Alliance Article Study #2: Polyvagal Controversies

How has the field responded, and where does that leave us?

Building on the first Article Study, this session turns to the other side of the conversation. We will read and discuss excerpts from articles that respond to the critiques of Polyvagal Theory, including defenses of the model’s core claims and perspectives on what the evidence does and does not support. We will also look at writing that speaks directly to practitioners about how to hold this debate, exploring the distinction between the theory’s neurophysiological foundations and the clinical practices and interventions that have grown from it.

As in the first session, we are approaching this as facilitators rather than scientists, and the reading will happen together in the session. We hope this discussion will help us integrate both sessions and begin to move toward the practical questions we will take into the Practice Lab: how we talk about this model, what we claim, and how we teach it with appropriate honesty.

This session is part of our Q3 2026 Alliance theme, Polyvagal Controversies, where we are exploring what the current scientific debate around Polyvagal Theory means for how we use and teach the model with integrity.