Question
Is Polyvagal Theory helpful with clinical issues other than trauma?
Answer
PVT can be used to treat pretty much everything. I use PVT a lot. I use it with every client, but specifically with anxious or depressed clients. I especially use it when treating anxiety, because we feel that so physically.
I have used PVT with grief and loss clients because they are often having responses that they feel sometimes. Therefore, PVT is helpful for these clients, because it helps clients to build awareness and understand their body's responses and their nervous system and how it is responding the way it is.
I also use it a lot for chronic illness clients because they are often in a sympathetic state a lot, especially with chronic pain. In addition, people who have been under high amounts of stress also usually are in fight or flight a lot, and all those hormones can lead to a lot of physical problems like thyroid issues and hormone imbalances.
So, I truly do this with every single client that I work with. I cannot think of a reason when I have not or why I have not. I guess I would just approach it gently. If you are working with someone who is just getting started, and who has some complex or chronic trauma, of course, you want to use your best judgment to not re-traumatize them.
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
