Polyvagal Theory Criticism: What the Debate Means for Somatic Therapy
Updated: Oct 2
What does the latest polyvagal theory criticism say?
If you have spent time in therapy, wellness spaces or somatic practice, you have probably come across polyvagal theory. It offers a map of how the nervous system responds to safety and threat, describing states of connection, mobilisation and shutdown, and for many people that map has been genuinely useful, giving language to experiences that previously felt confusing or shameful. For that reason, I think it is important to be honest about the polyvagal theory criticism currently unfolding in the scientific community.
What does the latest polyvagal theory criticism say?
In early 2026, the psychophysiologist Paul Grossman and 38 co-authors, all specialists in autonomic physiology and neuroscience, published an evaluation concluding that the core biological claims underpinning polyvagal theory are not supported by current evidence. The specific neuroanatomical distinctions the theory relies on, and the evolutionary story it tells about the vagus nerve, do not hold up under their scrutiny. This builds on earlier critiques, including Grossman's 2023 review and work by the neuroanatomists Neuhuber and Berthoud, and Stephen Porges, who developed the theory, has responded to these critiques in detail.
This is a significant challenge, and it is one that practitioners who use this framework have a responsibility to take seriously. I take it seriously, and I also want to be clear about what this criticism does and does not touch.
Many of the psychological concepts at the heart of polyvagal theory, such as safety, connection, co-regulation, freeze and dissociation, were described long before the theory existed. They come from attachment research, trauma theory and the long history of body and mind practice, and they stand on their own foundations. The polyvagal theory criticism is aimed at the physiological scaffolding, which leaves the lived experience these concepts describe very much intact.
What does this mean for nervous system regulation and somatic work?
In practice, the experience of feeling safe or unsafe in your body is real. The way early relational experiences shape how the nervous system learns to respond is real, the settling that comes from genuine human connection and co-regulation is real, and the states of shutdown, overwhelm and hypervigilance that many people carry are real. None of this disappears because a particular theory about vagal anatomy is contested.
Good practice has always depended on meeting what is actually present, with care, attention and honesty, rather than on having a perfect map. The body responds to felt safety and perceived threat whether or not scientists agree on the mechanism, and the work of gently supporting the nervous system towards greater flexibility and ease remains meaningful without a flawless neurophysiological explanation.
This is one of the things I value most about trauma-informed somatic therapy, which is grounded in direct, embodied experience rather than any single theoretical model. The body-based approach I use draws on nervous system awareness, attachment theory and relational safety, all of which have support that is independent of polyvagal theory's biological claims.
How can we hold theory lightly in the therapy room?
What I find most useful in all of this is the reminder that theories are tools that help us organise our understanding and communicate with one another. When a tool is shown to have limits, the honest response is to hold it more lightly, neither defending it beyond those limits nor discarding everything it pointed towards. From there, we can stay curious and keep returning to what is directly observable, which is the person in front of us, the sensations in the body and the gradual unfolding of something that feels more like home.
This is, ultimately, what somatic healing is built on, the felt experience of regulation, connection and gradually increasing safety in the body. Whatever theoretical map we use to describe that process, the territory itself, your nervous system, your body and your capacity for change, remains.
How can I explore this in practice?
If this way of thinking about the nervous system resonates with you, and you are curious about what it feels like to explore it in practice rather than in theory, you are warmly welcome to book a free connection call. It is a relaxed conversation about what you are experiencing and whether working together feels right for you, with no pressure either way. One to one somatic therapy, rooted in NeuroAffective Touch®, offers a relational, body-based space that works with your nervous system directly, with care, honesty and curiosity about what your body is showing us. Sessions are available online and in person in Beverley, East Yorkshire.
And if you would rather explore at your own pace, the Sunday Pause arrives in your inbox each week with a short practice to come back to. You are warmly welcome to sign up using this form below.
About the author
Laura Starky is an integrative somatic therapist based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, offering sessions in person and online. Her path into this work began in pre-hospital emergency care and continued through 25 years in social work across child protection, substance misuse and mental health. Her somatic training began with ISOHH and has since deepened through NeuroAffective Touch® training with Dr Aline LaPierre. She holds ACCPH Senior Member accreditation and works under regular professional supervision.
Laura is also a qualified yoga and meditation teacher and a committed practitioner of contemplative practice, rooted mainly in the non-dual tradition of Shaiva Tantra.
Resources and references
Research
Grossman, P. (2023) Fundamental challenges and likely refutations of the five basic premises of the polyvagal theory. Biological Psychology, 180, 108589. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108589
Grossman, P. et al. (2026) Why the polyvagal theory is untenable: an international expert evaluation of the polyvagal theory and commentary upon Porges, S. W. (2025). Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 23(1), pp. 100–112.
Neuhuber, W. L. and Berthoud, H.-R. (2022) Functional anatomy of the vagus system: how does the polyvagal theory comply? Biological Psychology, 174, 108425.
Porges, S. W. (2023) The vagal paradox: a polyvagal solution. Open access via the Polyvagal Institute at polyvagalinstitute.org.
Further reading
Porges, S. W. (2011) The Polyvagal Theory. New York: W. W. Norton.
You can also read my post Why the Body Doesn't Feel Safe: Somatic Therapy and Polyvagal Theory for an introduction to how somatic therapists work with safety.
Last updated: September 2026
