© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. What does it actually mean to be? In clinical practice and daily life, we often speak about the need to “just be” or to “stop doing so much”—but the state of being is rarely defined in physiological terms. Is it rest? Is it stillness? Is Read More
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. The Toe Grasp Reflex appears at birth and typically integrates by 9–12 months, in parallel with foot loading, arch development, and upright postural progression. It is elicited by applying gentle pressure to the plantar pads just beneath the toes, triggering an involuntary flexion and grasping of the
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. The Palmar Grasp Reflex is a late-appearing, higher-order reflex that emerges around 28 weeks of gestation and typically integrates by 4–6 months postnatally. It is triggered when pressure is applied to the palm, producing an involuntary finger flexion. Unlike more primitive trunk-based reflexes, the palmar grasp relies
A body-based framework for trauma resolution © 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. In trauma recovery—particularly following early developmental rupture, existential collapse, or the dismantling of long-held spiritual or identity frameworks—there often arises a stage where the nervous system enters a profound stillness. In this space, previous forms of motivation (fear, seeking,
Medicine, as a profession, has long been structured around ideals of perfection, self-denial, and relentless striving. But beneath the surface of its institutional and cultural demands lies a deeper, more insidious psychological pattern—one that operates both externally, shaping patient-clinician dynamics, and internally, driving physician burnout and self-invalidation. At the heart of this lies the “One
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. The Divergent Meridians and Autonomic Imbalance 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
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. In clinical practice, a growing number of patients present not with a lack of information, but with an inability to stop searching. They arrive having read extensively, queried AI tools, watched countless videos—yet remain dysregulated, uncertain, and unable to synthesize or act upon what they’ve
© 2025 J. Moffitt. Registered U.S. Copyright Office. Polyvagal Acupuncture®. In recent decades, the medical community has increasingly relied on statins as the primary intervention for managing elevated cholesterol levels. This approach often stems from the assumption that high serum cholesterol is predominantly due to excessive dietary intake or endogenous overproduction. Consequently, patients are frequently
