The Trauma Therapist’s Notebook

The Trauma Therapist’s Notebook

Polyvagal Theory is under fire

Here’s what therapists need to know.

Pria Alpern, PhD's avatar
Pria Alpern, PhD
Feb 19, 2026
∙ Paid
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If you’ve been following the news in trauma and neuroscience circles, you may have seen that Polyvagal Theory is under attack. A group of 39 researchers published a paper in 2026 calling the theory “untenable.” Wikipedia has been updated to reflect the criticism. Therapists who have built their clinical practice around …

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