Ventral Vagus: What it Means

What the Ventral Vagus Makes Possible

With an active ventral vagus, your heart rate is variable yet regulated, you can make eye contact without feeling threatened, you hear the human voice above background noise, and you can combine calm with alertness. This is the state in which therapy is most effective, as it allows for learning and integration.

In Practice

A session where the ventral vagus of both individuals is open feels like 'awake and soft at the same time'. The client can think and feel, and you can be present without effort. When a client says, 'I don't know what I'm feeling but it's okay here,' that is often a ventral report.

Common Misconception

The mistake is thinking that ventral is the same as calm. Someone can be calm in dorsal collapse (shut down, unreachable), and this also appears calm on the outside. The difference lies in presence, eye contact, and social availability.

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