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What is the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model?

The Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™ (FSPM) is a groundbreaking, somatic-based approach to understanding and treating trauma and addiction, developed by renowned psychotherapist, author, and educator Jan Winhall, MSW, RSW, FOT. Rooted in Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory and informed by Eugene Gendlin’s Felt Sense focusing, this model offers a powerful new lens for therapists, coaches, and healing professionals seeking to work safely and effectively with dysregulated nervous systems.

​​​Unlike traditional pathology-based models, FSPM reframes all types of trauma and addiction as adaptive responses of a nervous system in distress. The model helps clients build body awareness, track their felt sense, and develop nervous system regulation through the lens of polyvagal-informed safety. It integrates interoception and neuroception in a top-down/bottom-up process—empowering both practitioners and clients to move from survival states to connected, creative states of being. Its application is not limited to addiction and trauma - it's currently being used in education, business, art therapy, medicine, parenting, relationships, and more.

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Why Therapists and Coaches Are Turning to the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™
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  • Somatic trauma treatment rooted in science and compassion

  • A trauma-informed, non-pathologizing framework for addiction

  • Practical tools to map autonomic states and foster nervous system resilience

  • Deepens your knowledge of Polyvagal Theory in clinical practice

  • Integrates well with existing somatic modalities like Focusing, SE, and IFS


Who Is the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™ For?
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The FSPM is ideal for:

  • Therapists, coaches, and clinicians seeking cutting-edge tools for trauma and addiction recovery

  • Polyvagal Theory practitioners ready to go beyond theory and into embodied practice

  • Somatic therapists integrating nervous system science into client care

  • Helping professionals looking to enhance safety, presence, and regulation in sessions

  • Educators who want to help their students feel safe enough to learn in and out of the classroom

Where Somatics, Trauma Healing, and Polyvagal Theory Converge

Image by Emerson Peters
What is the Polyvagal Theory?
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Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, is a revolutionary framework for understanding how the autonomic nervous system responds to safety, danger, and life threat. It explains how trauma and chronic stress impact the body and behavior—shaping how we connect, communicate, and heal. At its core, Polyvagal Theory introduces the concept of the vagus nerve as a key player in regulating emotional and physiological states. Therapists, coaches, educators, parents, and many others use this science to help people shift from states of fight, flight, freeze and shutdown into grounded, connected, and regulated states. Jan Winhall’s Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™ builds on this theory by combining it with somatic therapy and felt sense awareness, offering a practical and body-centered approach to trauma and addiction treatment.

Learn the Model. Transform Your Practice.
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The Felt Sense Polyvagal Model Institute offers a full Felt Sense Polyvagal Model™ Certification Pathway through the Polyvagal Institute, including self-paced courses, live experiential trainings, and mentorship. Learn about it and other professional courses now.

 

If you're looking to learn more about FSPM or the Polyvagal Theory but not yet ready for certification, check out these offerings for anyone who wants to learn more or join our growing FSPM Community where new insights are shared regularly in the interactive group!

 

Whether you're just starting your polyvagal journey or you're ready to integrate advanced somatic tools into your clinical work, this model provides a practical, heart-centered map for healing.

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