Signs of Dorsal Vagal Collapse and How EMDR Can Help

What is Dorsal Vagal Collapse? 

The dorsal vagal “collapse” response is a feature of the parasympathetic nervous system (you’ve probably heard us talk about Polyvagal Theory here before - it has to do with this!) and it looks like “shut down” or immobilization when someone is under stress. It can also look like depression in adults. This nervous system response is often triggered by trauma, chronic stress, or certain medical conditions, and is a reaction in the body to compounding agitation or anxiety (as in “fight or flight”). In other words, once we’ve used up all of our “reserves” of fight and flight, the body goes towards freeze to stop expending internal resources.

EMDR therapy is a research-based and effective trauma therapy modality designed for treating symptoms of trauma, including depression or dorsal vagal collapse. At Sona Collective, we love to combine ketamine therapy with EMDR for a holistic approach to treating depression that is non-shaming and evidence-based. 

Physical Signs of Dorsal Vagal Collapse

1. Immobilization

   The most prominent feature is a sense of being "frozen" or paralyzed. This is a primitive survival response aimed at making the individual appear dead to a predator or conserving energy in the face of an overwhelming threat. In modern-day life, this can look like freezing before giving a presentation at work and forgetting everything you were about to say, or collapsing in front of the TV after a long day of work and feeling unable to move and tend to self-care. We tend to diagnose adults as depressed in our society when they experience chronic dorsal vagal activation. 

2. Decreased Heart Rate

   A significant slowing of the heart rate occurs, which can sometimes be accompanied by a drop in blood pressure. This means lower energy to do things like exercise, accomplish chores, and work or go to school. 

3. Reduced Metabolic Activity

   The body’s metabolic processes slow down, which might be experienced as fatigue, low energy, or feeling faint. This is one of the reasons we hear a lot of clients talk about weight gain and discomfort in their bodies if they have been experiencing depression for some time. 

4. Numbness or Disconnection

   Individuals may feel emotionally numb or disconnected from their surroundings as if detached from their body or environment. Clients experiencing dorsal vagal shutdown often report feeling uninterested in activities they usually enjoy, or unmotivated to go out and spend time with friends. 

Emotional and Behavioral Signs of Dorsal Vagal

1. Apathy and Disinterest

   This is what we typically think of as depression. When an individual is apathetic about what they once enjoyed and unable to find pleasure in life again, it’s a sign of dorsal vagal collapse. There is often disinterest in doing the self-care activities that will help one feel better and move out of the collapsed state. It’s a catch-22. 

2. Withdrawn

   Marked by a tendency to want to withdraw into oneself, this often looks like isolation and difficulty connecting with others. Because this is the part of our nervous system that does not want or need to engage socially, it’s natural for those experiencing depression to feel disconnected from others and disinterested in being social.

3. Stillness

   Physical movement may be minimal, and the individual may remain very still, which may mean difficulty exercising, taking care of household chores, going to the grocery store, cooking meals, and tending to basic hygiene. This is similar to how animals “play dead” in nature.

Move Out of Dorsal Vagal Collapse with EMDR

1. Gradual Reconnection

   Recovery involves slowly re-engaging with the body and environment. This might include gentle movement, breathing exercises, or sensory grounding techniques. To use EMDR therapy language, this is where resourcing through the five senses comes in handy. You might try the following:

1. Using your sense of sight, find five things that catch your interest and name out loud.

2. Using your sense of touch, reach around you to feel four things and name them out loud. 

3. Using your sense of sound, notice three things in your environment that you can hear and name them out loud.

4. Using your sense of smell, notice two scents in the room (you may need to find something to smell, like essential oil or a candle) and name them out loud.

5. Using your sense of taste, notice something you can taste in your mouth (perhaps take a drink of water or a beverage) and name it out loud.

2. Therapeutic Support

   Engaging in EMDR therapy is a highly effective way of treating dorsal vagal collapse as it’s designed to shift the nervous system out of a fight/flight/freeze state into a state of regulation and calm. Your EMDR therapist may have you review earlier memories within the EMDR protocol and begin reprocessing trauma that may still be lingering in your nervous system. 

3. Self-Compassion

   If you have been feeling shut down or depressed for some time, it is essential to approach yourself with kindness and patience, recognizing that the dorsal vagal response is a natural, albeit challenging, part of the body’s defense mechanisms. Depression tends to be stigmatized in our culture (which values productivity, quickness, and accomplishments) but is in fact simply our body’s natural response to stress. It’s important to treat our natural responses with love and kindness rather than aggression and shame.

Learn More

If you would like to learn more about how EMDR therapy may help treat trauma and trauma-related symptoms, including depression, please reach out to schedule a complimentary consultation. You may also read the blog to learn more about EMDR, ketamine therapy, and somatic therapy for treating trauma-related conditions.