My Methodology: Where Polyvagal Theory, IFS, and Attachment Meet
Polyvagal Theory
"Polyvagal Theory emphasizes the role the autonomic nervous system — especially the vagus nerve — plays in regulating our health and behavior. Created and developed by Stephen Porges, PhD, the theory describes the physiological/psychological states which underlie our daily behavior as well as challenges related to our wellness and mental health. By applying Polyvagal Theory to our personal lives as well as to disciplines such as medicine, education, and management, we can understand how safety, co-regulation, and connection are paramount to a healthy human experience" (2).
Polyvagal theory is a system of understanding about how the nervous system functions to adapt to our environment from second to second. At baseline, the nervous system should be in a ventral vagal state, usually representative of feeling safety and some activation, social engagement or rest. As we move through the day, we may come upon stressors that push us into sympathetic activation, represented by what we know as fight/flight. Or we may rest too long in a parasympathetic state leading to freeze or collapse. Most people are familiar with the sympathetic fight/flight response and less familiar with freeze/collapse. A healthy nervous system is able to swing between these states fluidly. Spiking into fight/flight and then settling back into regulation. Or relaxing into parasympathetic rest and then back to ventral vagal activation. It is when we get stuck in one extreme or the other and cannot find our way back to regulation or ventral vagal that we begin to encounter issues.
Chronic high cortisol wreaks havoc on the body. Contrary to popular knowledge, dorsal vagal shutdown, freeze or collapse is also actually a high cortisol state, despite the lack of activation. The work I do is to help people become more aware of what state they are in via their bodily cues. What we don't realize is that dysregulation in particular contributes significantly to behavior. Including dysfunctional behavior like angry outbursts, a lack of impulse control, irritability, anxiety, depression, lack of focus, how we make decisions and even what decisions we make (even major life deciding ones).
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
"Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic model that views every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts guided by a core Self. It teaches that the mind is naturally multiple—and that this multiplicity is healthy—because, like members of a family, inner parts can be pushed into extreme roles but also have valuable inherent qualities. IFS helps people access their undamaged, compassionate Self, which knows how to heal, and from that inner leadership, understand and transform their parts, fostering both inner and outer connectedness" (1).
So what are parts? Parts are essentially neuroplasticity in action. When we are young, our reality is interpreted solely through the body. We don't have language or much access to the cerebral cortex at this point. In fact, 90% of brain development occurs within the first five years of life. Which means that every input is through the sensory system, aka, the nervous system. When children experience a traumatic event to their nervous system, particularly from 0-5, before language and cerebral processing really starts, that event is stored in the body. That is not to say that a "traumatic" event has to be some huge thing. It could be something as simple as our caregivers not being able to find the source of our crying.
Infants do not have the capacity for self regulation. They literally rely on another nervous system to teach their nervous system how to regulate, which is why leaving a child in the crib to "cry it out and learn to self soothe", as one example, is actually incredibly harmful to development. This is not a judgment on parents who followed this advice — it was widely recommended and genuinely believed to be supportive of healthy development. The science has since told a different story. Understanding the impact isn't about assigning blame; it's about understanding where some of our earliest nervous system patterns may have formed, and why certain tendencies feel so deeply wired into us. When left to cry without a regulated caregiver present, infants are placed in chronic activation — cortisol rises and they have no way to discharge the stress. This affects their ability to grow and these children are more likely to experience issues at school and with behavior later in life.
The premise of IFS is that when these types of events, or more serious ones occur, there is a sort of splitting of our psyche. Almost like different personalities, but not to that extreme. These splits are classified into predictable archetypes, and this is often where our limiting self beliefs are formed. This is also where our attachment patterns are formed, mapping our attraction, choice of partner and our behaviors while in relationship in either healthy or unhealthy ways. A great resource to check out if you are more interested in childhood brain development is https://www.firstthingsfirst.org/early-childhood-matters/brain-development/ .
Attachment Theory
I'm sure most of you have heard of Attachment Theory as it's been a huge buzzword for many years now, but for those of you who might be less familiar, I'll break it down for you. As mentioned earlier about childhood brain development, our attachment system is mapped in our earliest years. Imprinted on us by our caregivers. So if we were lucky enough to have securely attached parents with no external life circumstances preventing them from being adequately attuned to our needs as infants and young children, we are more likely to also develop secure attachment.
The unfortunate reality is that most parents are not securely attached themselves or have encountered extenuating life circumstances that were neither avoidable nor predictable for its effect on our development. For children who were unable to get their needs consistently met by caregivers, which could include something as small as just making consistent eye contact when we needed, we often develop insecure attachment patterns. Included in these types are the Anxious-preoccupied attachment, the Dismissive-Avoidant, and Fearful-Avoidant (Disorganized) attachment patterns. These patterns have far reaching influence over who we are attracted to, who we choose as partners, and our behaviors within relationships when we get activated.
How This Applies
What I do as a coach is utilize all three of these modalities to help you track and navigate your life. Each of these serves as an independent yet inter-related map to your behavior, struggles, patterns, and healing. I use polyvagal theory as the antenna that tells us what is happening in your body throughout the day when triggered, when attracted, when activated, or shut down. We learn how to listen to and read the cues it’s giving us, along side techniques on how to regulate. Then I incorporate that interocepted body based information to help you identify if there is an attachment wound or "part" that is activated in each setting or scenario. I then teach you how to work with that part, though my scope can only go so far with this and I may recommend therapy for deeper trauma dives. The goal is not for me to interpret your experience for you, but to give you the tools to investigate your own internal landscape – so that over time, you become your own most trusted guide. I will also be providing practical tools along the way to help create more fluidity within your nervous system so that you can make informed choices when regulated and with a fully functioning cerebral cortex. Because making decisions from dysregulation or wounded attachment patterns is a sure fire way to stay stuck.
What I offer is unique, even within the therapy and the coaching world. That said, if you have questions about the method, feel free to reach out. If you are ready for a free consultation or to learn more about these methodologies, head over to the services page. I look forward to seeing you all there and am honored to be able to help you along your journey to finding your most sovereign, boundaried, confident, and self-trusting self.
References:
IFS Institute. (n.d.). What is Internal Family Systems. http://www.ifs-institute.com
The Polyvagal Institute. (n.d.). Home-What Is Polyvagal Theory. https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/