Where the Hands Go
Contact follows the route of the vagus nerve: the base of the skull, the throat and jaw, the ribcage and diaphragm, and the abdomen.
Polyvagal Manual Therapy in Tucson, AZ
Hands-on work with the nervous system, for people carrying chronic stress, anxiety, or the physical residue of trauma.
What is Polyvagal Manual Therapy?
Polyvagal Manual Therapy is hands-on work with the nervous system. Using light, sustained contact along the pathway of the vagus nerve, at the base of the skull, the throat and jaw, the ribcage and diaphragm, and the abdomen, it gives a system that has been stuck in stress or shutdown a way back to a settled state.
The name comes from Polyvagal Theory (poly meaning "many," and vagal meaning "wandering"), Dr. Stephen Porges' account of how the autonomic nervous system reads safety and threat. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in that system, running from the brain stem down through the throat, heart, lungs, and gut. Because it passes through so much of the body, it can be reached and influenced by touch at many points along its route. That is what makes this a manual therapy rather than a conversation.
This service was listed as Polyvagal Theory (PVT) on the previous version of this site. The name changed because what is offered here is hands-on treatment rather than instruction in the theory.
In practice the work happens on the table, fully clothed, and it is quiet. The contact is light enough that most people describe it as resting rather than being treated. Change tends to show up as a deeper breath, a softer belly, a jaw that lets go, or simply the feeling of being present in the room again. It suits people whose bodies have not fully come down from a long stretch of strain, and it can be a useful route in where talking through a history is not wanted or not possible.
How This Work Is Done
A Light, Sustained Touch
Pressure stays minimal throughout. The work gives the nervous system time and quiet to change state; it does not move tissue by force.
The Vagus Nerve
The longest nerve in the autonomic nervous system, running from the brain stem down through the throat, heart, lungs, and gut. Its route is what makes this work reachable by hand.
Reading the State You Are In
The body meets stress in one of a few broad ways: mobilize, shut down, or stay socially engaged. Much of a session is spent noticing which one you are holding and working with it rather than against it.
Safety and Connection
A settled nervous system is the ground for sleep, digestion, and being around other people without effort. Restoring that is the point of the work.
Chronic Stress and Trauma
For people carrying long-term stress or the physical residue of trauma, this offers a way in that does not require talking through the history.
What a Session Looks Like
Sessions are hands-on and take place fully clothed on a treatment table. There are two parts to them.
1
Assessment
A short conversation about what has been going on, then hands-on assessment of where your body is holding tension and how your nervous system is guarding.
2
Hands-On Work
Light contact, held at the points that need it for as long as they need it. Nothing is forced. The pace is set by what your system is ready to let go of.
Take the First Step Towards Healing
If your body has been running on high alert, or has gone quiet and flat, this work gives it a chance to settle. Call or text Reva to learn more.