Applied Polyvagal Theory and Therapeutic Yoga in Psychotherapy

In this course, licensed psychologist Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Certified Complex Trauma Professional, EMDR Consultant, and Kripalu Yoga Teacher, introduces a nervous-system lens for understanding trauma as an unresolved internal experience that can keep clients organised around threat. She maps core polyvagal concepts (ventral vagal social engagement, sympathetic mobilisation, dorsal vagal shutdown, and the tiered response to threat) into clinically usable formulation and intervention. You’ll learn how to identify patterns such as chronic fight/flight, collapse, and appeasement, and how to apply practical regulation strategies — including diaphragmatic breathing, cyclic sighing, cold-stimulus resets, and self-applied touch — to build autonomic flexibility and support psychological flexibility, including during complex presentations such as chronic pain, substance use, and therapist–client co-regulation work.