My wife and I both have complex trauma and we thought learning about polyvagal theory would help us understand our triggers better, but now we're hyper-aware of every nervous system shift and it's like we're constantly monitoring each other for signs of dysregulation. The hypervigilance is exhausting and I think we've lost our natural ability to just be together.
More people experience this than they realize.
Intellectual understanding of nervous system states can paradoxically increase monitoring and decrease genuine presence.
“Where Are You with Polyvagal theory in practice?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.