Polyvagal Theory

Have you ever wondered where emotions come from?  Why do different people get different emotional reactions from the same situation? This has been a question that has taken up a lot of interest and time from a lot of researchers. There is a general agreement now that emotions come as a result of the situations that we are exposed as well as the experiences we've had in the past.

One of the important contributors to our emotions is our 'arousal states". By arousal state, we mean our level of alertness, and our readiness to react. If the environment is safe, our alertness is in the 'green' zone, and it tells our bodies that it's safe to engage with the people around us. This is known as the Ventral Vagal State. If the environment is dangerous, it puts our bodies in a state of high alert, to be ready to run away or fight. This is the Sympathetic State. If the environment is really really dangerous, it tells our bodies to freeze. This is the Dorsal Vagal State.  One of the important points from this theory is that our brains are constantly scanning the environment for cues of safety and danger, without us even being aware of what's going on. That's why we for example can suddenly notice a change in our bodies when for enter a room before anyone has said or done anything. That's also why we can feel comfortable with some people and uncomfortable with others.

Sometimes, the response isn't the correct one, where the nervous systems gears up for danger when no danger is actually present. This comes about because it is responding to triggers which remind of actual danger that has happened in the past.

 
Sometimes, the reactions are extreme, to the extent that it can cause us to be dysregulated. Recognising our own cues for safety and danger in the environment and from others can be a very helpful contributor to understanding and managing our emotions.

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