Your Autonomic
Nervous System
introduction
What if you had a blueprint for how your body and mind work—one that helps you move from stress to clarity, from conflict to connection, and from burnout to balance?
Polyvagal Theory
That’s exactly what Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr Stephen Porges offers. It reveals that our experiences—how we handle pressure, communicate, and make decisions—is deeply rooted in our biology.
Simple Framework
You don’t need to be a biologist to understand your biology—you just need to know how to look inward and notice your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations.
Small changes
When you can recognise what nervous system has been automatically activated in your body, mindfulness practices offer the perfect partnership to toning your body's response.
Big outcomes
This knowledge isn’t just useful—its essential. We believe it should be available to everyone to create a life and workplace where people thrive instead of just survive. Find out more about your biology below.
Nervous System Process
Built in Autopilot
Each of us has a remarkable autonomic nervous system that constantly shapes how we experience the world.
Internal Watch Tower
We have a full body system that is constantly scanning our environment to detect whether we are safe or under threat.
Learned Reaction
Based on what it detects—and past experiences your body has learned from—it sends signals to the brain to organise your response.
States
The body's response has 4 principle states that shape how you feel, what you think, how you think and what action you take in any given moment. See below.
The Four Nervous system states
1.
Ventral State
aka 'balance & connection'
Safety State
Healthy homeostasis. Well regulated heart rate, and breathing. Muscles are relaxed and enjoying movement. Brain function is heightened, body is co-ordinating well. Sense of connection to self, others, the world. Where we communicate well and feel at ease.
Resilient
Feel moments of stress but have the resources to bring yourself back easily to feeling grounded, spacious, alive, grateful, abundant and at ease. The ease of moving back to a Ventral State is true resilience. This is where we can really feel connected with joy and happiness.
Capacity Grows
You feel resourced and resourceful, taking appropriate action, (rather than the need to do everything).When stress happens, you know how to support yourself and others, moving back to safety.
Thriving & Creative
Feel a sense of connection to self, others, the world. We listen deeply and communicate well and feel at ease. We are comfortable engaging socially, connecting and collaborating.
2.
Sympathetic State
aka fight / flight / fawn
Survival State
Parts of the brain come off line, heart rate & blood pressure increases, muscles held in tension - ready to go. Cortisol & adrenalin pumped through the body. Digestion out of balance.
Unsettled
You experience a range of emotions including a general sense of unease, feeling stressed, reactive, anxious, alarmed, fearful, with racing thoughts.
Mobilised
Hypervigilent, feeling the need to move/take action to feel better. 'I'll get it done myself'. Can jump over others in conversation and answer before listening and understanding.
Self protection
Feel out of sync with others, misread cues, sacrifice social engagement for survival. Feel driven to compete, move into judgment and criticism of others. Driven to be better than everyone else.
3.
Dorsal State
Aka collapse / shutdown
Survival State
Parts of the brain come offline, breathing becomes shallow, heart rate lowers, blood oxygen lowers, digestion disturbed,
Overwhelmed
Feel dispondent, loss of hope, self critical and feelings of 'Im never going to be good enough'. Feeling numb and powerless.
Immobilised
Going through the motions of daily life, without being present. Can feel like you want to shrink away/disappear, zoning out.
Disconnected
Connection with others feels threatening, you lack presence in spaces and may find you are talked over or ignored when you speak.
4.
Combined Sympathetic & Dorsal States
aka 'freeze'
Survival State
An activation of both survival nervous system states. All the energy being pumped into the body to mobilise, present with all the fear of taking action.
Rollercoaster
Feeling ALL the challenging emotions -from fear and rage and anxiety to cynicism, resentment and apathy.
Burnout
All the highs of the adrenalin and cortisol pumping in with all the sensations of collapse keeping you immobile - like driving in 1st gear the whole time.
Disconnected
All these sensations keep us feeling alone and stop us from exploring deep trusting connections with others and the world we live in.