beyond boxes 2:
Exploring the Edges of Polyvagal Theory and Practice
March 14, 28, April 11 2025
12-2pm EST
with Marika Heinrichs, Jacqui Jebian Garcia + Eliana rubin
“the polyvagal theory and related research that challenges the embodiment of binaries offer us ways into more fully inhabiting our humanity: to live in both hemispheres of the brain, all branches of the nervous system, and to embrace the interwoven, interdepedent, magical unknown in the body.”
— Eliana Rubin, “Taking the State out of the Body”
The vagus nerve is a living reminder that our bodies are wild, non-linear and Uncontainable.
Neuroception — the unconscious bodily process of tracking for safety and threat in our environments — teaches us that we are inherently interdependent and porous beings, always shaping and being shaped by the systems of life in which we are embedded.
As polyvagal theory grows in popularity, the potential for this radical reminder of our relational and wild nature is at risk of being watered down and limited by the shapes and structures of the dominant culture. Like anything, polyvagal theory can be a tool or weapon; it can help us expand an embodied understanding of life’s interdependence and diversity or it can further entrench beliefs about our bodies being “normal” vs “bad” or “healthy”vs “defective.”
our view of the nervous system can often overcategorize the body, resulting in a somatics that becomes more about reinscribing systems of domination than about creating the liberatory and brave communities of belonging we so deeply need.
In this series, three polyvagal-informed somatic practitioners will explore places where conventional applications of Polyvagal Theory haven’t (yet) dared to go... We’ll expand the edges of how attachment and neuroscience can be applied to understanding power, disability, and relationships, with the intention of opening further possibilities for healing and transformation.
Join us for the second instalment in the Beyond Boxes series for a dynamic exploration at the intersection of neuroscience and collective liberation.
This collaborative series includeS:
A politicized and neurodiversitY affirming approach to polyvagal theory
theory and practices to help practitioners better understand and work with the wisdom of the vagus nerve in relation to culture, disability, and relationship styles.
creative and unique approaches to delivering the safe and sound protocol
three sessions focused on brave and innovative applications of polyvagal theory including:
sacred oaks and penitentials:
unpacking supremacy culture through a Polyvagal Lens
with marika heinrichs on march 14thAt the centre of domination and control based cultures is a profound disconnection from land, spirit, and interdependence. Polyvagal theory offers us a scientific pathway to remembering what Indigenous cultures have always known: that to be alive is to be interconnected. We are built to be in relationship; this is how we grow, survive, and thrive — cutting off connection from a secure attachment to land and community is at the root of colonization and abuse. When this wound goes unrecognized, it goes on repeating in devastating ways. Polyvagal Theory teaches us that our autonomic states shapes our perception, and that our sense of bodily safety comes from connection.
This workshop will expand beyond Western notions of relationship to include land, spirit, and community and will explore how restoring our felt sense of interdependence is vital to dismantling supremacy. We will trace the roots of white supremacy culture, and offer practices in support of reconnection, repair, and remembering ways of life older than domination.Polyvagal Theory through a Neurodiversity Paradigm Lens: Understanding Our Neurodivergent Lived Experiences
with jacqui Jebian Garcia on march 28thFor neurodivergent individuals, traditional applications of Polyvagal Theory (PVT) often overlook the broader context of how societal norms and expectations place additional stress on their nervous systems. When we politicize PVT, we acknowledge that neurodivergent individuals may not only be responding to sensory overload, but also to the ongoing microaggressions and systemic barriers that exist in environments not built for them. This lens shifts the focus from “curing” behaviours to radical acceptance, creating more inclusive, supportive environments that actively seek to reduce the external stressors that impact neurodivergent individuals’ nervous systems and where neurodivergence can be depathologized and celebrated as part of the rich tapestry of human experience.
This workshop will support participants to reframe understandings of appeasement and neuroception through a neurodiversity affirming lens, learn to depathologize stress responses from a PVT perspective, and offer practices that support a Felt Sense of safety in the body as an antidote to pathologizing neurodivergent trauma.
From Polyamory to Polyvagal:
practicing at the edge of safety and desire
with eliana rubin on april 11thThe most radical relationship style you can have is one that actually works for you and your partner(s), one that is responsive to your body, your attachment system, your trauma history, and your desires. In this workshop, we will deconstruct the binary of polyamory and monogomy, while also dissolving pretensions around relationship anarchy or any ways that we are made to feel like there is a "should" or "better" way to be in relationship. Instead, we will dive into polyvagal theory as a tool for understanding ourselves better inside of relationships. We will learn practices to communicate secure connections with our partner(s), co-regulate in times of tension, and support an embodied and expansive sense of safety in relationship.
This workshop will support participants to feel more security in following their longings in relationship, to deconstruct relationship "shoulds", and to practice towards more liberatory ways of relating.
your teachers:
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Marika is a queer femme bodyworker, writer, and teacher growing and living on Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory in so-called Southern Ontario, Canada.She has been involved in racial and healing justice movement work for over 15 years, and is the co-founder of Embodied Ancestral Inquiry.
You can read more about her work here.
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Eliana builds transgressive relationships with bodies, land, and lineage through their work as a somatic practitioner, politicized facilitator, organizer, and pleasure instigator.They are the author of Taking the State Out of the Body: A Guide to Embodied Resistance to Zionism. Learn more at www.sanctuaryembodied.org.
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Jacqui (M.S., CCC-SLP) is a late-diagnosed neurodivergent mama of two sensational little beings, who is no longer willing to accept ableism as the only way to experience life.
She is a Sensory-Trained Speech-Language Pathologist and Social-Emotional Coach turned Somatic Co-Regulator, Paradigm Shifter, and Safe & Sound Protocol provider through her practice, The Sound of Safety: In The Space Between Co-Regulation.Passionate about actively shifting the paradigm, Jacqui works to depathologize neurodivergence, educating adults about the intersection of the neurodiversity paradigm, the language of the nervous system, trauma, and bringing awareness to their lenses.
She is dedicated to revolutionizing how we view human behaviour and our neurodivergent lived experiences, hoping that future generations will embody a felt sense of liberation through radical acceptance of their authentic essence.
To learn more visit @createyourselfco or www.createyourselfco.com.
who is this series for?
This series is designed for body-based practitioners including somatic therapists, bodyworkers, and coaches. Anyone with a basic knowledge of the nervous system and polyvagal theory is welcome to join, however this workshop is designed as an intermediate level offering so please be aware of the intended audience when you register.
We will focus on present moment explorations over processing personal histories, and while healing may happen — this is not a therapy space.
pricing + sliding scale
Workshops may be attended individually or as a full series
All workshops will be recorded and available for 60 days
Cost per workshop: $60/ USD
Cost for entire series: $160/ USD
Pay-What-You-Can available for full series reigstration
We use this tool to determine reduced rate eligibility. If you fall on the low-bottom or lower-middle ends of the scale you are welcome to reach out about a PWYC spot. We trust your self assessment and don't need personal information about your financial situation.
Please e-mail Erica for PWYC registration: assistant (@) wildbody.ca
“When a crack appears in the mighty wall, the only thing scarier than letting it grow unbridled, the only thing more worrisome than allowing it to breathe, is sealing it up – for the thesis of the crack is to call into question the form we’ve assumed, the nobilities we cherish, the stories we assume to be true. The crack is the monster’s gift – a reminder that the fixity of the postures we take on often prove more dangerous than the threats we presume to withstand.”
— Bayo Akomolafe
