Many processes can occur in our body and mind, of which we are not always fully aware. Multivagal theory attempts to explain one of these processes that we can often consider intuitive.
In this sense, one may have experienced the feeling of being in danger without finding a reason to justify it. Sometimes we feel threatened even if no one around us seems to affect us or bother us about something in particular.
- We travel the world identifying a multitude of social signals; when we interact with others.
- We unconsciously collect facial expressions.
- Body movements and tones of voice; At the same time that our brain and body interpret these signals.
- Our sense of? Me? it is shaped by them and by our environment.
The information our body processes through these signals tells us who we can trust and who we can’t, we interpret who or what may pose a danger to us, taking one position or another in response.
Dr. Porges developed the multivagal theory that describes the process by which neural circuits are able to read danger signals in our environment as neuroception. It would be this neuroception that would make us experience the world by unconsciously exploring people and the environment to determine if they are safe or if, on the contrary, they pose a threat to us.
It is a completely unconscious process that occurs in our autonomous nervous system, just as we breathe without having to make a voluntary effort, it is an automatic scanning system that looks for signs of danger.
This involuntary analysis of signs of potential danger occurs from birth and is of paramount importance to our survival, our bodies are designed to observe, treat and react from our arrival in this world.
Babies respond to feelings of danger, safety, or closeness to their parents and caregivers. This happens from the moment we are born and spend the rest of our lives unconsciously examining these signs of danger or safety.
In multivagal theory, Porges describes three evolutionary steps involved in the process. Multivagal theory considers that the interaction between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system is not just a matter of balance.
Porges believes that there is a hierarchy of responses embedded in our autonomous nervous system that occurs in three stages.
In people who have suffered trauma, particularly those where immobilization was a significant part, there may be a serious distortion in the ability to examine the environment for signs of danger.
One of the functions of this system is that the person does not return to a vulnerable position, so the body will do whatever is necessary to avoid it, which can greatly increase sensitivity, interpreting neutral signals as false positives.
Thus, many of the signs that are interpreted as harmless or even benign by others are interpreted as a threat by people who have already suffered trauma, so a change in an easy expression, a specific tone of voice or certain bodily postures can unconsciously lead to a protective response.
Our vagus nerve branches through many areas of our body. It plays a fundamental role in the influence of cranial nerves that regulate social engagement through facial expression and vocalization.
As human beings, we aspire to have feelings of security and confidence in our interactions with others and quickly learn to interpret the signs that tell us that we are not sure.
It is precisely for this reason, as we strengthen our relationships with others, that we can build healthy relationships and more easily live a better quality of intimacy with others.