Can polyvagal therapy help ease your anxiety and stress?
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Looking for a new way to feel better? Polyvagal therapy, which focuses on how the vagus nerve impacts your stress response, might help. Here’s what to know.
If you’re a person with anxiety, chances are you’re well-versed in the physical symptoms of feeling anxious and stressed. Maybe your chest tightens when your inbox pings or your stomach churns before social plans you didn’t have the energy to cancel. Maybe you’ve even gotten so used to a subtle hum of anxiety that it barely registers in your body anymore.
When stress builds up, mindfulness can help. But what if there’s more going on beneath the surface—something wired into the body itself—that needs a bit more support? That’s where polyvagal theory comes in. It’s a science-backed lens on how our nervous system responds to stress, and it might help explain why some calming strategies work while others fall flat.
Polyvagal therapy doesn’t try to change your thoughts, but instead helps you shift your state. And when paired with mindfulness, it can offer ways to feel more grounded and safe in the present moment, both in your body and mind.
What is polyvagal therapy?
Polyvagal therapy helps you understand how your body responds to stress, and how to gently shift those responses. It’s based on polyvagal theory—developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges in the 1990s—that centers on the vagus nerve and its role in regulating safety, connection, and threat.
The vagus nerve is a part of the body that runs from your brainstem through your face, heart, lungs, and gut. This nerve helps determine whether you feel calm and connected or on high alert. And according to the polyvagal theory, your nervous system moves through three main states:
Ventral vagal (safe and social): You feel connected, calm, and capable.
Sympathetic (fight or flight): Your body gears up to protect you from danger, whether it’s real or perceived.
Dorsal vagal (shutdown or freeze): You feel numb, withdrawn, or overwhelmed.
How does polyvagal therapy work?
Unlike traditional talk therapy, which starts with thoughts and emotions, this type of care begins with the body. Typically, a polyvagal-informed therapist will use techniques to calm or activate your nervous system, depending on your state.
These methods can include:
Breathwork: Slow and steady breathing to signal safety
Sound and vocal exercises: Humming or soft speaking to engage calming pathways
Grounding and gentle movement: Gentle motions like rocking or pressing your feet into the floor to reconnect with the present
Visualizations or imagery: Imagining warmth or safety to soothe your nervous system
5 possible benefits of polyvagal therapy
Healing through the nervous system takes time, but polyvagal therapy can be a meaningful complement to talk therapy and mindfulness. Here are five ways it might help:
Supports anxiety regulation: By using body-based tools, it may help calm a hyper-alert nervous system. It can also help make anxiety easier to manage over time.
Aids trauma recovery: For some, talk therapy alone can feel too much or not enough. On the other hand, polyvagal practices can offer a gentler and body-first path to healing.
Builds nervous system awareness: Learning how your body reacts to stress may help you recognize early signs of overwhelm and then respond with care.
Improves connection: When you feel safer in your body, it can be easier to be present with others. This can lead to better communication and deeper relationships.
Pairs well with other tools: Polyvagal work could help enhance mindfulness and talk therapy, especially if calm feels hard to access for you.
How do polyvagal theory and mindfulness work together?
Mindfulness helps you notice what’s happening, while polyvagal theory helps explain why.
Polyvagal theory offers ways to shift your state when stillness feels too much, and mindfulness focuses on non-judgmental awareness. If you’re meditating and feel panicked, polyvagal practices (like humming or gentle movement) can help regulate your system so mindfulness feels safe again.
For some, especially those healing from trauma, breathwork alone could be activating. In those cases, movement, sound, or connection can ease the body into calm. Both of these practices work together to support your nervous system with compassion and care.
What to look for in a polyvagal therapist: 8 tips to get started
Finding a therapist can feel a lot like dating. It’s vulnerable, there’s trial and error, and it can be nerve-wrecking. But also—just like dating—when you find the right one, you find yourself accepting that it was all worth the hassle.
If you want to try polyvagal therapy, here are eight tips to help you find your match.
1. Start with trauma-informed or somatic therapists
Polyvagal therapy isn’t a standardized certification, so you won’t always find someone with “polyvagal therapist” in their title. Instead, look for therapists who describe their approach as:
Somatic or body-based
Trauma-informed
Nervous system-focused
Bottom-up or regulation-focused
You can also check out resources from the Polyvagal Institute or the NARM Training Institute for therapists who use these approaches.
2. Read their language for clues
A therapist’s website or profile can tell you a lot. Check out their page and see if they talk about:
Helping you feel safe in your body
Working with overwhelm, shutdown, or chronic anxiety
Using breath, movement, or sensory grounding
These can all be signs that they’re informed by polyvagal theory. Also, look out for gentle, non-pathologizing language, like “working with your nervous system” or “building capacity.”
3. Ask about their process
It’s okay to ask a few questions before committing. Some good questions you could ask are:
“How do you work with the nervous system in your sessions?”
“What happens if I get overwhelmed during therapy?”
This can help you see if you’re in alignment with them, and the right therapist will welcome your curiosity.
Read more: 24 questions to ask your therapist to deepen your sessions
4. Notice how your body responds
One of the main principles of polyvagal therapy is that safety is felt. So ask yourself:
How does your body feel when you read their bio?
Do you feel more or less relaxed while talking to them during a consultation?
This doesn’t mean you need to feel completely comfortable. This is a new relationship, after all. But if something in your body relaxes, that’s worth noting.
💙 Practice Checking in With Yourself to notice how you’re responding during this short meditation with Professor Megan Reitz.
5. Be upfront about your needs and preferences
If you already know that traditional talk therapy hasn’t worked for you, or that your anxiety is more physical than mental, say that. A good therapist will meet you there. You can also share things like:
“Sometimes I go numb when I talk about hard things.”
“I’d like to work more with my body than my thoughts.”
“I’m interested in learning how to regulate my nervous system day-to-day.”
The more open you are, the more clearly you’ll see if the therapist can meet you where you are.
Read more: 7 tips on how to communicate your needs in a relationship
6. Find someone who works with pace
Polyvagal therapy centers on regulation. If a therapist wants to push through discomfort right away or insists that it's necessary, that might not be the best fit.
Instead, look for someone who:
Checks in regularly during sessions
Helps you slow down and stay present
Celebrates small shifts, and not just big breakthroughs
Remember, therapy should feel like a steady collaboration.
7. Consider logistics that support nervous system safety
It can be hard to settle your body when you’re stressed about parking or feeling unsafe in a space. Here are some practical considerations to take into account beforehand:
Look for a therapist who offers virtual sessions if that feels more comfortable
Keep an eye out for an office that’s private and not overstimulating
Take note of whether they set clear session boundaries and are consistent about scheduling
Your environment does matter, and feeling supported starts before the session even begins.
8. Don’t be afraid to try a few sessions and move on
It’s okay to try a therapist for a few sessions and then realize it’s not the right fit. This type of therapy often asks you to be vulnerable in new ways, so it’s important to feel trust.
Make sure to take it seriously if, in every session, you find yourself:
Masking
Freezing
Feeling “off”
If so, that’s okay. All this means is that your system might need a different kind of support.
Polyvagal therapy FAQs
Is polyvagal therapy based on real science?
Polyvagal therapy is grounded in scientific research. It was introduced in the 1990s by Dr. Stephen Porges. His research on the vagus nerve and its role in regulating stress, safety, and social connection has been influential in trauma studies and somatic therapies.
That said, the application of this theory in therapy is still considered emerging. While the science is well-regarded, more clinical research is needed to establish standardized outcomes.
Can polyvagal therapy help with trauma or PTSD?
It can be helpful for people who have experienced trauma. When someone has been through a distressing event, their nervous system may become stuck in a chronic state of hypervigilance or even numbness. Polyvagal therapy can help people recognize these states and use tools to then shift into a sense of safety.
Plus, for people who’ve found traditional talk therapy too overwhelming, working with the body first can feel more healing.
Do I need a certified polyvagal therapist?
Currently, there’s no formal certification required to practice polyvagal therapy. In fact, many therapists integrate this theory into their work after completing training in somatic or trauma-informed modalities.
In general, what matters most is that the therapist understands how to work with the nervous system and that they work in a way that emphasizes safety, pacing, and connection.
How soon will I notice results from polyvagal therapy?
Every person is different. It all depends on your specific nervous system, your history, and how consistently you engage with the practices. Some people feel small shifts within the first few sessions. Others may take longer to notice changes, especially if they’re working through long-standing trauma.
Plus, this work builds over time. In many cases, progress looks like shorter periods of shutdown, fewer panic spikes, and the ability to notice when you’re dysregulated and then respond with care.
How is polyvagal theory therapy different from talk therapy?
Traditional talk therapy typically focuses on your thoughts, beliefs, and behavior patterns. Polyvagal-informed therapy, on the other hand, starts with the body. Instead of asking, “What are you thinking?” it usually asks, “What are you feeling in your chest right now?” or “Can you sense any part of you that feels safe?”
This approach recognizes that the body often reacts before the mind can make sense of it. For people who struggle to articulate their feelings, working with the nervous system can offer a different way forward.
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