Climbing the Ladder: Using Polyvagal Theory to Track and Support Your System
You can do all the inner work in the world—but if your nervous system doesn’t feel safe, it’s hard to access clarity, connection, or choice.
Polyvagal Theory gives us a map. It shows us that the nervous system isn’t just reactive—it follows predictable states. And once you learn to recognize where your system is on this “ladder,” you can start to work with it, rather than feel hijacked by it.
Regulation isn’t about controlling your feelings. It’s about listening more closely to what your body is trying to say.
What Is the Polyvagal Ladder?
Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, describes three primary states of the autonomic nervous system, organized in a ladder-like sequence:
Ventral Vagal (Top of the ladder)
You feel safe, connected, capable, and present.
Breathing is easy, digestion is smooth, and you can relate to others.
This is the state of curiosity, regulation, and social engagement.
Sympathetic (Middle of the ladder)
You feel mobilized—anxious, angry, restless, or driven.
Your heart rate rises, your breath shortens, and your body prepares to fight or flee.
This is the state of activation and protection through movement.
Dorsal Vagal (Bottom of the ladder)
You feel numb, foggy, shut down, or hopeless.
The body begins to conserve energy by collapsing inward.
This is the state of freeze, disconnection, and functional shutdown.
The nervous system moves up and down this ladder all day, constantly scanning for cues of safety or danger—often below the level of conscious thought.
Note: While many of us learned that the sympathetic nervous system equals stress and the parasympathetic equals rest, Polyvagal Theory adds nuance. It shows that the parasympathetic system actually has two branches: ventral vagal (safety and connection) and dorsal vagal (shutdown and collapse). Both are biological responses—and both can shape how we experience disconnection or regulation in the body.
Why Insight Isn’t Enough
If you’ve done years of therapy and still find yourself stuck, bracing, or emotionally overwhelmed, it may not be because you’re doing something wrong. It could be that your nervous system hasn’t yet received the physical signals of safety it needs to shift into ventral states.
As we explored in Part 2, regulation doesn’t happen through insight alone. The body often needs real-time experiences of touch, pressure, movement, and internal awareness to return to a felt sense of safety.
These sensory inputs aren’t just tools for support—they’re often the missing piece that allows the rest of the healing work to land.
How to Track Where You Are on the Ladder
You can begin by asking:
What is my body doing right now?
How is my breath? My posture?
Do I feel more connected or more distant—from myself and others?
What’s the story my body is telling, even if my mind doesn’t know why?
You don’t have to fix or interpret. Just notice. Tracking these shifts builds awareness—and eventually, choice.
Gentle Ways to Climb the Ladder
From Dorsal to Sympathetic (waking up a frozen system):
Gentle rocking or bouncing
Cool water on the face or skin
Looking around the room (orienting to the present)
Small movements like stretching or walking
From Sympathetic to Ventral (soothing activation):
Long, slow exhalations
Hugging a heavy pillow or applying pressure
Hand on heart or grounding touch
Rhythmic movement like swaying or walking
Gentle connection—through voice, eye contact, or safe presence
Do You Feel Safety as a Middle Ground or a High Ground?
While Polyvagal Theory maps nervous system states as a ladder—with ventral at the top and sympathetic/dorsal states below—some somatic models use a different image: the window of tolerance.
In other models, the zone of safety sits in the middle, and dysregulation is what happens above (hyperarousal) or below (collapse). This resonates for people who feel their regulated state as a horizon line they rise above or sink below.
Others relate more to the ladder, where ventral states feel like being above water, and everything else feels like slipping under—into chaos, freeze, or overwhelm.
There’s no right metaphor. What matters is how your body experiences the shift—and how you find your way back.
Why This Matters
Healing isn’t just about processing trauma or changing thoughts. It’s about becoming fluent in the language of your own nervous system—and learning how to offer it what it needs in the moment.
Your nervous system isn’t malfunctioning. It’s protecting you the best way it knows how, based on your history, environment, and development. But with the right support—especially through sensory nourishment and relational safety—your system can begin to move with more flexibility and trust.
Keep Exploring With Me
This article is part of a series designed to support deeper nervous system understanding and healing.
In the first post I explored why insight alone may not lead to regulation. In the second, I looked at four sensory systems that shape our felt sense of safety. This final post offers a map for recognizing nervous system shifts and gently supporting yourself, one step at a time.
