Polyvagal Theory + Grief

A research-grounded look at the psychophysiology of grounded touch and interoception. What the behavioral science says about why stone rituals appear across so many independent grief traditions.

When grief activates your nervous system into fight-flight or freeze, ventral vagal access becomes impossible. A five-step ritual sequence for returning to the window of tolerance using evidence-based somatic techniques.

Numbness in grief is a physiological state, not an absence of feeling — and it requires a different approach than sadness or anxiety. A research-based guide to understanding dorsal vagal shutdown and working with it through structured somatic practice.