


Polyvagal Theory & Eating Disorders
Neurobiological perspectives on autonomic regulation and recovery in eating disorder treatment
Explore how autonomic nervous system states drive eating disorder behaviors and discover evidence-based interventions through polyvagal theory perspectives.
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Course Description
Eating disorder behaviors often emerge as nervous system survival strategies responding to perceived threats. This course examines how autonomic states—fight/flight, shutdown, and social safety—directly influence restriction, compulsive exercise, and binge/purge cycles through polyvagal theory. You'll gain clinical understanding of neuroception and vagal regulation, connecting these concepts to patient interoceptive signals, urges, and body-image distress. Learn evidence-based interventions including virtual reality exposure therapy and Safe and Sound Protocol. Develop skills in interoceptive assessment, psychoeducation frameworks like window of tolerance, and trauma-informed care approaches that address the neurobiological foundations of eating disorder recovery.
What you’ll learn:
- Apply polyvagal theory to understand eating disorder nervous system patterns and behaviors
- Recognize how autonomic states drive restriction, compulsive exercise, and binge/purge cycles
- Implement neuroception and vagal regulation concepts in clinical eating disorder practice
- Utilize cutting-edge interventions including VR exposure therapy and Safe and Sound Protocol
- Conduct interoceptive assessments and deliver trauma-informed psychoeducation frameworks
More About This Course
Eating disorders affect millions globally, yet traditional treatment approaches often miss the fundamental neurobiological mechanisms driving these complex conditions. Polyvagal theory provides a revolutionary framework for understanding how autonomic nervous system dysregulation manifests as disordered eating patterns, offering clinicians powerful new intervention strategies.
This comprehensive course bridges cutting-edge neuroscience with practical clinical application, exploring how autonomic states directly influence eating disorder behaviors. You'll discover how fight/flight responses drive restriction and compulsive exercise, while shutdown states contribute to binge/purge cycles. Through detailed examination of neuroception and vagal tone regulation, you'll develop sophisticated understanding of the nervous system patterns underlying your patients' symptoms.
The curriculum addresses both foundational concepts and emerging interventions, including immersive virtual reality body exposure therapy and the Safe and Sound Protocol. You'll master interoceptive assessment techniques, psychoeducation frameworks, and trauma-informed care principles essential for effective eating disorder treatment.
This course is designed for licensed healthcare professionals treating eating disorders, including psychologists, counselors, physicians, and allied health practitioners seeking advanced neurobiological perspectives. Whether you're establishing your eating disorder practice or expanding existing expertise, this training provides evidence-based tools for addressing the autonomic foundations of recovery.
Instructor Kelsey Latimer brings extensive research experience in polyvagal applications to eating disorder treatment. The Carrick Institute's commitment to translating complex neuroscience into practical clinical skills ensures you'll gain immediately applicable knowledge for transforming patient outcomes through neurobiologically-informed care.
Components
Educational Syllabus
- Polyvagal Foundations in Eating Disorder Treatment
- Introduction to polyvagal theory principles, autonomic nervous system states, and their direct relationship to disordered eating behaviors in clinical populations.
- Neuroception and Eating Disorder Symptomology
- Detailed exploration of how neuroception drives eating disorder behaviors, connecting perceived threats to restriction, compulsive exercise, and binge/purge cycles.
- Interoceptive Dysfunction and Body Image Distress
- Clinical assessment of interoceptive signals including fullness, nausea, and heartbeat awareness, and their relationship to body image distortion in eating disorders.
- Cutting-Edge Interventions and Clinical Applications
- mplementation of virtual reality body exposure therapy, Safe and Sound Protocol, window of tolerance frameworks, and trauma-informed care in eating disorder treatment.
Venue, Hotels & Schedule
Also includes


Polyvagal Theory & Eating Disorders
Explore how autonomic nervous system states drive eating disorder behaviors and discover evidence-based interventions through polyvagal theory perspectives.
$
$
(
$
The Carrick Institute team is ready to assist with enrollment, CE approval, or program planning. Email visit our CE Portal or Contact Us directly.
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