Reflective moments from Hearts on Fire
Spirituality and the Polyvagel States
As we seek to assist others in their journey to wholeness with God, we often encounter
those who seem ‘stuck’ or unable to move forward to oneness with our Creator.
In an attempt to understand what this ‘stuckness’ is about, concepts from the Polyvagal perspective may enlighten us. This will assist us so that we can find a path on which to move forward toward Wholeness with God.
Our body is a very complex system with emergent parts. We have a nervous system that can and will adjust itself to the surroundings in which it lives to stay safe. We can become more than the sum of our parts.
When we immerse ourselves in our spiritual world, how do we get this complex human system into a state that will enable its emergent properties to come forward to be in Oneness with God? A person must be in a trusting/safe neuroception state so that it can be present, engage, and take in information from its surrounding environment. A person can be still, quiet, and give up anxiety. We must be vulnerable not only in our spiritual world, but our internal physical world as changes of our energetic nervous system shapes our perception of our external world.
The body’s autonomic nervous system must be settled, grounded so that it perceives the world as safe, connected, and engaged. This is the only state in which health, growth and restoration are possible. The person’s narrative story can be changed so they are more whole and embodied with God’s love. With Polyvagal Theory in mind, this state is called the ventral vagal state.
If a person’s autonomic system is in the sympathetic state with the neuroception of danger, the only goal is survival. This person will have some history of trauma/abuse. This person will be mobilized, in panic, have anxiety, anger, and their blood pressure may be increased. The person will want to take some type of action for safety. The person may have physical issues like back pain due to rigid muscles. They will be in a fight or flight mode focused on safety, not a state of quiet needed for change.
The third vagal state is dorsal vagal shut down with a neuroception of life threat. The person may be over whelmed, in a down state, collapse may occur, numbness is present, depression occurs, disconnection, and will shrink from the world. The body will store fat for survival and lethargy may occur. The person becomes immobile, stuck, feels shameful, has despondency, no agency, collapse and stuck in their own story. The person is at dis-ease and closed to change. The person looks for clues of danger within themselves and the environment.
In helping others to rejoin their Maker in a trusting, safe, Oneness, we can use benevolence. With the understanding of the vagal states, benevolence is the active, consistent, intentional use of ventral vagal energy in the service of caring and healing. We can move along side the distressed person to share our energy as a source of movement. The use of reciprocity in dialogue will assist the person in moving out of the other vagal stages into one that can move them to spiritual wellness of body, mind and spirit.
Reference:
- Podcast: David Berceli—Dr Stephen Porges speaks about spiritually concepts from a Polyvagel perspective
- Podcast: The Mindhealth360 show—Deb Dana: Managing our nervous system to find safety and connection for better mental health
- Reflection by Dr. Ruth Cox, PhD, LMFT, FNP-BC, PHNP-BC, Treasurer of FUMSDRL/Hearts on Fire
These Reflections are the views of the author.