Polyvagal Ladder: Understanding Your Nervous System States

Have you ever been in a conversation and suddenly felt your mind go completely blank, like someone pulled the plug? Or maybe you know the feeling of your heart hammering before a difficult phone call, even though nothing dangerous is happening. Your nervous system is responsible for these uncomfortable experiences. And believe it or not, it’s trying to help you.

Most of us were never taught how our nervous system works; we were told to breathe, relax, think positively (all reasonable advice that ignores the fact that sometimes your body won't cooperate with your brain's best intentions). Understanding why that happens is where Polyvagal Theory comes in. Polyvagal Theory provides a simple map of your nervous system and gives you new tools to help navigate it — so you can feel calm and present more often.

This article will walk you through the basics of Polyvagal Theory, introduce you to the Polyvagal Ladder as a practical framework, and show you how to build your own personalized map of your nervous system states. Even better, you’ll learn strategies for moving between nervous system states with more intention.

What is Polyvagal Theory?

Polyvagal Theory was developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, who first introduced it in 1994. In a review of the theory's current status, Porges describes it as “an evolutionarily informed neurophysiological framework for understanding how the autonomic nervous system supports social engagement, emotional resilience, and adaptive physiological responses.”1

That sounds pretty complicated, but Polyvegal Theory is based on one idea: your nervous system is wired to keep you safe. That wiring shapes everything: your mood, your relationships, your ability to think clearly, even your digestion.

The heart of the theory is that our ability to feel safe and connect with others is biologically embedded in the structure and function of our autonomic nervous system. A positive side-effect of understanding how our nervous system works is that it helps move us from judgement about how we feel, to curiosity about how we function.1

Central to this functioning is the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the human body, running from the brainstem all the way down to the colon. It is considered the sensory highway, sending messages back and forth between your brain and your organs and muscles.2

The Polyvagal Theory identifies three key neural pathways or “circuits” that shift how our organs and muscles function, depending on whether our nervous system registers safety or danger.

When we’re in danger, according to Porges, we cycle through these circuits, starting with the most recently evolved circuit — the ventral vagal circuit — to the most primitive one —the dorsal vagal circuit.5

As a sense of safety returns, we cycle in the other direction, until we return to the ventral vagal circuit.3

Here’s an explanation of the three circuits in simple terms:

The ventral vagal circuit

This is your “safe and social” state. Heart rate is regulated, breathing is easy, your face is expressive, and you can think clearly and connect with others.

When the ventral vagus nerve is activated, it triggers a range of responses in the body, including the release of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, which helps slow down heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduce stress and anxiety. This state is often described as a feeling of safety, trust, and connectedness.3

The sympathetic nervous system

This is the mobilization state, the fight or flight state. When your internal smoke detector picks up danger, this circuit activates fast. Heart beats faster, breath is fast and shallow, pupils dilate, gut becomes inactive to conserve energy, and stress hormones rush through your body.2

The dorsal vagal circuit

This is the oldest and most primitive circuit. When danger feels intense and inescapable, the nervous system shifts into shutdown or freeze. We can feel numb, dizzy, hopeless, trapped, or disconnected from the world. Our brain’s activity decreases, we have trouble thinking clearly. Our body may flop or curl up.2

The Polyvagal Ladder explained

The Polyvagal Ladder is a metaphor used in Polyvagal Theory. It was developed by Deb Dana, a clinician who spent years translating Porges’ complex neuroscience into language and tools that people could use in real life.4

• We move down the Polyvagal Ladder when we perceive a threat.
• We move back up the Polyvagal Ladder when we regain connection and safety.

This movement is normally automatic, meaning you don’t make a conscious choice to go up and down the ladder, it just happens.4

This metaphorical ladder has three rungs:

Top rung: ventral vagal (safe and connected)

On this rung, you feel calm, curious, flexible, and present. You’re attuned to your environment and the people around you without being at all nervous or vigilant. You’re able to relax and laugh. Your mind can solve problems without getting stuck. If you’re doing therapy, this is the state in which you can get the most “work” done in a session.

Middle rung: sympathetic (mobilized, activated)

In this state, you’re ready for fight or flight. You may feel things like anxiety, anger, irritability, urgency, and restlessness. It’s not comfortable, but it can be appropriate and useful. In this sympathetic state, you can jump out of the way of a moving car or defend yourself against a perceived physical or emotional attack.

Bottom rung: dorsal vagal (shut down, collapsed)

This rung is the nervous system's last resort, when you essentially check-out. You might feel numb, exhausted, and disconnected from your environment and/or dissociated from your body. Severe depression can leave you in this state.

These states aren’t always mutually exclusive. The more evolved ventral vagal circuit can partially co-opt older circuits, producing states like play (mobilization with safety) or intimacy (stillness with connection).5

Mapping your nervous system states

When you understand how the Polyvagal Ladder works, it can be used to influence (though not control) your mental, physical, and emotional state. Start by becoming more aware of the state you’re in (or the “rung” you’re on) and how you got there.

Step 1: Identify your cues and triggers

Pay attention to the things that tend to pull you down the Polyvagal Ladder. So out of a safe and connected state, and into a more alert and anxious state. Certain tones of voice? Crowded spaces? The sound of your phone ringing? A particular look on someone's face? An email from a specific person at work? The answer can be different for everyone and is likely to vary based on context.

One way to notice when this happens is to track what your body feels like as you transition into a more alert state. You may sense that your:

• Muscles get tense (your jaw, neck, shoulders, etc.)
• Mind goes blank or seems to stall
• Expression or tone of voice goes flat

Again, your body may have different signals. See if you can pick up on them. When you notice one, write it down.

Step 2: Name your states in your own language

The terms “dorsal vagal” and “ventral vagal” are clinical and hard to remember or connect with. Finding your own terms for the three different states can be more helpful. Some clients call the shutdown state “going offline” or “disappearing.” Some call sympathetic activation “getting spun up” or “feeling on edge.”

Whatever language feels natural and accurate for you is likely to be the most useful.

Step 3: Notice your glimmers

Glimmers are micro-moments of safety or connection that briefly activate the ventral vagal state.4 A glimmer might be the smell of coffee in the morning, a text from a trusted friend, tucking your kid into bed, the beginning of a favorite song or countless other things unique to you.

Glimmers are the opposite of triggers — they're small things that temporarily nudge you back up the Polyvagal Ladder.

Step 4: Explore your anchors

Anchors are the people, places, activities, or routines that reliably return you to the ventral vagal state for an extended period of time. They may not always have this effect, just more often than not.

A person who functions as an anchor is particularly powerful. Being with someone who is in a state of safe, relaxed connection — and can remain in that state even if you’re not — is one of the best ways to move up the Polyvagal Ladder. This kind of co-regulation is a big part of the work that therapists do.5

Like triggers or glimmers, anchors will be personal to you. Some common examples are spending time with a person you trust and feel close to, taking a walk in a beautiful or calming place, engaging in a hobby you enjoy, cuddling with a pet, or taking a hot bath.1

How to move up the Polyvagal Ladder

If you’re living a full life, it isn’t really possible to stay permanently at the top of the Polvagal Ladder. The goal is to move through the vagal states with more awareness and intention. By doing this, you can develop what Porges calls physiological resilience.

To move up the Polyvagal Ladder, use your glimmers and invest deeply in your anchors. If you know that brewing a cup of tea makes you feel safer and more relaxed, consider making that one of your daily rituals. If a specific type of music helps you relax, try listening to it when you get activated at work. Once you know your anchors, consider arranging your schedule and resources so they play a bigger role in your life.

A few small, simple strategies that can move you up the ladder:

Breathwork

Longer exhales, in particular, have been found to activate ventral vagal tone by stimulating the vagus nerve.

Soothing voices, music, or sound

Slow, rhythmic voices or sounds can shift our bodies into a safer, more relaxed state. If you’ve ever calmed an upset baby or animal with your voice, you’ve seen this in action.

Movement

When your nervous system is in a sympathetic or activated state, sometimes moving your body can help you transition out of that state. Exercising, taking a walk, stretching, or just shaking your body can help “complete the biological stress cycle.”

Common challenges that come up

Working within the framework of the Polyvagal Ladder isn’t always easy. It’s normal to bump up against blockers and uncomfortable feelings.

Some things you might experience:

Thinking you’re in a ventral vagal state when you’re not

If you’re used to living in a state of near-constant activation — as is often true for both high-functioning individuals and/or people with trauma — you may mistake low-alertness or mild anxiety for safety.2 A therapist can help you recognize the ventral vagal state.

Feeling shame about “getting stuck”

It isn’t always possible to access the ventral vagal state, even when using strategies that have worked in the past. You may stay activated or end up shutting down. This is normal — remember that your nervous system has been calibrated over the course of decades and generations. You may be able to influence it, but you can’t control it.

Expecting quick progress

The nervous system builds new patterns extremely slowly and there are no shortcuts. The ability to intentionally move back up the ladder develops through consistent practice and positive experiences over time.5

Trying to do everything on your own

Self-regulation tools like breathwork, listening to soothing sounds, and leaning into your glimmers can genuinely help. But co-regulation with a therapist who can model resilience for you often has the most profound effect.

Putting the Polyvagal Ladder in perspective

Polyvagal Theory is just that — a theory. And the Polyvagal Ladder is a framework for understanding our experiences as we move from a safe, relaxed, connected state to a state that is more alert and activated or paralyzed and shut down. It’s important to use this theory and framework only to the extent that it’s helpful for you.

When it comes to your mental health, working with a licensed therapist is typically the best way to apply these frameworks in a balanced way that leads to positive and lasting results.