Befriending Your Nervous System Through Polyvagal Theory | Deb Dana |Take a Moment Guided Meditation

In this illuminating video, clinician, consultant, and author Deb Dana introduces the life-transforming power of healing by honoring the role of our nervous system. Drawing from Polyvagal Theory, Dana explains the three states of the autonomic nervous system: Ventral, Sympathetic, and Dorsal.

She shares how understanding this hierarchy can help us navigate intense experiences with more self-compassion. Dana also offers the "React, Return, Respect, Reflect" practice to explore our nervous system responses and build resilience.

Through her work as a clinician and Polyvagal Theory expert, Dana has developed the Rhythm of Regulation Clinical Training Series and lectures internationally on ways Polyvagal Theory informs trauma healing. She is a founding member of the Polyvagal Institute. If you want to build a healthier relationship with your nervous system and move from states of anxiety, overwhelm, or shutdown into connection, groundedness, and safety, this video offers a powerful roadmap.

If you would like to watch our videos in full, and ad-free, we would love to invite you to join Sounds True One. There is a lot of great content for you to explore, and many other features you may find enjoyable! Join the world’s foremost spiritual teachers, wisdom leaders and luminaries of our time–all in one place + live classes, Q&A sessions with teachers, online community events, book clubs, original shows, and more on Sounds True One–your home for wisdom, connection, and wellbeing.

Sounds True was founded in 1985 by Tami Simon with a clear mission: to disseminate spiritual wisdom. Since starting out as a project with one woman and her tape recorder, we have grown into a multimedia publishing company with more than 80 employees, a library of more than 1500 titles featuring some of the leading teachers and visionaries of our time, and an ever-expanding family of customers from across the world. In more than three decades of growth, change, and evolution, Sounds True has maintained its focus on its overriding purpose, as summed up in our Mission Statement.

Connect with us

[UtaSchmelter]

Would it be possible to open up the video for automatic translation, i.e. into German? This might be quite helpful in context with Dana's participation in the "Polyvagal Kongress" in June 2024 over here in Potsdam / Germany. Thank you for considering. 🧡💙🙏

[loriraemorris]

I hope one day I can be in a ventral state. I never experience this very often.

[eugeneano]

I’m having a hard time to see my dorsal. In ptsd I’m always alert, vigilant, afraid. I don’t dissociate.

[GracieDontPlayDat]

What about the SPIRITUAL element? To know you are not your nervous system, but that there is long term safety for an immortal soul away from the consequences of sin and death. Christians call the Holy Spirit the COMFORTER.

[chriskrause]

Why that background music? I find it very distracting.

[benxamin]

Ventral has been out of reach for many many years.