Polyvagal Theory Under Scrutiny: What the Debate Means for Trauma-Informed Care
Over the past decade, Polyvagal Theory has become a popular framework in trauma-informed care. Many therapists use its language to talk about the nervous system, safety, connection, and dysregulation. For many clinicians, it helped explain something they already saw in their work: when people feel unsafe, their bodies react in powerful ways. However, recent research has raised questions about the scientific foundations of the theory.