What Is Polyvagal Theory? Understanding Its Role in Eating Disorders and Recovery
When we talk about eating disorders, most people focus on surface-level issues: food rules, body image, or cultural ideals. But under those patterns lies something deeper. The nervous system. Specifically, a system called the autonomic nervous system and the vagus nerve.
Understanding what polyvagal theory is and how it connects to eating disorders and recovery can shift the way we support healing. It gives us language for what so many people with eating disorders feel: being stuck in survival mode, disconnected from their bodies, and overwhelmed by internal chaos.
What Is Polyvagal Theory?
Polyvagal theory was developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges. At the heart of the theory is the vagus nerve, a major nerve that runs from the brainstem to the body and helps regulate things like digestion, heart rate, and social engagement.
According to Stephen Porges, the vagus nerve is part of a three-part system that determines how we respond to stress:
Ventral Vagal State: Safe, calm, connected
Sympathetic State: Fight-or-flight, anxious, hyperalert
Dorsal Vagal State: Shut down, numb, disconnected
These states shape how we move through the world. They affect how we relate to food, our bodies, and ourselves.
Eating Disorders and the Nervous System
The nervous system plays a central role in eating disorders and recovery. When it's dysregulated, it can distort hunger cues, fuel obsessive thinking, and drive harmful behaviors. Here's how:
1. Chronic Stress and Hyperarousal (Sympathetic Activation)
People in a sympathetic state often feel anxious, edgy, or overwhelmed. Eating may feel unsafe, out of control, or shameful. Restriction and rigid rules can become coping strategies. For some, suppressing hunger feels like regaining control.
2. Shutdown and Disconnection (Dorsal Vagal Activation)
When someone is in a dorsal vagal state, they may feel emotionally numb or dissociated. This can lead to binge eating or using food to "wake up" from emotional flatness. The body feels far away. Hunger and fullness cues are hard to notice.
3. Safety and Connection (Ventral Vagal Activation)
This is the state where healing can happen. When the nervous system feels safe, people can tune into their bodies, connect with others, and respond to hunger and fullness more intuitively. Many people with eating disorders struggle to access this state.
The Role of Polyvagal-Informed Practices in ED Recovery
Traditional eating disorder treatment often focuses on behavior and cognition. But without nervous system regulation, many people continue to feel unsafe in their own skin. Here are a few ways polyvagal-informed approaches can support recovery:
Breathwork and Vagal Stimulation
Slow, diaphragmatic breathing can help calm the nervous system. Practices like humming or singing also stimulate the vagus nerve, promoting a sense of safety.
Somatic Therapy and Embodied Practices
Yoga, somatic therapy, and other body-based approaches help restore connection to the body. These practices support interoception, the ability to sense internal cues like hunger, fullness, and emotion.
Mindful Eating
Eating slowly, with awareness, can shift someone into a more regulated state. It helps rebuild trust in the body and develop more flexible, responsive eating habits.
Safe Social Connection
Because the polyvagal system is wired for connection, relationships matter. Peer support groups, therapeutic alliances, and even time with pets can help bring the nervous system into balance.
Why This Matters for Professionals
If you work with people affected by eating disorders and mental health challenges, understanding polyvagal theory matters. It helps explain why someone might appear "resistant" to treatment: their body may not feel safe enough to receive it.
Bringing nervous system awareness into clinical work can improve outcomes, especially for those who haven't responded to traditional treatment approaches.
Learning from the Work of Stephen Porges
Dr. Stephen Porges' polyvagal theory has reshaped how we think about trauma, stress, and connection. Applying these insights to eating disorders and recovery can help us:
Reduce shame and self-blame
Understand behavior in a nervous system context
Offer tools that build safety, not just control
Why Nervous System Awareness Matters in Eating Disorders and Mental Health
Understanding the polyvagal system gives us a new way to look at eating disorders and recovery. It's not about forcing change or fixing symptoms; it's about helping people feel safe enough to change. By supporting nervous system regulation, we make space for the body to guide the healing process.
This approach doesn’t replace cognitive or behavioral therapies, but it adds a layer that many people need. One that works with the body, not against it.
To learn more about our work at Eat Breathe Thrive and how we integrate polyvagal-informed practices into recovery, explore our professional trainings and community programs.
Written by: Julie Bergfeld