Notes on bodies, couples and repair
Essays for therapists and couples on polyvagal theory, somatic practice, conflict cycles and repair, from Mind Meredian.
18 September 2026 · 5 min read
Why Talk Therapy Stalls in High-Conflict Couples: A Polyvagal & Somatic Approach
Every couples therapist knows the moment: two highly intelligent partners sit on your couch, spinning in a familiar loop of criticism and defense. They want to communicate, but the conversation abruptly harms itself but instead of communicating with each other, their nervous systems might be communcating!
Read17 September 2026 · 6 min read
What is polyvagal-informed therapy?
A plain-language explanation of polyvagal theory for therapists: ventral, sympathetic and dorsal states, and how they change clinical work.
Read17 September 2026 · 6 min read
Somatic approaches to couples therapy: working with two nervous systems
How body-based and polyvagal methods change couples work — reading conflict cycles as nervous system states and making repair a felt experience.
Read9 September 2026 · 5 min read
Repair is a felt experience, not an apology script
Why 'I'm sorry' often fails to land in couple therapy, and what a body-based repair looks like instead.
Read26 August 2026 · 5 min read
Your conflict cycle is not a character flaw
Pursue and withdraw, criticise and shut down: why couple conflict loops are protective strategies, and how therapists can work with them somatically.
Read12 August 2026 · 6 min read
Polyvagal theory for couples, without the jargon
What ventral, sympathetic and dorsal states actually look like in a couple's living room — and why naming them changes the fight.
Read