{"id":19916,"date":"2022-04-09T00:31:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T22:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kontemplation.dk\/?p=19916"},"modified":"2026-10-03T16:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T14:26:40","slug":"den-polyvagale-teori","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/den-polyvagale-teori\/","title":{"rendered":"THE POLYVAGAL THEORY"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>BLOGCAST: The post is recorded by Morten Winkler. Listen to the blog here (07:44):<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"buzzsprout-player-13626023\"><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/2018767\/13626023-blogcast-den-polyvagale-teori-af-michael-stubberup-indtalt-af-morten-winkler.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-13626023&#038;player=small\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, research into emotions and their basis and connection with the autonomic nervous system has significantly improved the understanding of the tenth cranial nerve, also called the vagus. The vagus nerve is a crucial factor in the parasympathetic nervous system \u2013 regulation of immobilization and relaxation. The central idea of the theory is that the autonomic nervous system consists of three parts instead of the well-known and just described two, namely that the parasympathetic nerve consists of two &#039;branches&#039;:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The dorsal vagus (parasympathetic) is linked to the oldest survival strategy (500 \u2013 600 million years old) \u2013 to lie still when threatened \u2013 to die. The dorsal vagus supports, among other things, rest, digestion, regeneration and manages immobilization behavior and relaxation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Sympatheticus \u2013 mobilization and the survival strategy is fight\/flight (350 \u2013 400 million years old) \u2013 also supports curiosity, intention, anger, courage, leadership and \u2013 excitement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The ventral vagus (parasympathetic) also called the social vagus (150 \u2013 200 million years old) \u2013 the survival strategy is attachment developed when animals began to give birth to \u201dunfinished\u201d young. In us humans, the ventral vagus supports, among other things, contact and engagement with the environment. This social vagus connects the heart and the cranial nerves that control the muscles around the eyes and in the face, including the mouth, voice and inner ear, all as part of helping with social communication through the behaviors used to translate emotions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The old parts of the autonomic nervous system (dorsal vagus and sympathetic) are a self-organizing <em>either-or system<\/em> \u2013 i.e. when one branch, e.g. sympathetic, is active, the other, parasympathetic, is passive \u2013 and vice versa. It&#039;s like a pendulum.<\/p>\n<p>The newest branch (ventral vagus) is a <em>boat and system<\/em> \u2013 i.e. that the ventral vagus can simultaneously regulate tension-building energy coupled with being safe and relaxed inside.<\/p>\n<p>Bio-physiologically, we have and contain processes that are about survival and reproduction \u2013 a self-organizing immediate process, among other things structured by the amygdala via pattern recognition. We are born into this dynamic, as reproduction and survival for the species \u2013 and we survive the first years because we are given care \u2013 taken away.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-20927 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/zoe-graham-mjrif-KW5zw-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"Sovende baby\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/zoe-graham-mjrif-KW5zw-unsplash.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/zoe-graham-mjrif-KW5zw-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/zoe-graham-mjrif-KW5zw-unsplash-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/zoe-graham-mjrif-KW5zw-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/zoe-graham-mjrif-KW5zw-unsplash-1536x1153.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<h6>HUMAN NATURE AND SURVIVAL<\/h6>\n<p>We humans are born with prerequisites for contact \u2013 a small newborn arrives with pre-programming in the right hemisphere of the brain to meet and experience the world via the senses \u2013 for example through the eyes to make contact, read facial expressions, mimicry and gestures. During the first years, tens of thousands of small and large contact experiences are collected and organized into an inner focus \u2013 into an ego.<br \/>\nThe many experiences are first arranged non-verbally in the nervous system and this happens via the amygdala after pattern recognition. Similar experiences are &quot;bundled&quot; together and over time form an emotional model. With the maturation of the hippocampus (processing of time, space, place - meaning) these are expanded with mental perception models - language and life history start here.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>CONNECTION AND SECURITY<\/h6>\n<p>The attachment process in the first years of a human&#039;s life is a crucial factor in the survival system of the species. Homo Sapiens as a species is supported by vital structures deep in the nervous system that have to do with social engagement and community - something that the most recently added survival strategy - the ventral vagus - precisely unfolds and actualizes via the structured and protective qualities of community. Belonging in a common framework characterized by a safe and trusting atmosphere are keys to understanding the innovative power of cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>The social vagus also connects the face and the heart and is crucial for the attachment between mother and child \u2013 this survival strategy became necessary, among other things, when mammals began to give birth to incomplete young \u2013 and it therefore became crucial for the species that upbringing and maturation took place as safely as possible. Contact and attachment are crucial. Deep attachment creates security. Contact, attachment and security become, over time, a basic trust. The ventral vagus thus first establishes an external relational secure base in the contact between mother and child.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>AMYGDALA AND THE SURVIVAL SYSTEM<\/h6>\n<p>The thousands of small and large experiences during the first years modulated by this secure external attachment simultaneously land in the young child&#039;s memory system where they are organized according to pattern recognition (amygdala) and \u2013 as mentioned \u2013 when there are enough in a cluster of experiences, an emotional model is established. The quality of the secure attachment is built in this way directly into the emotional models of the survival system \u2013 this accumulated field of experienced plus\/minus experiences forms the basic orientation\/warning system \u2013 which constantly \u2013 automatically scans situations\/space\/landscape \u2013 to monitor whether there is anything disturbing going on. The ventral vagus thus establishes over time an internally anchored secure base of trust.<\/p>\n<p>The social engagement system (the ventral vagus) is thus what regulates all forms of inter-social processes. The security of belonging \u2013 of feeling connected \u2013 is an integral part of the ability to bond. Our species \u2013 Homo Sapiens \u2013 has vital and refined structures deep down in the survival system that have to do with social engagement and community. Yes, one could actually see it this way, that this latest survival strategy is precisely about the security of the structuring and protective power of community. There is direct access to the autonomic nervous system through breathing and the heart.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>In nature there are neither rewards nor punishment; there are consequences. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Robert G. Ingersoll<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The polyvagal theory clarifies how security and reciprocity are biologically encoded in us. We humans are a social species and we have survived and evolved precisely by being deeply embedded in the security of a community. Such communities are complex societies that rely on attachment, trust, predictability \u2013 and the key to this is nuanced communication \u2013 linguistic and not least non-linguistic.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>NEXT POST: TRAUMA AND RESTORING BALANCE AND RESILIENCE<\/h6>\n<p>In the next post, Michael focuses on trauma and restoring balance and resilience, and on trauma as a habit and the support we can get from contact with nature. Follow the link below to read along:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"1UjL9zcFav\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/traumer-og-genopretning-af-balance-og-resiliens\/\">TRAUMA AND RESTORING BALANCE AND RESILIENCE<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"\u201cTRAUMA AND RESTORING BALANCE AND RESILIENCE\u201d \u2014 Kontemplation\" src=\"https:\/\/kontemplation.dk\/traumer-og-genopretning-af-balance-og-resiliens\/embed\/#?secret=aw5KpXcKzu#?secret=1UjL9zcFav\" data-secret=\"1UjL9zcFav\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-12833\" src=\"https:\/\/kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Michael-4_bio-2048x2048.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>Michael Stubberup<\/strong>, cand.mag and head of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.synergaia.dk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SYNerGAIA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Co-founder and vice-chairman of the Association for Children&#039;s Life Skills. He has 20 years of experience as a manager. Established SYNerGAIA Rehabilitation in 1999 and is currently the acting chairman of the board. He has also been responsible for development and continuing education in SYNerGAIA Innovation. Together with Steen Hildebrandt, he has also founded Sustainable Co-Creation. Michael is one of V\u00e6kstcenteret&#039;s permanent teachers.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This blog series about the nervous system is taken from the book <a href=\"https:\/\/vaekstcenteret.dk\/produkt\/social-baeredygtighed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Sustainability \u2013 Everyday Expressions of Trauma \u2013 and Restoring Balance<\/a>, edited and arranged for Kontemplation&#039;s blog.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">Illustration: <a href=\"https:\/\/webinside.dk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ninni Sodahl <\/a>\/ Photo: Zoe Graham<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BLOGCAST: The post is recorded by Morten Winkler. Listen to the blog here (07:44): In recent years, research into emotions and their basis and connection with the autonomic nervous system has\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":21159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":[230],"meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,481],"tags":[158],"person":[351],"class_list":["post-19916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-krop","category-nervesystemet","tag-indlaeser-morten-winkler","person-michael-stubberup","format-lydfil"],"subtitle":"","embedded_audio":"","hasaudio":"1","hide_featured_image_on_post":"0","nobio":"1","infobox":"","quote":"","year_published":"2022","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19916"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27910,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19916\/revisions\/27910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19916"},{"taxonomy":"person","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/person?post=19916"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kontemplation.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/format?post=19916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}