal (shut down, disconnected, frozen)

GoVerbing helps clients name these states experientially while simultaneously navigating them.

It provides language for self-awareness and self-regulation. Our the autonomic nervous system

(ANS)—not just our thoughts—drives our emotions, sense of safety, and relationships

Most clients come to therapy experiencing symptoms tied to dysregulation in the ANS:

• Trauma

• Anxiety & panic

• Depression & emotional numbness

• Disconnection & self-doubt

• When the nervous system is stuck in fight-or-flight (sympathetic) or shutdown (dorsal

vagal) states, we can feel unsafe, overwhelmed, or hopeless. GoVerbing™ helps clients

recognize these states in themselves and learn to intentionally return to the ventral vagal

state—the state of safety, connection, and openness—through movement and embodied

awareness.