#24 - Wandering Around Vagus (WAV) - January 2025

Trauma & Polyvagal Theory

Welcome to Month 24 of Wandering Around Vagus, a paid monthly subscription series exploring the Vagus Nerve + Polyvagal Theory.

I’m Tina Foster of Foster & Flourish, the creator and guide of Wandering Around Vagus.

First, a few quick notes to help you orient within our pages:

• If you’re new, or need a review, here’s the link to the START page.

• You can find last month’s post (our 23rd) introducing vagal maneuvers here.

• Monthly & Supplementary Posts + Recordings can be accessed by topic from the navigation bar atop the Wandering Around Vagus Homepage.

• All past posts are listed in reverse chronological order on the archive page.​

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THIS MONTH’S WORK

Our first post of 2025 is a look at trauma and Polyvagal Theory (PT).

Trauma needs no introduction as we all know what it is in theory if not through our own experience. Polyvagal theory (PT), developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, likely needs no intro either as it lies at the crux of all our work in Wandering Around Vagus.

PT provides a framework for understanding the effects of trauma on our nervous system and how these effects lead to states of dysregulation that profoundly impact wellbeing. PT also highlights the critical role of the vagus nerve in managing our physical and emotional states and underscores how trauma can jeopardize both when it disrupts the vagus nerve's function.

We’ll begin this discussion with a quick review the fundamentals of Polyvagal Theory before moving on to:

• the role the vagus nerve plays in the onset of trauma

• what our social engagement system is and how trauma affects it

• and how the vagus nerve and nervous system regulation help heal trauma.

We'll conclude with a special multi-part practice that invites us to learn more about trauma and regulation through various embodied mediums—without needing to recall or reflect on trauma directly. Each practice is designed to gently engage the vagus nerve in a unique way in order to observe, understand and promote regulation that leads to a sense of safety and connection with our selves and the world.

By the end of this post you’ll have a better sense of:

• how trauma affects the nervous system

• the parts of the nervous system that are most affected by trauma

• how the vagus nerve relates to trauma

• how PT helps us work with trauma

• what our social engagement system is and how it’s affected by trauma

• how nervous system regulation is the pathway to healing trauma

• ways to gently engage the vagus nerve and move from states of dysregulation to regulation

• ways to promote regulation that help us feel safe and connected in our everyday lives and during traumatic times