Polyvagal Theory Therapy in San Diego
When anxiety causes you to shut down, your nervous system is protecting you in the way it was designed to do. It’s not a reflection on you or in any way a failure on your part.
I’m Allie, a San Diego therapist who uses Polyvagal Theory to help you better understand yourself so that you can feel safe, connected, and in control of your emotions. By combining Polyvagal Theory with my training in Internal Family Systems, I can help you better understand yourself and your mind-body connection, to help you effectively regulate your emotions in practical ways.
Polyvagal Theory was developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, who explained that nervous systems have three primary states at any given time.
Top of the Ladder: Safe & Social (Ventral Vagal): Where we thrive—we feel calm, connected, creative, and engaged with the world.
Middle of the Ladder: Fight or Flight (Sympathetic): When we detects a threat, it floods us with anxious energy. This leaves us feeling agitated, worried, or angry as our body prepares to face a challenge, or in many cases, run to escape danger.
Bottom of the Ladder: Shutdown or Freeze (Dorsal Vagal): When the threat feels overwhelming, the system can hit the brakes. This can cause you to feel heavy, hopeless, and disconnected.
These states are essential to our survival, but they can be problematic when you feel stuck in the lower rungs of the ladder, often due to trauma, stress, or anxiety.
Navigate a map to your nervous system
Polyvagal-informed therapy in San Diego
Most people don’t realize that regulating your nervous system is a learnable and teachable skill. As a Polyvagal Theory-informed therapist, I help your nervous system find its way back to safety.
In our sessions, we’ll work together to:
Understand the unique ways your nervous system communicates.
Gently release trapped survival energy from your body.
Increase your capacity to stay regulated, even during stressful or challenging times.
In our sessions, we’ll be able to work on your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations all at once, to help you overcome anxiety, trauma, and the effects both can have on you and your body over time.
Contact Allie to start Polyvagal Theory-informed therapy
If you're in the San Diego area or anywhere in Colorado or California, please reach out. I’d love to help you get started and answer any questions about how Polyvagal Theory could apply to you and your experiences that are bringing you to therapy.