Mapping Enneagram Triads to Bioenergetic Defenses (Including Low-End Titles)

 The Enneagram triads (Gut, Heart, Head) reflect where core emotional processing is centered in a person’s experience—instinctual survival (Gut), relational identity (Heart), or cognitive security (Head). Each bioenergetic character structure corresponds to autonomic patterns and somatic tensions that shape the emotional processing of each triad.

Movement Therapy & Somatic Interventions per Enneagram Triad

Now, let’s look at movement-based interventions for each Enneagram triad, addressing autonomic regulation, body armoring, and emotional processing.

Somatic & Neurobiological Strategies to Shift Stuck Autonomic States

 Each personality structure has a unique autonomic "stuck pattern", where dorsal (shutdown) and sympathetic (fight-flight) interact in different ways. The goal of intervention is to restore fluidity between these states by engaging the missing ventral vagal tone (social engagement, body safety, and relational presence).

Mapping Primitive Reflexes to Emotional Dysregulation & Somatic Interventions

 💡 Why start here?

• Primitive reflexes directly influence autonomic responses, movement coordination, and emotional regulation.
• If a reflex is retained or unintegrated, it can lock a person into a specific emotional pattern (e.g., fear paralysis reflex → chronic freeze response).
• By matching emotions to reflexes, we can use reflex repatterning to unlock stuck emotional states.

Uncertainty, Dread, and the Gallbladder Channel: A Bridge Between Neuroscience and TCM

The Neuroscience of Uncertainty and Threat Anticipation

Uncertainty is inherently threatening to the nervous system. The brain is a predictive organ, constantly constructing models of reality to anticipate and control the future. When faced with uncertainty—whether waiting for test results, encountering an unpredictable environment, or navigating a high-stakes decision—the brain struggles to match present input with prior experience. This failure to predict leads to a heightened threat response, activating key brain regions like the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and insular cortex.

The Divergent Meridians: How Neurology Illuminates a Classic Framework

 The divergent meridians occupy an esoteric and enigmatic position within classical Chinese medicine. They appear in the historical record earlier than the eight extraordinary vessels, yet their purpose and use remain shrouded in mystery. Unlike the primary meridians or the sinew channels, which have more defined functions and methods, the divergent meridians have no clear consensus on their clinical use, with widely varied interpretations. Many modern practitioners never use them.

Integrative Neurology: Autonomic Dysregulation for TCM (1)

Introduction: Understanding Autonomic Dysregulation

Autonomic dysregulation, often referred to as dysautonomia, reflects an imbalance within the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that disrupts its ability to fluidly transition between activation (defense) and rest (return to homeostasis). This imbalance manifests with a range of clinical symptoms, including heightened vigilance, muscular tension, withdrawal (flight), emotional dysregulation and the suppression of physiological functions (freeze).

Autonomic Patterns for TCM: The Fire Water Dynamic (2)

 Sympathetic Dominance: Patterns and Symptoms in a Retained FF Response

The fight-flight (FF) response is a short-term survival mechanism mediated by the adrenal glands and regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This endocrine cascade bypasses neurological pathways like the vagus nerve to prioritize immediate survival. In TCM, this dynamic is represented by the relationship between the heart and kidneys, described as the fire and water dynamic. Adrenaline drives the initial response, and prepares the body for action, but this heightened state is only sustainable for a few minutes. For prolonged stress, the HPA axis shifts to cortisol production, a mechanism designed for endurance. 

Introduction: Understanding Autonomic Dysregulation (3) - Yang Patterns

 Yang-Type Sympathetic Dominance and Adrenal Fatigue

The ANS can become dysregulated in various ways, with two primary Yang-type subtypes: 

• Yang-Type Sympathetic Dominance and 
• Adrenal Fatigue. 

Both represent different stages of yang overactivation within the sympathetic system, but their effects and characteristics differ. Understanding these two subtypes provides insight into how prolonged sympathetic activation influences physical and emotional balance.

Integrative Neurology: Redefining Trauma for TCM

Trauma refers to an overwhelming experience that exceeds the parasympathetic buffering capacity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It can arise from physical injuries such as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), natural disasters, or a life-altering medical diagnosis. Trauma also includes emotional experiences such as death, divorce, migration, or the loss of a home. These events place tremendous demands on the ANS, resulting in observable shifts in blood flow, oxygen delivery, body fluids, and vital resources as the body prioritizes survival.

Hypoxia in Long COVID and Its Impact on the Krebs Cycle

The Current Understanding of Long COVID in Western Medicine

Long COVID, officially known as Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC), remains a poorly understood condition despite its significant prevalence and impact. Western medicine has identified common symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, dysautonomia, and exercise intolerance, but the exact mechanisms driving these symptoms remain elusive. Hypotheses center around immune dysregulation, persistent inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, microclots impairing oxygen delivery, and potential viral persistence. However, no definitive cause has been established, and treatment options are largely focused on symptom management rather than to address underlying dysfunctions. While progress in research continues, Long COVID highlights critical gaps in understanding chronic, systemic illnesses within the Western medical framework.

The sympathetic dysregulation seen in long COVID is not just about the physical symptoms, which are crushing, but about the broader systemic effects. PT, RT, and rehabilitation cannot succeed under parasympathetic dominance (freeze states) or mixed autonomic patterns because the immune system shuts down. Extreme autonomic dysregulation, compounded by hypoxia, limits the brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity. Cranial nerve involvement often indicates a partial dorsal freeze state and the loss of this capacity.  Recovery from long COVID requires rebuilding autonomic pathways in the vestibular system and addressing spasticity in tissues, which are replaced rather than repaired. Ancillary providers play a role by helping to maintain autonomic balance which allow the brain to create new pathways. This process cannot be resolved by medication or steroids; rather, patients must reintegrate portions of their nervous system. Collaboration across modalities is essential, and PT, RT combined with ancillary techniques and minimal supplementation support the internal processes so that PT and RT can be effective.

Introduction: Understanding Autonomic Dysregulation (4) - Yin (Dorsal) Vagus and Mixed Patterns

 Parasympathetic Dominance: The Dorsal Vagal Freeze Response

The dorsal vagal freeze response represents an extreme parasympathetic state, where the body enters a shutdown mode due to overwhelming stress. Unlike typical parasympathetic activation, which restores balance, the freeze state represents pathological yin—a state of hypoactivity and stagnation. In this state, the body cannot access the vagus nerve, blocking the usual parasympathetic calming response. This leads to a complete collapse of normal autonomic regulation and function. The system enters a hibernation-like state, and the body cannot respond to external stimuli, including stressors.

The Role of Personal Perception

 The Role of Personal Perception

Sensory processing refers to how the nervous system receives, organizes, and interprets sensory information from both the environment and the body. Sensory inputs such as touch, sound, sight, taste, and proprioception are detected by specialized sensory receptors mediated by our friend the vagus and transmitted through neural pathways to the brain. Sensory input is sympathetic and therefore YANG. TCM reflects this with the concept of external and internal ‘evils,’ which, at the time these ideas were compiled, reflected the belief systems of the era where disease was thought to result from devils or ‘ghosts.’ This understanding opens the door to a deeper exploration of Sun Si Miao’s use of ghost points, where his treatment of the Shen reflects the concept of retained charge. Unresolved emotional events, in this context, become "ghosts" trapped in the system (the hippocampus or amygdala), to influence the body’s state. But that is another conversation.

Introduction to Polyvagal Acupuncture (TM)

For over 1000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has demonstrated enduring resilience through its ability evolve with changing times. At the heart of TCM is the fundamental principle of maintaining equilibrium between opposing forces within the body, exemplified by the concept of yin-yang balance. This notion of harmony resonates with current neurological principles, particularly the functioning of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The convergence of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), modern neuroscience, and Polyvagal Theory presents a compelling framework to address complex neurological conditions such as spasticity, stroke, and PTSD. This integration requires a deeper understanding of the fight-or-flight response—a fundamental aspect of human physiology that has significant implications for health and disease management. By exploring the physiological underpinnings of PVT, neuroscience and correlating them with TCM principles, we can develop more effective therapeutic strategies that address both symptoms and underlying cause of these conditions.

The Bibliography

In lieu of a references page for each blog post, I have an included the references for the entire subject, to be expanded as content increases. For ease, I reference the last name of the author in the blog paragraph for more important works.  Polyvagal Acupuncture (TM) and all materials are trademarked intellectual property. Please do not use without a reference.

Melatonin: A Critical Protector in Modern Health

Melatonin is marketed in the US as a sleep aid, but its role in human health extends far beyond regulating sleep cycles. It serves as one of the body’s most potent neuroprotective agents and antioxidants, safeguarding against oxidative stress, inflammation, and systemic damage. Melatonin influences cellular repair, immune regulation, and the prevention of chronic diseases that include cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Its unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier makes it essential to protect the brain and spinal cord from the oxidative damage that accelerates aging and cognitive decline. Despite its importance, modern lifestyles actively suppress melatonin production and leave the body vulnerable to long-term health consequences.