On a flight home a few years ago, I was seated next to a VA trauma surgeon completing a second residency, who saw my book title and asked if we could discuss trauma. It is funny the connections we make traveling. We discussed many aspects of trauma, both our own and that of our patients. Read More
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. A core limitation in many conventional “top-down” trauma therapies is that they target cognition and emotion while the underlying Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) remains locked in a state of high arousal. This narrative proposes that true, sustainable healing requires a “bottom-up” restoration of the ANS,
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. My first introduction to deep somatic work was over 30 years ago with a clinician who had abandoned her psychology license to integrate hands-on therapies. With three PhDs, she realized that dissociated trauma survivors were cognitively processing their pain without ever truly feeling it in their
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Note: Regrettably, I have had to remove over 200 articles for the integrative material from the blog due to trademark and copyright infringement by a local medi-spa. Email for a link to the password-protected student material. I’ve left the 50 public facing Copyright protected articles.
© 2026 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Early TCM practitioners wrote from direct observation, using language shaped by the natural world of their era. Having studied for many years with great teachers like Miki Shima, Kiko Sensei, Masakazu Ikeda Sensei, and Edward Obaidey Sensei, I was taught a vital distinction: to read
Restoring the Precursors to Autonomic Balance The practitioner’s role is to facilitate the restoration of autonomic balance and remove neurological interference caused by a nervous system in a high state of arousal. Once parasympathetic tone is restored, the necessary precursors for neuroplasticity are in place. What is beautiful is that as TCM and somatic therapists
© 2026 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Core Tendon Guard Reflex (CTG) The idea of Tendon Guard Reflexes ties into how the body reflexively protects its musculoskeletal system during stress or trauma. The Core Tendon Guard (CTG) is often described as a full-body freeze response, but we can also conceptualize distinct regional
© 2026 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. Etymology, Historical Context, and Core Characteristics Ashi points (阿是穴, ā shì xué) are non-fixed, temporary acupuncture points characterized by localized tenderness or sensitivity upon pressure (Deadman et al., 2007; Sun, 652 CE). Unlike the 361 classical points located along established meridians, most Ashi points lack
