Cut Through the Hype
If you’re considering therapy to improve your mental health, you’ve likely encountered buzzwords like polyvagal theory, Somatic Experiencing, trauma-informed therapy, or The Body Keeps the Score. These approaches are often marketed as scientifically grounded solutions for healing trauma and managing emotions. However, much of the science behind them, including polyvagal theory, is outdated pseudoscience, falsified, or misleading. As a licensed psychotherapist in Tampa Bay, I’m here to help you cut through the science-sounding marketing hype and make informed decisions about your mental health investment.
The Issue with Outdated Pseudoscience
Polyvagal theory, developed by Stephen Porges, and the science supporting somatic therapy frameworks, like those from Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk, are built on concepts such as the “triune brain” model, basic emotion theory, and the idea that trauma is “stored in your body.” These ideas are often presented as scientific truth in therapy training and marketing. But advancements in cognitive science, especially since the fMRI emerged in the early 1990s, have debunked these theories.
For instance:
- Triune brain theory, which suggests humans have a “rational brain” fighting a “primitive emotional brain” (or “lizard brain”), oversimplifies brain function and has been discredited.
- Polyvagal theory, used to explain how the body responds to danger, rests on disputed science that doesn’t hold up to professional scrutiny from multiple scientific disciplines.
- The notion that trauma lives in your body as emotional memory ignores how the brain processes every cognitive and emotional experience based on sensory signals from the body, current context, and past experience.
These outdated ideas aren’t just academic errors—they undermine psychotherapy’s credibility and, more critically, can disempower people like you.
These outdated ideas aren’t just academic errors—they undermine psychotherapy’s credibility and, more critically, can disempower those seeking professional help for their problems.
Why This Hurts Your Mental Health Journey
When therapists rely on polyvagal pseudoscience or triune brain concepts, they may frame you as a victim—of a “primitive” brain, a body that’s betraying you, or a nervous system that’s always scanning for safety or danger. This narrative can reinforce unhelpful beliefs, such as:
- Your emotions are uncontrollable due to a “lizard brain.”
- You’re fundamentally flawed if you struggle to manage feelings.
- You need a specialized “trauma therapist” to release trauma trapped in your body.
Modern cognitive science offers a different perspective. Your brain doesn’t operate in silos (rational vs. emotional). It’s a predictive system that seeks to reduce uncertainty by finding proof of your beliefs in yourself and in your world. If you’re told you’re a victim of your biology, you may feel powerless, and you may then begin to look for that in yourself and in your world. Which can slow your therapeutic progress and keep you in therapy longer than necessary.
Therapists Aren’t the Problem—The System Is
I don’t blame mental health practitioners who promote these ideas. Many are dedicated professionals taught outdated pseudoscience in graduate programs and continuing education courses. The real issue lies with influential educators, thought leaders, and best-selling authors who cling to falsified theories despite decades of contradictory data. This harms clients and fuels the dismissal of psychology as a “soft science” by physicists, chemists, MDs, or even pop-psych figures like Chris Voss, former FBI hostage negotiator. It’s a disservice to the hard work of therapists and the clients they serve.
Empowering You with Modern Science
The good news? Modern cognitive science provides a more empowering framework for mental health. Your brain is an integrated, adaptable system capable of rewiring itself through new beliefs and experiences—not a battleground of “rational” and “emotional” parts. You’re not a victim of a primitive brain or a nervous system “scanning for danger.”
This doesn’t mean somatic or trauma-informed therapies are ineffective. Techniques like mindfulness or body-based psychotherapy can be powerful paths for transformation. But the explanations for HOW they work often rely on polyvagal outdated pseudoscience or debunked theories, which can lead to confusion, morality tales, and psychological dead ends.
How to Choose the Right Therapy
If you’re an adult seeking therapy to enhance your mental health, here’s how to avoid marketing hype rooted in outdated pseudoscience:
- Question the science. Educate yourself with some of the leaders in cognitive science; e.g. Lisa Feldman Barrett, Andy Clark, and Mark Miller. Watch a few videos, read a couple articles, or checkout their books. Thereby getting a feel for how this new paradigm can benefit you.
- Seek empowerment. Effective therapy should make you feel capable, not like a victim of your biology. Be cautious of approaches that emphasize your “primitive” brain or “trapped” trauma.
- Evaluate therapy duration. While long-term therapy can be valuable (mine lasted 10 years!), outdated frameworks may keep you stuck longer than needed. Choose a therapist who prioritizes your autonomy and progress.
Leah Benson, LMHC is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Tampa, FL.
