The Preferred Biological State for High Performance
Leveraging our biology to influence the optimal state for performing at our best is an essential ability in order to pursue sustainable high performance, particularly in high demand domains.
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The purpose of the polyvagal informed mind-based and body-based skills and strategies which are trained within the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete is to develop the ability to leverage our biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. These skills also position us in the optimal way to help those around us do the same. As discussed in past articles, from my perspective the polyvagal informed lens is ideally suited for this pursuit because it provides the most complete understanding and application of a comprehensive and unified approach to managing our psychology and physiology. When we are able to consistently align these elements, we are best able to pursue our greatest potential.
A key element within the understanding of Polyvagal Theory is the hierarchy of states. This has been described in detail in a past article co-authored with Michael Allison, the first person to my knowledge to apply polyvagal informed principles within the domain of human performance. As detailed in that article, and applied in several additional articles, there are three primary states, namely ventral vagal, sympathetic, and dorsal vagal. Furthermore, there are blended or hybrid states between each of the primary states. The specific attributes and characteristics of each state have been described in past articles.
In the discussion with Michael Allison, the concept of the preferred state for human performance was illustrated. From this framework, the optimal state in which we are able to pursue our greatest abilities and potential is a state comprised of both ventral vagal and sympathetic elements. Michael has termed this state “The Play Zone”. In his work, using best in the world tennis players as examples, he illustrates the various polyvagal states and the particular nature and benefits of each state. He further describes reasons why the hybrid ventral vagal-sympathetic state is ideal for human performance.
The principles described in Michael Allison’s “Play Zone” also apply to professionals working within high demand and high consequence domains, particularly as it pertains to work that impacts the health, wellbeing, and, at times, life of others. From my perspective, it is as necessary, if not more so, for professionals within these crafts to be able to access the optimal state for human performance as it is for athletes. The rationale for this relates to the specific nature of these crafts and domains which require not only the ability to perform at one’s best, but also to do so over an extended duration of time, in the face of substantial adversity which may pose direct threats to health, wellbeing, and at times, life of self and others, and the need to accomplish these tasks while also assisting members of one’s team to do the same.
If one were to consider professionals within these high demand, high consequence domains it is evident that it is necessary to perform their tasks to the limits of their ability in order to have the best opportunity for the desired outcome. This may include physical tasks and, certainly, includes decision making, optimal focus and attentional control, taking in new information, mental agility, flexibility, an ability to manage evolving situations, and controlling, to the greatest degree possible, the physical and psychological reactions which inevitably emerge from these situations. As has been described in past articles, each of these attributes emerges naturally and predictably from ventral vagal stabilized states.
It is especially the case that optimal performance within high demand and high consequence scenarios reguires the blended ventral vagal-sympathetic state. This is related to the mobilization in energy and increased focus that accompanies a controlled sympathetic state. With degrees of sympathetic activation, our biology responds with an increase in heart rate, respiratory rate, metabolic activity, and preparation for physical action. Our focus and attention can increase. These are inherently desirable responses within these situations. However, if we become too mobilized or, worse yet, stuck in a sympathetic state then the over-activation will lead to detrimental effects on our ability to physically and psychologically be at our best.
The ability to enter the biological state of Michael Allison’s “Play Zone”, provides the capacity to obtain controlled sympathetic activation. The control alluded to in this description is effectively provided by the vagal break, which has been discussed in detail in a past article. Through application of the vagal break, the mobilization provided to our psychological and physical traits is, in essence, controlled such that we maintain a degree of ventral vagal stabilization, preventing excessive mobilization or becoming locked in the sympathetic state. The resulting hybrid state provides the optimal attributes for performing at our best.
Another consideration in which this framework aligns is related to the concept of flow state. This is widely considered the optimal state for human performance and has been described in detail by many authors, most contemporaneously by Steven Kotler. The paradigm of flow state and its overlap with the blended ventral vagal-sympathetic state has been described in a previous article. In essence, flow state can be understood to describe the optimal degree of hybridization between ventral vagal and sympathetic states.
One common characteristic of flow state, described by Steven Kotler, is the optimization of the challenge-skills ratio. This describes a scenario in which the task we are performing is slightly greater than our current ability. If the discrepancy is too great in terms of challenge, then the task is too difficult for our current ability and we will likely fail. Conversely, if the challenge is too small, then the task will, essentially, lose our interest. From my perspective, this description is analogous to the controlled sympathetic mobilization provided by Michael Allison’s “Play Zone”. In fact, flow state can be considered as being contained within the bounds of the “Play Zone”.
An applied example within the healthcare setting can be informative. Consider a clinician performing a complex procedural skill on a patient. Include within this contemplation that the particular skill includes, for instance, surgical dissection around critical structures, such as major blood vessels and nerves. Any damage to these structures could result in significant loss of function, decreased health, and even death. Further imagine that performance of these skills is critical to the successful performance and outcome of the overall procedure being conducted. In such a scenario, it becomes critical for the clinician to perform at their best, including the physical and psychological attributes described above. It is evident from this description that the best opportunity for performing the necessary skills to the best possible level results from the ability of the clinician to shift into the blended performance state described above. A similar scenario can be applied across any high demand, high consequence profession.
With this enhanced understanding of the importance of the hybrid performance state within high demand and high consequence domains, it becomes important to next consider how best to influence our biology towards reaching this state. At the outset it is critical to acknowledge that, as humans, we will not always be able to reach or maintain this state. We will inevitably have experiences in which we become too mobilized or, even, locked within sympathetic or dorsal vagal states. The goal of training our ability to leverage our biology towards the blended performance state is not to prevent excessive mobilization from ever occurring. Rather, the objective is to develop our ability to shift into the preferred performance state and, when we become excessively mobilized or even experience shut down, to be able to recognize the situation and shift towards a more preferred state as efficiently as possible.
In order to most effectively influence our biological state to suit our purpose and current tasks, it is first necessary to train the skills and strategies within the polyvagal informed toolbox. This leads to increased vagal tone and efficiency which is essential in being able to maintain ventral vagal stabilization in the face of significant cues of uncertainty, risk, and threat which are inherent and frequent within high demand and high consequence environments. In addition, the development of these skills and strategies provides the tools to shift our biological state in whatever direction is needed on the basis of our current state and the nature of the present situation. Under optimal circumstances, this training is in advance of high demand situations and is conducted in an intentional and deliberate fashion.
In order to pursue our ability to perform to the limits of our capacity it is necessary to train and develop the skills and strategies of the polyvagal informed toolbox within The Practices of the Healthcare Athlete. Doing so provides numerous benefits, including an enhanced ability to shift into and maintain our biological state within the optimal blended state for human performance. As discussed in this article, this is an essential skill in the pursuit of sustainable high performance. To learn more, including about polyvagal informed coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, visit www.darindavidson.com.
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REFERENCES
Allison, M. The Play Zone: A Neurophysiological Approach to our Highest Performance. https://theplayzone.com.
Allison M. How Our Feelings of Safety Guide Our Behavior. Looking at the World Through a Polyvagal Lens. Psychol Today, May 30, 2022; https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/polyvagal-perspectives/202205/how-our-feelings-safety-guide-our-behavior.
Kotler, S. The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer. New York: HarperCollins; 2021.