THE PERSONAL PROFILE MAP

The Autonomic Ladder

Let’s translate our basic knowledge of the autonomic nervous system into everyday
understanding by imagining the autonomic nervous system as a ladder. How do our
experiences change as we move down and back up the ladder?

The Top of the Ladder

What would it feel like to be safe and warm? Arms strong but gentle. Snuggle close, joined by
tears and laughter. Free to share, to stay, to leave…

Safety and connection are guided by the evolutionarily newest part of the autonomic nervous
system. Our social engagement system is active in the ventral vagal pathway of the
parasympathetic branch. In this state, our heart rate is regulated and our breath is full. We take
in the faces of friends, tune in to conversations, and tune out distracting noises. We see the big
picture and connect to the world and the people in it. I might describe myself as happy, active,
Excerpted from the book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, © 2023 by Deb Dana. Used
with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
interested and the world as safe, fun, and peaceful. From this ventral vagal place at the top of
the autonomic ladder, I am connected to myself and can reach out to others. Some of the daily
living experiences in this state include being organized, following through with plans, taking
care of myself, taking time to play, doing things with others, feeling productive at work, and
having a general feeling of regulation and a sense of management. Health benefits include a
healthy heart, regulated blood pressure, a strong immune system decreasing my vulnerability
to illness, good digestion, quality sleep and overall sense of well-being.

Moving Down the Ladder

Fear is whispering to me and I feel the power of its message. Move, take action, escape. No one
can be trusted. No place is safe…

The sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system activates when we feel a stirring of
unease and a neuroception of danger. We go into action. Fight and flight happen here. In this
state, our heart rate speeds up; our breath is short and shallow. We scan our environment
looking for danger- we are on the move. I might describe myself as anxious or angry and feel
the rush of adrenaline that makes it hard for me to be still. I listen for sounds of danger and
don’t hear the sounds of friendly voices. The world may feel dangerous, chaotic, and unfriendly.
From this place of sympathetic mobilization- a step down the autonomic ladder and backward
on the evolutionary timeline, I may believe, “The world is a dangerous place and I need to
protect myself from harm.” Some of the daily living problems can be anxiety, panic attacks,
anger, inability to focus or follow through, and distress in relationships. Health consequences
include heart disease; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; sleep problems; memory
impairment; headache; chronic neck, should, and back tension; and increased vulnerability to
illness.

The Bottom of the Ladder

I’m far away in a dark and forbidding place. I make no sound. I am small and silent and barely
breathing. Alone, where no one will ever find me…

Our oldest pathway of response, the dorsal vagal pathway of the parasympathetic branch, is
the path of last resort. When all else fails, when we are trapped and action taking doesn’t work,
the dorsal vagus takes us into shutdown, collapse, and dissociation. Here at the very bottom of
the autonomic ladder, I am alone with my despair and escape into not knowing, not feeling,
almost a sense of not being. I might describe myself as hopeless, abandoned, foggy, too tired to
think or act and the world as empty, dead, and dark. From this earliest place on the
evolutionary timeline, where my mind and body have moved into conservation mode, I may
believe, “I am lost and no one will ever find me.” Some of the daily living problems can be
dissociation, memory issues, depression, loneliness, and no energy for the tasks of daily life.
Health consequences of this state can include chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, digestive issues,
low blood pressure, and respiratory problems.

Excerpted from the book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, © 2023 by Deb Dana. Used
with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
 Where am I?
Completing Your Personal Profile Map

The Personal Profile Map Template

The Personal Profile Map is a good place to begin. This map helps you safely connect to, and get
to know, your experiences in your two survival states and in the state of regulation. This
mapping process invites you to first dip a toe in sympathetic and dorsal survival to begin to get
to know those states and not be overwhelmed by them as is often our experience. Then you
dive into exploring the energy of ventral safety and connection. While this map can be done in
pe or pencil, there is an added benefit to using color. You can use colored markers or pens to fill
in the sections. If you don’t want to work in color but are curious about the colors your nervous
system would choose, consider a color for each state and mark the choice in the margin.

In this mapping exercise, travel the predictable pathway down the hierarchy and first map
sympathetic survival, then move to dorsal survival, and finish by mapping the ventral state of

Excerpted from the book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, © 2023 by Deb Dana. Used
with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
regulation. Since our nervous systems respond to mapping our states, we want to end the
experience in ventral.

• Remember a time when you were pulled into the sympathetic survival energy of fight
and flight, where you felt the rise of anger and anxiety. Let the memory come alive in
your mind and body just enough so you feel the flavor of it and aren’t flooded by it. Too
much and you will be pulled into the chaotic energy of the state and out of the ability to
get to know it.

• In the sympathetic section of the ladder map, describe what it is like here. What
happens in your body? What do you do? What do you feel? What do you think and say?
How is your sleep, relationship with food, and use of substances or compulsive
behaviors impacted? As you finish the section, fill in the sentences “I am…” and “The
world is…” These two sentences identify the core beliefs that are driving your
experiences when you are in a state of sympathetic activation

• Now move to the dorsal survival state. While in the sympathetic state there is too much
energy, the hallmark of the dorsal state in the lack of energy. Remember a time when
you felt the energy drain from your system, and you took the first step into shut down.
The dorsal experience is one of disconnection, feeling out of touch with the present
moment, unseen, lost and alone. Mapping the dorsal state can easily activate collapse
and disconnection. So let just enough in to your awareness that you can be with your
dorsal survival state to begin to get to know it.

• Write what it feels like, looks like, and sounds like in this place. What happens in your
baby? What do you do? What do you feel? What do you think and say? How is your
sleep, relationship with food, and use of substances or compulsive behaviors impacted?
Fill in the sentences “I am …” and “The world is…” to discover the core beliefs at work
here.

• Finish by mapping the state of ventral regulation. If you’re worried that you haven’t
spent a lot of time in ventral or maybe you think you really don’t know that place of
safety, you can be reassured that the memory of a micro-moment of ventral is enough
to bring the state alive and map it. You don’t need long stretches of ventral regulation to
become familiar with what it’s like there. One moment holds all the information needed
to finish your map. You might remember a moment of feeling wonderful, or totally at
peace, or joy-filled. You might remember a moment when you felt ok enough, happy
enough, organized enough to make your way through the day. All you need is a micro-
moment of what I call “ventral OKness.” Find a moment, dive in, and bring the state fully
alive.

• Write what happens here in this place of ventral regulation. What happens in your
body? What do you do? What do you feel? What do you think and say? How is your

Excerpted from the book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, © 2023 by Deb Dana. Used
with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
 sleep, relationship with food, and use of substances or compulsive behaviors impacted?
Fill in the sentences “I am…” and “The world is…” and discover the story from this place
of regulation.

• While ventral, sympathetic and dorsal are important terms to know, these names are
not necessarily welcoming and how we want to refer to our states. When you’ve
finished mapping, take a moment to connect with each state and then use the boxes
along the side of the map to name your states in a way that reflects your personal
experience.

Now that you’ve completed your Personal Profile Map, put it where you can easily refer to it.
Check in frequently to find your place on the map. Become a skilled state detector able to easily
answer the question, “Where am I?” Notice where you are on your map. Name the state. Turn
toward the experience and listen for a moment to what your nervous system wants you to
know. “My sympathetic mobilization is telling me…” “My dorsal vagal state is letting me
know…” My ventral vagal system is inviting me to…:

Mapping Your Regulated System

Regulated Ladder Map Template

Excerpted from the book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, © 2023 by Deb Dana. Used
with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
In addition to understanding the way our nervous systems use survival energy, we want to get
to know the everyday, regulating roles of our three states and what it’s like to inhabit a
regulated system. The Regulated Ladder Map is a good companion to the Personal Profile Map.
Because you are mapping regulated states, you can work in any order you want. I like to travel
up the hierarchy from dorsal to sympathetic to ventral, but let your nervous system be your
guide.

• Feel the slow and steady beat of your dorsal system. Its regulating role is to bring
nutrients to nourish you and offer you a place to rest and renew. Enter into that
experience and notice what happens in your body what you think, feel and do. Writer
what you discover on your map. Finish by filling in the same sentences as you did on
your Personal Profile Map: The world is…, I am…

• Moving up to the sympathetic system, feel the energizing, organized energy of

regulated mobilization. In its everyday role, the sympathetic system is responsible for
adjusting heart and breath rhythms and bringing you the energy you need to move
through the day. Step into the energy of this system and explore the experience.
Document what you discover about what happens in your body, what you think, feel,
and do in this place. Finish by filling in the sentences: The world is… and I am…

• Come to the top of the hierarchy and the place of ventral safety and regulation.
Continue the exploration you began when you filled out your Personal Profile Map. Look
at the four pathways of connection – to yourself, others, the world, and Spirit – that are
engaged and alive in this state. What happens in your body, what do you think, feel, and
do? Finish by filling in the sentences: The world is…, and I am …

Take a moment to look at your completed map. What did you discover? What are the details
that are important to you? What do you appreciate about the ways your three states work to
bring you well-being?

Excerpted from the book Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety, © 2023 by Deb Dana. Used
with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.