Feel Safe Again: A Polyvagal Guide to Nervous-System Reset

Discover how your nervous system is silently shaping your experience — whether you feel stuck, numb, or constantly “on.” On the latest episode of the Crackin’ Backs Podcast with guest Michael Allsion, we unpack the power of the Polyvagal Theory, how our bodies are scanning for threat or safety, and practical ways to bring yourself back into genuine connection, presence and flow.
 

When You Don’t “Feel Right”

You might wake up and simply sense — something’s off. Maybe you feel numb, emotionally muted, disconnected from the world around you, or conversely, you’re in constant drive: tight, tense, always mobilized.

What if I told you that your nervous system is already doing the work, even when you’re not aware of it? That your body is surveilling, scanning cues of safety or danger, and shaping how you feel, how you move, how the world moves around you.

In the conversation with Michael Allsion on the Crackin’ Backs Podcast, we dig into exactly how this happens — and how you can start to shift your experience from being locked out of feeling into living through feeling — connected, alive, aligned.
 

3 Key Takeaways from Our Conversation with Michael Allsion
 

1. Our felt experience is being shaped — whether we know it or not

• We often assume our feelings, behaviors, movement patterns are a reflection of our intentions, our will, our character. But Michael reminds us: many of these are reflexive, neurophysiological states that are happening in the background.
   

• Your posture, your voice, the tension in your jaw, the tightness around your eyes — these aren’t just superficial “muscle issues”: they are signals from your nervous system that you’ve entered a state of protection or mobilization.
   

• So first step: recognize that you are not always the pilot of your physiology. Much of the time your body is responding to cues you might not even consciously register.
   

2. The evolutionary mismatch: high-performance body versus ancient biology

• We live in a culture of constant evaluation, comparison, performance-drive: money, status, achievement. And the nervous system is still wired for something different: safety, connection, belonging.
   

• Michael points out that many high-achievers and performers are stuck in one mode: “go/attack/get” — mobilized fight/flight. The missing piece is the ability to down-regulate, to enter a state of rest, connection, play.
   

• The kicker: that mobilized state might work for business, competition, sport — but it’s metabolically costly, chronically unsustainable. Bodies locked there eventually shut down or break. The goal is to widen your physiological bandwidth: mobilize when needed, but return when done.
   

3. The gateway: learning to meet your nervous system so it meets you

• Michael gives us practical channels: rather than trying to “force” yourself to perform or feel a certain way, the skill is to meet your body where it is, acknowledge what it’s doing, and gently steer it toward regulation.
   

• Use internal cues: the exhale, the softening of your jaw, the widening of your gaze. Use relational cues: safe face, supportive voice. Use environmental cues: sight, sound, touch that say “you’re okay.”
   

• You build a container of safety — a system of cues your nervous system can trust. Over time, that creates resilience: you can be with the arousal, the challenge, but not be hijacked by it.
   

What is Polyvagal Theory?

Let’s break it down for the layperson.
 

The “Surveillance System” of the Body

Your nervous system is constantly asking: Am I safe? Is this environment okay, or is there threat? This question is non-conscious, automatic. According to Polyvagal Theory, that process is called neuroception.
 

Three Nervous System States (Simplified)

• Social Engagement / Ventral Vagal State: When you feel safe, you connect, you engage, your voice is calm, you’re relaxed. This is the “rest and relate” state.
   

• Mobilization / Sympathetic State: Threat-detected, you prepare to fight or flee: heart rate up, muscles tense, you’re ready to move.
   

• Immobilization / Dorsal Vagal State: If the threat is overwhelming or no escape, the system may “shut down”: freeze, numb, collapse.
   

Why This Matters

• Because our physiology dictates our psychology. When your body is in fight/flight, your thinking, your expressions, your voice, your posture all reflect that. Michael says: that’s not a reflection of your value, your character; it's simply a state your nervous system is in.
   

• If you’re numb, checked-out, disconnected, you may be in dorsal/vagal shutdown. If you’re constantly high-strung, anxious, wound up, you’re stuck in mobilization. Neither is sustainable.
   

• The goal is to expand your nervous system’s capacity to navigate all three states and return to the social engagement state when required.

How to Start Recognizing & Respecting What’s Going On In You

Here are actionable steps Michael shared:

• When you feel off (tight neck, shallow breath, distant voice), pause and ask: Where is my body right now? What cues am I sending?
   

• Meet that feeling: “Yes, I’m in tightness. I’m mobilized.” Don’t add the story “I should be calm, I should be fine.” Just notice.
   

• Use exhale to regulate: A long, slow exhale stimulates the vagal brake → slows heart rate, calms nervous system. Michael emphasizes the simple act of lengthen the exhale before you speak.
   

• Use relational cues: A softening smile (especially the eyes), safe voice tone, open gaze. These send signals the nervous system “gets” as safety.
   

• Environmentally: widen your focus, take in the ambient cues — light, sound, environment that say “I’m not under immediate threat.”
   

• Build lifestyle “containers of safety”: times and places where you don’t have to be alert or mobilized; relationships where you can just be. These feed your nervous system’s deeper needs, not just your performance goals.
   

Why This Is Especially Important for High-Performers, Athletes, and Healers

Michael works with professional athletes, business leaders, therapists — people who are used to performing. But he sees a common factor: bodies chronically mobilized, rarely returned to rest, rarely in true social engagement.

• Without regulation, access to the prefrontal cortex (thinking, strategy, creativity) is compromised. You can’t think your way out of a high-tension state. Michael notes: “Good luck accessing your knowledge when your nervous system is hijacked.”
   

• Performance isn’t only about pushing harder. It’s about navigating mobilisation and return. The athlete who drops into “play zone” isn’t constantly mobilized. They shift into social engagement, feel safe, and then mobilize when needed.
   

• For people in healing professions, or anyone dealing with trauma, burnout, chronic tension: this isn’t an optional add-on. It is the foundation of sustainable performance, sustainable health.
   

Takeaway: What Are You Feeling (or Not Feeling)?

If you’re reading this and thinking: “Yeah, I feel nothing. Or I feel too much. I’m always wound up.” — you are not broken. Your nervous system is simply doing its job with the cues it’s getting.

What you can do is start relating to your internal experience differently: not as a problem to fix, but as a state to partner with.

You can begin to recognize: “Ah — here I am in mobilization.” Or “Here I am in shutdown.”

You can respect: “Okay body, you’re doing what you’re designed to do.”

Then you can relate: “Let’s shift. Let’s feel connection. Let’s feel safe. Let’s build trust in the system again.”

It’s not about eliminating mobilization; it’s about broadening your bandwidth such that you can move through states and continue functioning, not simply survive.

If You Want to Go Deeper…

🎧 Listen to the full episode of the Crackin’ Backs Podcast with Michael Allsion — where we dig deeper into nervous system informatics, real-world athlete stories, and body-based practices.

🎥 Watch the YouTube version — catch the facial expressions, tone, pause points, the relational cues we talk about.

📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel — to stay updated with future episodes, cutting-edge discussions in chiropractic, nervous system regulation, functional performance.

Thank you for reading. If you found this helpful, drop a comment, share it with someone who might feel “numb,” “wound up,” or “just off” — and let’s build a community of people who can feel → connect → live in alignment, inside and out.