A Systematic Review of a Polyvagal Perspective on Embodied Contemplative Practices as Promoters of Cardiorespiratory Coupling and Traumatic Stress Recovery for PTSD and OCD: Research Methodologies and State of the Art
Andrea Poli, A. Gemignani, F. Soldani, M. Miccoli
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health November 1, 2021 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182211778 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Lower resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of vagal tone, is linked to PTSD and OCD. Mindfulness-related interventions increase vagal tone and improve symptoms of these disorders. This systematic review of six studies found that such practices promote parasympathetic activity, supporting the polyvagal theory's view that they act as neural exercises for the ventral vagal complex, enhancing regulation and resilience.
Study at a glance
| Design | systematic review |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Mindfulness-related interventions increase vagal tone and improve PTSD and OCD symptoms. |
Abstract
Baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been proposed as a transdiagnostic biomarker of stress vulnerability across psychopathologies, and a reliable association between PTSD, OCD and lower resting RSA was found. Contemplative practices have been linked to the activation of the vagus as well as to an increased RSA that, according to the polyvagal theory, reflects the activation of the ventral vagal complex (VVC) and may promote PTSD and OCD recovery. PubMed and Scopus databases were selected to conduct a search following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines, and A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) was used to appraise the methodological quality for this systematic review. Six articles met the inclusion criteria (one cross-sectional study, one study with pre-post measurements, two cohort studies and two RCT studies). Mindfulness-related interventions promoted parasympathetic activity, an increased vagal tone and improvements in PTSD and OCD symptoms. According to the polyvagal theory, mindfulness-related and compassion-related meditations would be conceptualized as neural exercises expanding the capacity of the ventral vagal complex to regulate the present state and to promote resilience. Clinical and methodological issues are discussed.