Episode Summary

Deb Dana L.C.S.W. joins the How Humans Work Podcast to illuminate how our nervous systems dance between the ancient survival responses and the instinct to be in states of connection and safety.

As an author, renowned Polyvagal Theory lecturer, Deb expertly and compassionately guides us through the ins-and-outs of Polyvagal Theory (PVT), and how it can help us find a more regulated nervous system. At the core, we explore the powerful, bottom-up role of our vagal nerves play in our ability to find safety and connection. Consequently, this show is also a profound conversation about the role of our nervous systems in healing, relationships, stress, and trauma.

Throughout a delightful episode, Deb offers heartfelt insight into our human experience as she emphasizes the need for co-regulation and the impact of trauma on our nervous system responses as well as the intersection of Internal Family Systems and Polyvagal Theory. Together.

Finally, we explore how environments and collective aspects challenge the nervous systems across contemporary society. Here Deb highlights the importance of creating safe environments for healing and connection has in changing how society handles.

In this episode you will learn:

• How Polyvagal Theory provides a framework for understanding our nervous system.
• What Neuroception is and how our nervous system perceives safety and danger through neuroception.
• What the vagus nerve is and how it plays a crucial role in regulating our emotional states.
• Why Regulation is essential for accessing curiosity, play, and connection.
• The difference between Stress and Trauma responses, and how we can work with them.
• How the vagal break helps manage heart rate and emotional responses.
• Why understanding the nervous system can lead to more effective therapy.
• Insight into the influences on the collective nervous systems, societal dynamics and healing.
• Why creating safe environments is key to facilitating healing personally and societally.

Deb Dana L.C.S.W., is a renowned clinician, consultant, author, and international lecturer specializing in the application of Polyvagal Theory to trauma treatment and therapy. With a deep understanding of the autonomic nervous system and its role in shaping human behavior and relationships, she has become a a leader in brining PVT insights into practical tools for therapists, healthcare providers, and individuals seeking healing.

Deb is also the developer of the Rhythm of Regulation clinical model, which integrates Polyvagal Theory into therapeutic practices, emphasizing safety, connection, and co-regulation as the foundation for emotional and psychological well-being. Additionally, Deb has authored several influential books, including The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation and Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory, as well as the co-edited work Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection.

YouTube Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:11 The Role of the Nervous System in Human Experience

08:25 The Vagus Nerve: Anatomy and Function

Episode Summary

The storied and kind-hearted Jai Uttal drops into the show for an extended conversation about music, monkey gods, gurus, India, sobriety, family, and ultimately the spiritual path of healing through love.

We begin with an exploration of Jai’s current practice of hyper-local kindness in a world where that resource is becoming increasingly scarce. From there we dive into Jai’s latest musical offering, Hanuman Chalisa for World Peace. Not only does Jai share with us the intimate practice he’s had with this widely venerated chant for over five decades, but he walks us through the creative context in which his first published recording of the Chalisa came to life. In his telling we gather the rich array of inspirations that bring about his creative gifts.

Gradually, Jai invites us into the richness of his life, as he retells how the winding threads that have made up the fabric of his life came to be. We come to understand the overlapping events and energies of kirtan, India, gurus, dreams, drugs, anxieties, singing, but mostly love and family, have been ripples of his life.

Along the way we hear about his intersections with Steve Jobs, Ali Akbar Khan, Neem Karoli Baba, Ram Das, and others. We hear about his initiation into kirtan, Indian classical music, and his profound relationships that unfolded with musical and spiritual masters. We also hear about the struggles with finding his voice, performing, and managing the pains of life with drugs and alcohol before he found his true loves in his wife Nubia and in becoming a father to his son, Ezra.

In the beginning, middle, and end, the beloved monkey god, Hanuman, walks with us, serving as a back-drop of Jai’s own spiritual journey as he realizes the profound and ordinary teachings love and devotion have in his, just like every other human life. A beautiful conversation that bares the heart in a way that we can’t help but be moved by.

About: Jai Uttal is a husband, father, neighbor, and friend. He’s more widely know for being a Grammy nominated sacred music composer, recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, and ecstatic vocalist. Jai combines influences from India with influences from American rock and jazz, creating a stimulating and exotic multi-cultural fusion that is truly world spirit music.

Jai has been leading, teaching and performing kirtan around the world for close to 50 years, creating a safe environment for people to open their hearts and voices.

In this snap, bonus episode, show host Jef Szi riffs on what he is calling, 'Alpha Masculinity,' as it emerges alongside Donald Trump election to a second presidential term.

In his eclectic style, Jef begins the show sharing his experience on a beautiful November night in San Francisco and going to see Leif Vollebekk in concert with his wife. Contrasting that with the pre-show UFC experience, Jef leans into evolution, mating strategies, and ironies that are unfolding as the majority of American Voters embrace the "big man" attitude and style of Donald Trump.

With curiosity, critique, and invitation, Jef invites us to dive into the instinctual draw toward a renewed Alpha Masculinity with nuance.

Calling on the stories from his late friend, Brent MacKinnon during the turmoil of the Vietnam War as well as the gift of artistry Leif demonstrated in his show, Jef calls us forward into this conversation using all the sensibilities to illuminate the deep need to reconcile ourselves with this force and to find our way with the complexities it presents.