For episode 267, Deb Dana makes her first appearance on the Metta Hour for our ongoing Anxiety Series.

In this series, Sharon is speaking with Mental Health experts, providers and different researchers for tools to work with anxiety in increasingly challenging times. This is the seventh episode in the series.

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, author, and international lecturer on polyvagal theory-informed work with trauma survivors and is the leading translator of this scientific work to the public and mental health professionals. A founding member of the Polyvagal Institute, Deb developed the signature Rhythm of Regulation® Clinical Training Series: The Science of Feeling Safe Enough To Fall in Love with Life and Take the Risks of Living. She is also the author of many books, her most recent 2025 release, Glimmers Journal: Reflect on the Small Moments That Bring You Joy, Safety, and Connection.

In this conversation, Deb and Sharon speak about:

Overview of Polyvagal Theory
How Deb came to her work
Understanding our nervous system
How Polyvagal Theory impacts anxiety
Being with anxiety vs being hijacked by it
The spaciousness of Ventral Regulation
Sympathetic versus parasympathetic
The biological imperative of connection
History of co-regulation in PVT
The Autonomic Ladder
Impact of a clinician’s compassion
Transmitting cues of safety to others
Savoring the practice of 30 seconds
The difference between inconvenience and danger
The Rhythm of Regulation
Breath as a regulatory tool
Gathering Glimmers
Building the capacity to face suffering differently
Breakdown of a glimmer practice
Having a sensitivity to our trauma

Deb closes the conversation with a guided practice on the Story of the Three States.

To learn more about Deb’s work, you can visit her website right here and checkout her latest books: the Glimmers Journal and the Nervous System Workbook.

Check out the first episode in the Anxiety Podcast Series with Dr. Jud Brewer on Ep .260 of the Metta Hour Podcast

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#130 Jesse Lawson, Ex- Sleeping with Sirens