Polyvagal Theory and the Neuroscience of Connection: How a Polyvagal Perspective Can Enhance the Treatment of Trauma and Anxiety

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Speaker

Sherrie All, PhD Related seminars and products

Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness

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Sherrie All, PhD, is a neuropsychologist and an engaging speaker and writer whose expertise in the principles of neuroscience, functional neuroanatomy, and diagnostics give her a unique insight into the correlation between mental health disorders, therapeutic approaches, and what happens to the brain itself.

Dr. All is the owner of the Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness where she combines her strong background in CBT with mindfulness techniques, motivational interviewing and dynamic interpretations to help her clients manage depression, stress, anxiety, mental illness and cognitive challenges. A trained neuropsychologist who received her PhD from Rosalind Franklin University, she also brings her detailed understanding of the brain to uniquely address the needs of people with traumatic brain injuries, dementia, and other conditions.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sherrie All is the owner of Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness. She receives royalties as a published author. Sherrie All receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-Financial: Sherrie All is a member of the American Psychological Association. the Illinois Psychological Association, and the International Neuropsychological Society.

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Objectives

1. Investigate the clinical implications of the Polyvagal Theory’s explanation of how the nervous system reacts to social factors.
2. Analyze the concept of neuroception and how it can impact autonomic states in clients.
3. Assess how psychoeducation with clients about the nervous system can help generate buy-in for interventions designed to impact the nervous system’s reactions to stress, trauma and anxiety.
4. Analyze the treatment implications of hyperarousal and hypoarousal on a client’s window of tolerance.
5. Analyze therapeutic presence through the lens of Polyvagal Theory to help explain the mechanisms of change that presence evokes.
6. Evaluate the current state of research on the application of a Polyvagal perspective to mental health treatment.

Outline

• Understanding the autonomic nervous system
• The vagus nerve and how your nervous system reacts to social factors
• The complexities of fight/flight/freeze response
• Neuroception and co-regulation
• Rest and digest – the state of social engagement

• Learn how neurologically-based conditions are treatable
• Foundations for using “neurorehabilitation”
• Train the nervous system for better coping
• Review the science, research and limitations behind neuroplasticity

• Why is this relevant to your clinical practice?
• Help clients cope using Dan Siegel’s
• Window of Tolerance
• Recognize autonomic states of clients
• Hyper-arousal and hypo-arousal
• How overlooking hypo-arousal in clients impacts treatment
• Therapeutic presence

• Create a space of co-regulation - body, face, tone, and breath
• Visual interventions: Scanning for safety
• Auditory interventions: Safe & Sound protocol
• Tactile interventions

• Movement to put stress to the use nature intended
• Imagined movement: Running Faster than the Tiger
• Diaphragmatic breathing and the vagus nerve
• Non-threatening breath exercises to control hyperventilation
• Muscle tension and the vagus nerve
• Research, treatment risks and limitations

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals