How Does Polyvagal Theory Impact Social Engagement?
Question
How does Polyvagal Theory impact social engagement?
Answer
Polyvagal theory impacts social engagement because when we are working with clients who have experienced trauma, they are not able to connect with the world, and that has a bigger trickle-down effect.
Even when we are just doing one-on-one work, I think about the bigger impact that it has. That the work that we are doing in that office for an hour, it goes out into the community. It helps that person engage, hopefully, and make better relationships with people around them. With their jobs, with their family, and then that trickles out into even bigger things. So, I think about it like that. And also as far as social engagement, people who are in fight or flight or in their freeze response, are not engaging socially, which can lead to a lot of disconnection.
I think there has been a lot of that (disconnection) over the past couple of years with the pandemic, and now we have a mental health crisis too. That has led to a lot of people feeling like they are in fight or flight constantly because there is a lot of fear and things that are going on and pushing people into freeze responses too, and a lot of disconnection.
Therefore, getting into your ventral vagal through things such as; mindfulness and putting some blue and green things in your office or in your car if you see clients in the field, can really help us be curious and connect with the world.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the webinar, Understanding and Using Polyvagal Theory in Social Work Practice, presented by Gabrielle Juliano-Villani, MSW, LCSW
Gabrielle Juliano-Villani
MSW, LCSW
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