Polyvagal Card Deck

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

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Deb Dana is the leading clinical translator of Stephen Porges’s influential polyvagal theory. Here she further extends the reach of this groundbreaking perspective on mental wellness in the form of a card deck.

These cards have been thoughtfully created to provide polyvagal concepts and prompts grouped into four areas representing three sections of the autonomic hierarchy: ventral; sympathetic; dorsal (a section about regulating the system); and a bonus section exploring play, stillness and change. The cards will enable clients to enhance a broad understanding of their nervous system as well as guide them through a process of tuning in.

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.