22/02/2026
Apparently Polyvagal Theory is according to a 2026 research paper written by a long time polyvagal naysayer and signed off by 39 additional scientists. But exposure therapy and CBT are evidenced based and can and do lead to attrition (clients dropping out) due to flooding, overwhelm, or lack of their buy in to the effectiveness of the treatment. Who’s to say what is effective for each of us individually? Placebo effects are also evidenced based… 🥸👹 though I’m not saying polyvagal theory is a placebo effect! There are already rebuttals worth continued research. I guess for now, being an avid supporter and educator of mind/body connection, as trauma therapist, personally, and as yoga teacher, I want to say that my experience personally and professionally has shown that listening to your body will always serve you well. Attuning to yourself, your supports, loved ones, friends, animals, and community will create connection and shutdown the amygdala (fight, flight, freeze, fawn). Learning ways to relax your body, supports frontal lobe processing, and empowers us to make healthy decisions in alignment to our values, and this rarely disappoints.! 💃🏽 Polyvagal theory taught us how to build awareness of our nervous system; when we felt connected (ventral vagal), threatened (sympathetic) or shutdown (dorsal vagal). This is powerful information for us and can be effectively used to choose tools to lead us back into our window of tolerance. So for now, here’s me doing Lion’s Breath, to support release, expression, reduced activation, increased atyunement, empowerment, and fun! 😏 btw is anyone else experiencing existential crisis over this? 🤪
www.lionsbreaththerapy.com
