> As Stephen Porges, PhD, a psychologist and the creator of the Polyvagal Theory
Funny. Just yesterday I googled "polyvagal theory" after accidentally stumbling upon it after googling for "HRV training" after hearing about it from Tim Ferriss on his youtube channel.
Anyway - a quick research yielded that PVT and Mr. Porges are both rather questionable. [1]
> The thinking brain isn’t what decides whether we’re stressed, whether we’re feeling threatened or challenged, whether we’re going to turn stress on, whether we’re going to turn emotions on,
I'd question that and bring thought loops forward as a counterexample. You can very well intensify a state of anxiety by dwelling on some thought.
> So if you want to track your anxiety, your body, not your thoughts, will be your most accurate map.
That is true, though - after all anxiety is a physical sensation. I can attest to that waking up now for several weeks almost every day with stomach aching, increased heart rate and shallow breathing.
> The problem is that when it comes to regulating our nervous system after a stress response (read: anxiety), our thinking brain is the absolute worst tool for the job
I'd also questin that. It's true that the thinking brain on its own will never find a solution for something like anxiety. But you need the thinking brain to identify the problem and come up with a solution. If the thinking brain is a hammer then your guts are a screw driver.
> talk therapy analyzing all the reasons you’re anxious, this is probably a hard pill to swallow. Not only did all that talking not do much to alleviate anxiety, but it could also even have made it more acute.
Talk therapy addresses the thinking brain and is hence limited. But a good talking therapy is not just being experienced by exchanging words. If the therapist is worth her money she'll connect on an emotional level.
> Is there any role for talk therapy, or trying to think logically about your anxiety? Absolutely. But only once your body is regulated, Stanley says: “After we have helped our survival brain feel safe and stable, then we can work on our thoughts.
This attitude is symptomatic of our misguided medical profession which always seeks to compartmentalize and modularize instead of integrate and connect. Both approaches can go very well hand in hand.
Funny. Just yesterday I googled "polyvagal theory" after accidentally stumbling upon it after googling for "HRV training" after hearing about it from Tim Ferriss on his youtube channel.
Anyway - a quick research yielded that PVT and Mr. Porges are both rather questionable. [1]
> The thinking brain isn’t what decides whether we’re stressed, whether we’re feeling threatened or challenged, whether we’re going to turn stress on, whether we’re going to turn emotions on,
I'd question that and bring thought loops forward as a counterexample. You can very well intensify a state of anxiety by dwelling on some thought.
> So if you want to track your anxiety, your body, not your thoughts, will be your most accurate map.
That is true, though - after all anxiety is a physical sensation. I can attest to that waking up now for several weeks almost every day with stomach aching, increased heart rate and shallow breathing.
> The problem is that when it comes to regulating our nervous system after a stress response (read: anxiety), our thinking brain is the absolute worst tool for the job
I'd also questin that. It's true that the thinking brain on its own will never find a solution for something like anxiety. But you need the thinking brain to identify the problem and come up with a solution. If the thinking brain is a hammer then your guts are a screw driver.
> talk therapy analyzing all the reasons you’re anxious, this is probably a hard pill to swallow. Not only did all that talking not do much to alleviate anxiety, but it could also even have made it more acute.
Talk therapy addresses the thinking brain and is hence limited. But a good talking therapy is not just being experienced by exchanging words. If the therapist is worth her money she'll connect on an emotional level.
> Is there any role for talk therapy, or trying to think logically about your anxiety? Absolutely. But only once your body is regulated, Stanley says: “After we have helped our survival brain feel safe and stable, then we can work on our thoughts.
This attitude is symptomatic of our misguided medical profession which always seeks to compartmentalize and modularize instead of integrate and connect. Both approaches can go very well hand in hand.
1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvagal_theory#Criticism