The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation

What does it mean to feel safe—to move from a state of defense and disconnection into the healing rhythms of regulation and relationship? Deb Dana's The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation is one of the most accessible and practical guides to applying polyvagal principles in clinical practice ever written, a book that translates Stephen Porges's groundbreaking neuroscience into therapist-friendly language and client-ready tools. This is not a dense academic text but a compassionate, hands-on guide by a pioneering clinician who has made polyvagal-informed therapy accessible to thousands of practitioners worldwide. Dana illuminates the three organizing principles of Polyvagal Theory—hierarchy, neuroception, and co-regulation—and offers practical mapping exercises, worksheets, and autonomic meditations that help clients reshape their nervous systems and create new pathways of safety and connection.

Dana writes from decades of clinical experience, having witnessed how clients' autonomic states shape their capacity for healing and connection. The book asks: How do we help clients recognize their autonomic states and patterns? What does it mean to befriend the nervous system rather than override it? How do we build ventral vagal capacity for safety and social engagement? How do we work with dorsal vagal shutdown and sympathetic mobilization with compassion and skill? Dana shows us how to bring the autonomic nervous system directly into the work of therapy, offering clear frameworks, practical tools, and a deeply respectful approach that honors the body's wisdom and the client's lived experience.

For readers seeking contemplative wisdom and embodied clinical practice, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy serves as both a penetrating introduction to polyvagal principles and a comprehensive toolkit for nervous system-informed therapy. This Norton Professional Books edition includes autonomic mapping worksheets, tracking exercises, regulation practices, and a series of guided autonomic meditations. This is a book for therapists working with trauma and attachment, for clinicians seeking to understand nervous system regulation, for anyone drawn to somatic and body-based approaches to healing. It's a reminder that safety is the foundation of healing, that the autonomic nervous system is always listening, and that we can help clients find their way home to regulation, resilience, and connection.

Looking for hands-on practice? Explore The Polyvagal Theory Workbook for Trauma by Arielle Schwartz for body-based activities to rewire your nervous system.

What You'll Discover

• Clear, accessible translation of Polyvagal Theory for clinical practice
• Autonomic mapping process to track nervous system states and patterns
• Worksheets and exercises for building ventral vagal regulation
• Practical tools for working with dorsal shutdown and sympathetic activation
• Guided autonomic meditations for nervous system re-patterning

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, and leading expert in the clinical application of Polyvagal Theory. She developed the Rhythm of Regulation Clinical Training Series and has trained thousands of therapists worldwide in polyvagal-informed practice. A founding member of the Polyvagal Institute, Dana has made Stephen Porges's neuroscience accessible and actionable for clinicians across disciplines. The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, first published in 2018, remains an essential resource for trauma therapists and has become a foundational text in nervous system-informed clinical practice.

Perfect for: Therapists and counselors working with trauma and attachment, clinicians seeking to integrate polyvagal principles into practice, students of somatic psychology and nervous system regulation, anyone interested in autonomic nervous system mapping and tracking, readers drawn to body-based and embodied therapeutic approaches, practitioners of EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and sensorimotor psychotherapy, those exploring vagal tone, co-regulation, and neuroception, mental health professionals seeking accessible neuroscience for clinical work, students of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, anyone interested in the intersection of contemplative practice and nervous system healing, clinicians who want practical tools for building safety and regulation with clients.

Norton Professional Books hardcover edition. Deb Dana's essential guide to polyvagal-informed therapy—offering clear explanations, autonomic mapping tools, regulation exercises, and guided meditations to help clients reshape their nervous systems and engage the healing rhythm of regulation.