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Anchored

How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory

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Anchored

By: Deb Dana, Stephen Porges PhD - Foreword by
Narrated by: Deb Dana
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About this listen

An intense conversation, a spat with a partner, or even an obnoxious tweet - these situations aren't life-or-death, yet we often react as if they are. That's because our bodies treat most perceived threats the same way. Yet one approach has proven to be incredibly effective in training our nervous system to stop overreacting: polyvagal theory.

In Anchored, expert teacher Deb Dana shares a down-to-earth presentation of polyvagal theory, then brings the science to life with practical, everyday ways to transform your relationship with your body. Using field-tested techniques, Dana helps you master the skills to become more aware of your nervous system moment to moment - and change the way you respond to the great and small challenges of life.

Here, you'll explore:

  • Polyvagal theory - get to know the biology and function of your vagus nerve, the highway of the nervous system
  • Befriending your nervous system - attune to what's going on in your body by developing your "neuroception"
  • Practices and guidance to gently shape your nervous system for greater resilience, intuition, safety, and wonder

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Deborah A. Dana (P)2022 Tantor Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Nervous System Systems Theory Psychology
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Most relevant
This work offers a very practical guide to understanding and befriending your nervous system, and how to support movement towards greater states of regulation and experiences of safety and wellbeing. I find Deb’s voice a regulating resource to learn these new ideas, and loved the many and varied exploration exercises to put theory into practise.

Easily accessible introduction to nervous system regulation

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loved related so much to anchored as my own experiential lived experience d in understanding this all so much ❤

healing presence

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I found this book fascinating and highly original. Much more than breathing exercises, this book really expanded my understanding of the nervous system and how it changes with positive and stressful experiences. It is very academic but also includes a lot of practical exercises and recommendations that ordinary people can put into practice. But it’s a lot to digest in an audiobook, and unfortunately audible hasn’t listed the chapter titles which really makes all the precious information inside much harder to access. It’s not a listen once book. Hopefully audible will add the chapter titles and/or include the practical exercises in the pdf, which would make it much more valuable.

Fascinating

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Thank you Deb for starting me on my journey to heal my nervous systems. It is a must-listen for everyone.

Life changing

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Anchored is, on the surface, a soothing and compassionate listen. Deb Dana’s voice and tone make the book relaxing, grounding, and comforting — almost like a guided meditation for the nervous system. However, once you start listening critically, it becomes clear that much of what’s being presented as fact is actually based on hypotheses that remain unproven and scientifically contested.

The book leans heavily on Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory — which, more accurately, should be called the Polyvagal Hypothesis. Many experts in neuroscience and psychophysiology have stated that the theory’s core claims are not supported by solid empirical evidence and that there is no strong consensus in the scientific community.

One example is the claim that there is a dedicated framework in the brain for feeling “safe and social”, which Dana presents as a direct link between physiological states and social engagement. Critics have argued that feeling safe and engaging socially are not reliably correlated, and there is no clear evidence of a specific neural pathway that guarantees this coupling.

Furthermore, Dana’s repeated use of the term “energy” is problematic from a scientific perspective. She uses it in ways that could be interpreted as either physical or metaphysical, without providing a clear definition. In rigorous science, terms like this must be precise and repeatable, but in Anchored, it is left entirely to the listener’s interpretation — a communication style more common in woo-woo or pseudoscientific contexts than in peer-reviewed research.

Overall, I see Anchored as straddling a grey area between therapeutic guidance and pseudoscience. While the book is relaxing and can provoke thought or reflection, its overconfident presentation of contested hypotheses and lack of clarity in terminology mean it should be approached with a critical mind rather than taken as definitive neuroscience.

A soothing lesson with questionable content

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