Finding Safety in Unsafe Places: Supporting Nervous System Regulation

In this episode, we tackle the challenging but vital question: How can we support nervous system regulation when someone isn't in a safe environment? Drawing from Deb Dana's Polyvagal Theory expertise and current research, we explore practical strategies for both practitioners and individuals navigating unsafe circumstances.

In this episode you'll learn:

• How to identify small touch points that can activate brief ventral vagal states
• Specific techniques practitioners & individuals can use to support clients/themselves in unsafe environments
• Micro-practices for self-regulation during ongoing stress or threat

Three Takeaways:

1. Even in unsafe environments, small "safety or regulating anchors" (objects, memories, connections) can provide crucial moments of regulation. The goal isn't permanent regulation in unsafe circumstances, but creating brief reminders that another state exists.
2. Oftentimes the first step in healing is acknowledging the reality of one's situation, not minimizing or denying it. Whether you’re a practitioner or the individual going through it, remember that your struggle makes sense, your survival responses make sense.
3. Recognizing and savoring these micro-moments of "safe enough" builds neural pathways that support resilience over time.

Resources/Citations:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: [phone]
• "Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection" by Deb Dana
• "Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory" by Deb Dana
• Levine, P. A. (1997). Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma. North Atlantic Books.
• Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
• Kearney, D. J., McDermott, K., Malte, C., Martinez, M., & Simpson, T. L. (2012). Association of participation in a mindfulness program with measures of PTSD, depression and quality of life in a veteran sample. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 68(1), 101-116.
• Price, M., Spinazzola, J., Musicaro, R., Turner, J., Suvak, M., Emerson, D., & van der Kolk, B. (2017). Effectiveness of an 8-week yoga program for women with chronic PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(2), 173-180.
• West, J., Liang, B., & Spinazzola, J. (2017). Trauma sensitive yoga as a complementary treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A qualitative descriptive analysis. International Journal of Stress Management, 24(2), 173–195.
• Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., Nuriel-Porat, V., Ziv, Y., Lerner, K., & Ross, G. (2017). Somatic Experiencing for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Outcome Study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304-312.
• Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.
• Perry, B. D. (2006). The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics: Applying principles of neuroscience to clinical work with traumatized and maltreated children. In N. B. Webb (Ed.), Working with traumatized youth in child welfare (pp. 27–52). The Guilford Press.

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