Vagal Tone and the Voice of the Unconscious
Neuroception: The Unconscious Compass
Neuroception is essentially the lived-body’s surveillance system. Continuously scanning for cues of safety or danger this system influences which autonomic state we shift into, thus effecting how we relate, feel, and behave. Regardless of autonomic states, whether ventral vagal (social engagement and safety), sympathetic (mobilization—fight or flight), or dorsalvagal (immobilization—shutdown, collapse), it is vitally important to remember that these shifts are shaped by unconscious processes1. In fact, your autonomic nervous system is constantly scanning your internal and external environment for signs of safety or danger often beneath the level of conscious awareness.
While the Polyvagal Theory has revolutionized trauma-informed care with its focus on bodily states and vagal tone, what’s often missing in the conversation is the unconscious nature of these processes. The unconscious terrain truly shapes not only how we embody a sense of safety, b...