The Polyvagal Path - Why Nervous System Regulation Is the Key to All Healing
Healing isn’t just about insight. It’s about regulation.
Whether we’re working with psychedelics, therapy, tantra, or breathwork, every transformation begins - and ends - with the nervous system.
When the body feels safe, healing unfolds naturally. When it doesn’t, even the most profound journey can feel like hard work. The polyvagal theory helps us understand why.
What Is the Polyvagal Theory?
Developed by Dr Stephen Porges, the polyvagal theory describes how our nervous system constantly scans for safety or threat.
It’s made up of three primary states:
Ventral vagal: calm, connected, and open - the state of social engagement and safety.
Sympathetic: activated and alert - fight or flight.
Dorsal vagal: shut down and numb - freeze or collapse.
We move between these states all day. The goal isn’t to stay calm at all times, but to build flexibility - the ability to return to safety after activation. That flexibility is what we call regulation.
Why Regulation Matters in Healing
All trauma lives in the nervous system. So does all healing.
If the body doesn’t feel safe, it can’t relax enough to process, connect, or integrate. This is why psychedelic work must always be trauma-informed.
Psilocybin and MDMA can open deep emotional states, but without regulation, those states can become overwhelming. When the body is supported and resourced, the same emotions become gateways to liberation.
Regulation is what turns chaos into clarity.
Psychedelics and the Nervous System
During a psilocybin or MDMA journey, the default mode network quiets, and the body’s defences relax. This allows the nervous system to re-pattern itself - to experience safety and connection that may have been missing for years.
MDMA, in particular, supports co-regulation - the ability to feel safe with another person. This is why it’s so effective for couples and trauma survivors.
With the right facilitation, psychedelics help the body remember what calm feels like. That memory becomes the foundation for long-term healing.
How to Build Regulation in Everyday Life
You don’t need to be in ceremony to practise regulation. In fact, the most powerful healing often happens between journeys.
Try:
Breathwork: Slow, steady exhales signal safety to the body.
Movement: Gentle stretching, shaking, or walking helps release stress energy.
Touch: Self-holding, massage, or connection with a loved one promotes oxytocin and grounding.
Sound: Humming, singing, or toning stimulates the vagus nerve.
Nature: Being outdoors reminds the nervous system of its natural rhythm.
Each of these small practices helps stabilise the nervous system so that when deeper work arises, you can meet it from safety rather than survival.
Integration - Regulation as a Daily Ritual
Integration isn’t just reflection. It’s regulation in action.
After a psychedelic journey, the nervous system needs time and care to digest what was experienced. Sleep, hydration, gentle movement, and social connection all play a part.
By tending to your physiology, you’re telling your system: “You’re safe now. You can rest.”
Over time, that message becomes your baseline.
Learn to Trust
The nervous system is the bridge between mind, body, and spirit. It’s the foundation of every healing modality, from therapy to psychedelics to tantra.
When we learn to regulate, we learn to trust.
Safety isn’t the absence of challenge - it’s the confidence that you can meet whatever arises.
🌿 If you’re exploring psychedelic or somatic healing, I offer trauma-informed facilitation and integration across the UK - helping you regulate, reconnect, and remember your body’s innate wisdom.
👉 Book your free discovery call today and begin your journey along the polyvagal path to wholeness.
