Clinical Conversation

Guest: Deb Dana, LCSW
On-Demand: This conversation was recorded on November 19th, 2025. It will be available, on demand, one week after the live event

What if the key to unlocking your most challenging cases lies not in what you say, but in how you attune to your client's nervous system? Join us for an immersive clinical conversation with guest, Deb Dana, LCSW, a renowned clinician, author, and a leading voice in polyvagal-informed care.

This is not your standard continuing education event. It’s a candid conversation for trauma therapists who want practical, body-based insight into why clients get stuck and how to move beyond traditional tools. When cognitive work falls flat, when rapport feels impossible, when every session feels like pushing against an invisible wall - that’s where polyvagal theory shines. Discover how to collaborate with the client's nervous system using proven polyvagal strategies that foster real, lasting change.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why “resistance,” shutdown, and tricky therapy moments are adaptive responses -not client flaws
• How to use the “Polyvagal Ladder” to map nervous system states in complex trauma cases
• New entry points when traditional cognitive or relational work stalls
• Practical techniques for tracking neuroception and building felt safety, inside and outside sessions
• How co-regulation, attunement, and body-based cues transform your presence as a therapist
• Simple rituals, breathing, and somatic practices to restore engagement and resilience
• The language of the autonomic nervous system, and how to use it collaboratively with clients

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, and author. She is a founding member of Polyvagal Institute, consultant to Khiron Clinics, and advisor to Unyte. Deb is well known for translating Polyvagal Theory into a language and application that is both clear and accessible and for her significant contribution pioneering Rhythm of Regulation® methodology and practices which open up the power of Polyvagal Theory for professionals and curious people from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life.

Deb is the author of The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation, Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices, Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, Polyvagal Prompts: Finding Connection and Joy Through Guided Explorations, Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory, The Nervous System Workbook: Practical Exercises to Ease Anxiety, Find Safety, and Come Home to Yourself Using Polyvagal Theory, co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies, and creator of the Polyvagal Flip Chart and the Polyvagal Card Deck.