Tim Ervin Board Certified Coach

10/28/2024

Is your head a constant stream of "I shoulds" and "I musts”?

Understanding the autonomic ladder could change that.

What is it?

It comes from Stephen Porges’ 1994 breakthrough: Polyvagal Theory, referring to our vagus nerve. The vegas meanders from the brainstem through the neck, chest, and abdomen.

Before Polyvagal Theory, we thought the vagus nerve only regulated heart rate and “rest and digest” functions.

Polyvagal Theory adds a dual-mode understanding.

We now know that we don't simply swing between our sympathetic/active mode and our parasympathetic/rest mode.

In fact, we can be engaging any of the these four modes:

↳ Ventral Circuit: In this state, you feel safe and connected. Relationships and creativity thrives. For complex knowledge work, this is the most productive state.

↳ Sympathetic Circuit: This is your survival fight-or-flight mode. In modern workplaces, it can be permanently engaged - the hurry-up land of endless to-dos. It fuels busyness but stifles creativity. And can lead to burnout.

↳ Dorsal Circuit: The shutdown mode. Overwhelming stress makes you feel frozen and disengaged. Many employees today spend a lot of time here, stuck and unproductive.

↳ Blended States: Play and stillness blend circuits. They boost resilience, creativity, and stress adaptability. This explains why "gamifying" work can have such powerful effects.

* Climbing The Autonomic Ladder *
The key point for leaders is that you can't jump from dorsal collapse (shutdown) or sympathetic (mobilised) to ventral vagal (curiosity and creativity) in one leap. It takes baby steps. And how you climb is personal—what works for one person may not work for another.

Leadership and Mental Health Implications:

↳ Watch out for you or your team being in "always-on" sympathetic mode—back-to-back calls is one sign. Find ways to give your colleagues time to slow down and engage in deep work - the type of work likely to produce breakthrough innovations and differentiated products.

↳ Assess your team’s states. Ask * them * what might help them climb the autonomic ladder: breath work, journaling, a walk. It could even being making a cup of tea, or simply imagining an appropriate action to take. The point is that each individual knows their best next step.

How might you use the autonomic ladder in your life and leadership?
Source Richard Atherton London.

10/28/2024

Polyvagal Wheel of Emotions, Sensations, Trauma Responses, and Skills.

The Polyvagal Theory explains how our nervous system regulates our responses to stress. It involves three states:

Social Engagement System: This is our default state, where we feel calm, connected, and safe.

Sympathetic Nervous System: This is our "fight or flight" response, triggered by perceived threats.

Dorsal Vagal Complex: This is our "freeze" or "shutdown" response, often activated in overwhelming situations.

By understanding these states, we can better manage stress and trauma responses.

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A heartfelt compliment can truly transform a relationship, brightening someone's day and strengthening the bond between partners. Encouraging clients to take a moment to genuinely acknowledge something they admire about their partner—be it their smile, kindness, or unwavering support—can have a lasting impact.

10/09/2024

Because breathing is the unique autonomic process that we can also take control of at will, slowing it down sends a powerful signal to the rest of the Autonomic Nervous System:
“If I have the time to breathe slowly, I’m probably not actually running for my life. Maybe I am safe, and we can turn things down a little, autonomically speaking.”

To accomplish this, deep and slow exhalations activate sensors in our respiratory system that serve as vagal triggers, causing us to downshift our autonomic state. This message of safety then proceeds to bounce up and down our vagus until it reaches the rest of our body, making breathing an incredibly powerful tool for keeping our entire body calm and cool.
Long exhalations, in particular, are key to this process. The opposite type of breathing, with short exhalations and long inhalations, effectively mimics the act of hyperventilation and can have the opposite effect, revving up our ANS into a state of danger.

So next time you feel anxious or overly activated, do yourself a favor and take that deep breath, hold it for a moment, and then breathe out very slowly...
You are activating your vagus and effectively telling your body that, by virtue of having the time to slow down and take this breath, you are actually safe and not running for your life.
Your body will get the message.