Sensory Integration: Portals of Healing, Stability, and Expansion

By Tracy Murnan Stackhouse, MA, OTR, Director of Innovation and Co-Founder, Developmental FX, Denver, CO  USA

Healing the nervous system is at the heart of wellness. We are living in a time when stress, trauma, and disconnection take a toll on both body and mind. Many people find themselves asking: How do I stabilize? How do I feel safe enough in my own body to move toward healing, growth, and connection?

One promising source of support lies at the intersection of sensory integrative processing and Polyvagal Theory—two lenses that, when brought together, offer a deeply embodied pathway toward regulation and expansion.

Sensory Integrative Processing: The Embodied Foundation

Sensory integrative processing is the way our nervous system organizes sensations from within and around us so we can act, connect, and make meaning. Every moment, we are taking in streams of sensory information: the weight of gravity through our muscles and joints, the rhythm of breath, the sounds of a loved one’s voice, the texture of the world beneath our fingertips.

When these sensations are integrated, our body finds coherence. We feel oriented, grounded, and capable. Thus, sensory integration gives us a stable foundation for regulating our physiological state. From a Polyvagal perspective, this is crucial because our neuroception—the body’s unconscious detection of safety or threat—relies on these sensory cues to guide our responses.

• Nugget: Sensory integrative processing is not just about tolerating sound, touch, or movement; rather, it is the way our nervous system builds the scaffolding for safety and belonging.

Stabilizing the Nervous System Through Sensation

Polyvagal Theory teaches us that our autonomic nervous system shifts between states of protection (fight, flight, or shutdown) and states of safety and connection. Sensory inputs are powerful allies in guiding these shifts.

Think of the calm that comes from rocking in rhythm, the settling that follows a deep breath, or the comfort of a weighted blanket. These sensory experiences offer the nervous system predictable, regulating signals that stabilize our state. They help the body return to an anchored place where healing can begin.

• Nugget: When we intentionally use sensory experiences, such as rhythm, deep pressure, or safe sound, we are giving our nervous system a direct invitation into regulation.

Sensation as Portals Into Expansion

Safety and stabilization are not the end of the journey; they are the beginning. Once the nervous system feels anchored, sensory experiences open portals into expansion.

Play, creativity, exploration, and connection all unfold through our senses. A child splashing in water, an adult moving freely to music, or a walk in nature’s changing textures and scents—all of these experiences expand our capacity for joy, vitality, and relational depth.

In this way, sensory integrative processing does more than support regulation; it fuels aliveness. Through the portals of sensation, we can grow beyond survival into thriving.

• Nugget: Regulation creates the doorway, but expansion is what brings fullness of life. Sensory portals are invitations into curiosity, play, and authentic connection.

  
  

The Sensory–Polyvagal Synergy

When sensory integrative practices are paired with the wisdom of Polyvagal Theory, we gain a powerful framework for healing. The two perspectives affirm that our bodies hold the key to wellness. By respecting how sensory inputs shape our physiological state, we can stabilize and then expand the nervous system’s capacity.

This synergy reminds us that healing is not only about reducing distress but about cultivating safety, belonging, and vitality.

• Nugget: Healing the nervous system is not simply returning to baseline—it is expanding into greater possibility, resilience, and connection.

Closing Invitation

• As you read this, I invite you to pause for a moment and notice:

• Which sensory experiences help you feel anchored?

• Which ones bring you alive and expansive?

Whether it’s the rhythm of your breath, the grounding of your feet on the earth, the sway of music, or the warmth of a hug—these are not just small comforts. They are portals. Through them, the nervous system finds stability, safety, and the possibility of flourishing.

Within this intersection of sensory integration and Polyvagal wisdom lies an empowering truth: our bodies are not barriers to healing; they are the very foundation of it.