Polyvagal Theory - Does Wanting it to be True Make it True?

-



My first-grade classroom had a Ouija Board tucked among the missing-pieces checker boards and outdated magazines. My classmates and I were intrigued by its premise, and while our pronunciation of Ouija tended toward rhyming with squeegee, for a short while the Ouija Board held our collective imaginations. I wouldn’t describe myself as a skeptical kid, though my first (and last) question to the Ouija Board, do grasshoppers wear pants?, seems to evidence at least some Ouija-skepticism.

The “yes” answer clearly contradicted the abundance of evidence, and even in 1973, wishing the Ouija Board’s answer to be true didn’t make it true. In the aftermath of this dissonant answer, I quickly shifted my attention from the Ouija Board to more pressing concerns, such as scuttling worksheets and talking to my neighbors. Despite my transient interest in the Ouija Board, this first-grade experience continues to inform my worldview.

Jiminy Cricket figured prominently in various "I'm No Fool" safety videos
shown in my first-grade classroom. While he was a pretty dapper arthropod,
to this day I've never seen a cricket (or grasshopper) wear pants.

There are many things that I wish were true. In fact, the length of my wishful thinking list likely exceeds the length of my lengthy to-do list. Unfortunately, wishing something to be true doesn’t make it true. This is one of the reasons that I hold science in high esteem. In general, science tries to penetrate through preconception and wishful thinking to parse the true from the untrue.

The Polyvagal Theory is high on my wishful thinking list. I sincerely wish the Polyvagal Theory was true. It “explains” a lot about the human stress response, and embedded within the Polyvagal Theory is a trail of bread crumbs for clinicians to follow. Since the Polyvagal Theory exploded into the awareness of the mind-body field, all manner of body-mind therapeutic modalities are now “explained” by the Polyvagal Theory. Unfortunately, the science supporting the Polyvagal Theory is tenuous.

A few years ago I would have considered Dr. Shin Shin Tang’s blog posting to be heretical, though I think the body of evidence supports its premise. And if you’re explaining the efficacy of therapeutic modalities such as Yoga, TRE, bodywork, etc. vis-à-vis the Polyvagal Theory, I particularly encourage you to read and contemplate its content. Is the therapeutic modality that you favor effective because it’s “explained” by Polyvagal Theory, or does it inherently have efficacy?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

30-years in the Driftless

-
Image
Thirty years ago I inadvertently landed in Wisconsin's Driftless Region. Lured by the call of Yoga, community and sustainable agriculture, I found a place that I have called home for the better part of my life. Over Memorial Day Weekend 1994, I made the somewhat impulsive decision to relocate to Blue Mounds, WI; a decision I have not regretted. I was drawn to the Driftless by the 1994 Memorial Day Teacher's Hang Out Weekend The Spring of 1994 was a pivotal time in my life. I'd recently graduated from college, and with a group of friends, co-founded the St. Paul Yoga Center . Despite the path that was unfolding, I felt an itchiness to explore and reevaluate my emerging adult life. I yearned to live closer to the land, and simultaneously felt that the Yoga I practiced and taught was detached from the natural world. The call of the 4th Annual Memorial Day Teacher's Hang Out Weekend could not have come at a more opportune time. It seems almost quaint, now, to receive an inv...
Read more

100,000 Miles on the Tesla

-
Image
I've been a car guy  my entire life. Toy cars were my childhood obsession. As a teenager, I somehow took obsessed  to the next level, and literally memorized tracts of my favorite auto repair manuals. (Yes, I had favorite repair manuals). I slightly downregulated these obsessions in my middle years, though I was still keenly aware of the cars around me, gimbaling to lock in on an unfamiliar model or automotive rarity. This Tesla Model Y has been on many roadtrips. When the Tesla Model S came out in 2012, I was swept off my feet by its aesthetics, performance and the underlying technology. Initially Tesla sightings were infrequent, and I employed the unproven technique of staring/not-staring in an inept attempt to avoid stalking the early adopters. Within a few years, however, the more-affordable Model 3 opened the sales flood gates, and it suddenly seemed like Teslas were everywhere. The "Idiot Book" was my favorite repair manual. By the time the Tesla Model Y (the small ...
Read more

Aging & Inflammation

-
Image
Aging well is largely about managing inflammation. You will likely feel better and have more energy if your baseline levels of inflammation are lower, and will likely struggle more with aches, pains and low energy when your baseline levels of inflammation are higher. Managing inflammation is essential to aging well, and requires more than anti-inflammatory supplements and down time . Reducing baseline levels of inflammation requires the strategic application of inflammation. Known as hormesis , regular applications of inflammation can lower baseline levels of inflammation. To some small extent, that which doesn’t kill you may well make you stronger. The trick is getting the dose just right, as the dose of inflammation either makes the poison or the medicine. Yes, this is an eBike. I adjust the level of assist to maintain the just-right challenge. Exercise, particularly cardio, is inflammatory. This is among the many reasons why doing cardio is an essential element in aging well. In th...
Read more