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Depression isn’t just in your mind—it’s in your nervous system. In this video, we take a somatic and polyvagal-informed approach to understanding depression as a state of nervous system dysregulation. Learn how shutdown, freeze, and dorsal vagal states keep you stuck and how somatic therapy can help you shift into safety, connection, and regulation.
Using insights from polyvagal theory, we’ll explore how the vagus nerve influences mood, energy, and emotions. Discover body-based techniques to move out of chronic exhaustion, numbness, and despair. Whether you struggle with low motivation, fatigue, or emotional overwhelm, these nervous system regulation tools can help you heal from the inside out!
00:00 Intro
05:52 Nutshell
02:16 Childhood Trauma
03:38 So what’s going on in the nervous system?
03:43 Nervous System Response to Safety and Danger
04:58 What causes The Dorsal Vagal Response?
06:14 Function of Hypoarousal/Dorsal Vagal/ Dissociation
08:57 So what does this trauma have to do with depression?
09:38 What if it doesn’t seem like you’ve dealt with any huge threat?
11:40 So if Depression is fueled by trauma, how can we treat it?
17:48 Summary
Check out the transcript below:
https://therapyinanutshell.com/dorsal-vagal-shutdown-response/
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources
Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/
Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 988 or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
Depression isn’t just in your mind—it’s in your nervous system. In this video, we take a somatic and polyvagal-informed approach to understanding depression as a state of nervous system dysregulation. Learn how shutdown, freeze, and dorsal vagal states keep you stuck and how somatic therapy can help you shift into safety, connection, and regulation.
Using insights from polyvagal theory, we’ll explore how the vagus nerve influences mood, energy, and emotions. Discover body-based techniques to move out of chronic exhaustion, numbness, and despair. Whether you struggle with low motivation, fatigue, or emotional overwhelm, these nervous system regulation tools can help you heal from the inside out!
00:00 Intro
05:52 Nutshell
02:16 Childhood Trauma
03:38 So what’s going on in the nervous system?
03:43 Nervous System Response to Safety and Danger
04:58 What causes The Dorsal Vagal Response?
06:14 Function of Hypoarousal/Dorsal Vagal/ Dissociation
08:57 So what does this trauma have to do with depression?
09:38 What if it doesn’t seem like you’ve dealt with any huge threat?
11:40 So if Depression is fueled by trauma, how can we treat it?
17:48 Summary
Check out the transcript below:
https://therapyinanutshell.com/dorsal-vagal-shutdown-response/
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources
Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/
Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 988 or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC