Polyvagal Parts Work

Polyvagal theory offers a compassionate lens to understand how your nervous system shapes your experience of safety, connection, and survival. At its core, it explains how your body’s autonomic nervous system adapts to life’s challenges through three primary states: social engagement, fight-or-flight, and freeze. These states aren’t just reactions; they’re protective strategies your nervous system uses to navigate the world.

When you feel safe and connected, your “social engagement system” is active. This state, regulated by the ventral vagal nerve, allows you to feel calm, open, and connected to others. It’s the foundation for trust, communication, and feeling at ease in your own skin. However, when the nervous system perceives a threat—whether real or imagined—it shifts into fight-or-flight, a mobilized state that prepares you to protect yourself or escape danger. If the threat feels too overwhelming to fight or flee, your body may default to a freeze response, a state of shutdown or dissociation that numbs the pain of feeling trapped.

Trauma can deeply impact these systems, often leaving parts of you stuck in fight, flight, or freeze even when the danger has passed. You might find yourself overly reactive, avoiding connection, or feeling chronically “shut down.” These patterns aren’t a sign of weakness—they’re your nervous system’s way of trying to protect you.

In our work together, we’ll use the insights of polyvagal theory to gently reconnect you with your body’s natural rhythms.

By exploring the different “parts” of your nervous system and how they interact, we can create a safe space to unfreeze stuck patterns, foster resilience, and build a sense of safety and connection. This approach isn’t about fixing you—it’s about honoring the intelligence of your body and supporting it in finding balance and wholeness again. Together, we’ll work to help you feel grounded, present, and empowered in your life.