Signs and symptoms responsive to Polyvagal informed interventions

Map of the Physiological and Behavioral Effects of the SSP

Created by Heather MacDuffie, LCSW, PhD
(With input from Joseph Falkner, MST/CCC-SLP, and the many clinicians on the SSP Facebook page who shared their experiences.)

This map is an effort to organize all of the reports of change associated with the administration of the SSP. It is intended for use in self-education and to inform recommendations for therapies adjunctive to the SSP chosen for individual clients. The root of connectivity is the autonomic nervous system. With the SSP, we are affecting the autonomic nervous system and the balance of body systems that impact health and functioning overall.

Items at the very ends of each node are those that have been identified by providers worldwide as having been affected by the SSP in the case of one or more of their clients. To explore what behaviors have been associated with change after the SSP, expand nodes to their ends. Items that have a small circle after the text can be expanded or collapsed by clicking on the small circle. Click and drag to navigate around in the map, and adjust the magnification as needed.

The Polyvagal System is a cybernetic system, marked by numerous intersecting feedback loops that regulate the body’s functioning at rest and in response to stimulus. As such, a two-dimensional map cannot adequately display the nature of these relationships. Thus, items occur repetitively within the map, because they are categorized in more than one system. For example, urination occurs both in the parasympathetic nervous system node and in the excretory system node.

This map is a work in progress. We encourage you to use it as a thinking tool, one that you are free to question, correct, or add to.