Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices by Deb Dana
Deb Dana is a clinician who has spent years translating Stephen Porges's polyvagal theory into something therapists and clients can actually use. This is her third book on the subject, published by Norton in 2020, and Porges wrote the foreword. Her earlier book, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, explains the ideas. This one is mostly practice.
The basic idea is that our autonomic nervous system is always scanning for safety or danger, and it moves us between states without asking our permission. Dana describes three of them in plain language: feeling safe and connected, being mobilised for fight or flight, and shutting down or collapsing. The exercises help you notice which state you're in, get to know your own patterns, and find small ways back towards feeling safe. There are mapping exercises, writing prompts, and practices using breath, movement and sound. One I like is the idea of glimmers, the small everyday moments that bring a little ease, and learning to notice them as readily as we notice threats.
It's written for therapists, so the language is a little clinical in places, but plenty of people read it on their own and get a lot from it. Some readers have said many of the exercises are more reflective and thinking-based than body-based, and most are done alone rather than with another person, so it's worth knowing that going in. The last part of the book repeats the exercises as worksheets.
How it connects to my work:
A lot of what I see in clients, whether it's anxiety, panic, overeating or trouble sleeping, makes more sense when we look at it as a nervous system doing its best to protect us. Hypnotherapy works with that same system, helping the body settle so new responses become possible. Dana's language of states and glimmers gives people a simple, kind way to understand what's going on inside them. If you're working through trauma, it's best used alongside support from a therapist rather than on your own.
Why you might enjoy it:
If you've heard about polyvagal theory and want something practical to do with it, or you're a practitioner looking for exercises to share with clients, this is a good place to start.
Have you read it? I'd be interested to hear which exercises worked for you, in the comments.
Want to read more?
A reader's experience on r/CPTSDNextSteps
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