Clinical User Guide
Introduction
Welcome to the Televagal PhysioCam Clinical User Guide. This guide provides an overview of how to effectively integrate PhysioCam into your clinical practice, interpret its outputs, and use it to deepen your therapeutic work. PhysioCam is a novel technology that offers real-time insights into a client’s autonomic nervous system state. While some clinicians may worry that technology could distract from deep therapeutic engagement, PhysioCam is designed to act as an ally—a "third nervous system" in the room—supporting both the clinician and the client in their work together.
Integrating PhysioCam Into Your Practice
Getting Started
- Please watch this video of Deb Dana explaining how to integrate PhysioCam into clinical practice, using real-time physiological data to enhance therapy rather than distract from it. She explains how PhysioCam supports both clinicians and clients by illustrating nervous system responses, fostering curiosity, and deepening awareness of regulation and co-regulation in therapy.
- Familiarize Yourself First: Before introducing PhysioCam to clients, take time to use it yourself. Observe how the color bar shifts in response to your own physiological state.
- Use it With a Colleague: Partner with another clinician to experiment with different scenarios and responses.
- Understand Polyvagal Theory: While you don’t need to be an expert, a basic grasp of nervous system hierarchy, neuroception, and co-regulation will help you interpret PhysioCam effectively.
Introducing PhysioCam to Clients
- Frame It as a Tool, Not a Diagnostic Device: PhysioCam is not meant to “grade” regulation but to illustrate changes in autonomic state.
- Set Expectations: Explain that color changes reflect movement in the nervous system, not an absolute state of dysregulation or wellness.
- Encourage Exploration, Not Judgment: Help clients avoid over-interpreting a shift to “red” as a negative event. Instead, use it as a point of curiosity.
Interpreting the PhysioCam Output
Understanding the Color Bar
- Green: Indicates a regulated state, often associated with social engagement and connection.
- Yellow: Represents transition—could indicate either a movement towards greater activation (e.g., engagement, focus) or a stress response.
- Red: Does not necessarily mean distress. It may indicate increased sympathetic activation for engagement, deep work, or stress. Context is key.
Encouraging Client Awareness
- Notice Movement Over Time: Instead of focusing on a single moment, track how the color bar shifts throughout a session.
- Relate Changes to Experience: Ask open-ended questions like:
- “What were you thinking or feeling when the color changed?”
- “Do you notice any bodily sensations that correspond to this shift?”
- “Does this change align with your inner experience?”