Integrating Polyvagal Theory with Shadow Work for Deeper Trauma Healing

Mark Pirtle

December 3, 2025

Discover the symbiotic relationship between Polyvagal Theory and shadow work, offering a roadmap for navigating trauma with compassion and understanding. Polyvagal Theory explains the body's response; shadow work illuminates the story carried within that response.

The Rescuer's Reckoning

A coaching client who's spent her life giving to others has never learned how to prioritize herself. Shadow work is helping her uncover why saying no feels like abandonment.

Dec 17, 2025Read More →

Stress Resilience

Events That Change Us

After the collapse of his business and a divorce, Dr. Mark Pirtle found healing through extended retreats—first at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, then through plant medicine.

Dec 17, 2025Read More →

Stress Resilience

Name It to Tame It: Using Third‑Person Self‑Talk to Build Self‑Compassion

Talking to yourself in the third person creates instant distance from swirling emotions. Mark shares how "Name It to Tame It" carried him through a rough divorce.

Dec 17, 2025Read More →

Integrating Polyvagal Theory with Shadow Work for Deeper Trauma Healing

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The Rescuer's Reckoning

Events That Change Us

Name It to Tame It: Using Third‑Person Self‑Talk to Build Self‑Compassion