Author(s): Deb Dana

New Age

Offering clients easy-to-implement exercises and strategies for managing wherever they are on the autonomic ladder.

Deb Dana is the leading clinical translator of Stephen Porges' influential polyvagal theory. With her new Polyvagal Card Deck: 58 Practices for Calm and Change, she further extends the reach of this groundbreaking perspective on mental wellness. These informational cards enable clients to enhance a broad understanding of their nervous system as well as help clinicians to guide them through a process of tuning in.

The cards have been thoughtfully created to provide polyvagal concepts and prompts grouped into three areas: 1) the autonomic hierarchy: ventral, sympathetic, and dorsal; 2) a section about regulating the system; and 3) a bonus section exploring play, stillness, and change. Clinicians can use the cards at the beginning of a session to frame the work or at the end to create a plan for ongoing work; clients can reach for the cards any time they want some nervous system support.