Question

What does Porges say about Polyvagal Theory and spirituality? Do you agree with his connection with these ideas? Why or why not?

Answer 1

According to Stephen Porges, Ph.D., our body is able to remember a traumatic experience, and can actually get stuck in the trauma response mode. He says that we may not anticipate this but we may have to experience it. So even when life becomes safe, the body still perceives danger and its defenses stay engaged.

According to the polyvagal theory, the vagus nerve has two branches and includes three distinct circuits. These circuits define the ways in which organisms can respond to their environment. In response to this body sets in fight or flight response. In mammals, the vagal nerves control the facial muscles and vocalization—which regulates the heart, lungs and other internal organs. In order to shift the vagal circuits requires us to first understand why our body responds to the environment in the way it does. Once you recognize where your reactions are coming from, you can work on changing the state of your body. One of the ways of doing this is through spirituality but it can mean different things for different people, but much of it is about finding more peace in your life so your neural circuits are not being triggered.

Yes, i agree with his connection of ideas as I have also experienced the same thing when I was accompanying my relative in the hospital for a medical procedure. The moment she was told that she was in a safe space and was told to do deeper breathing she was able to overcome anxiety related to the procedure.