General 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?”
Using PhysioCam in a Session
When to Use It
- During Mindfulness or Grounding Exercises: Observe how a client’s nervous system responds to different interventions.
- In Response to Therapeutic Dialogue: Notice how PhysioCam reflects nervous system shifts when discussing difficult topics or engaging in regulation techniques.
To Support Telehealth Work: Because remote sessions limit non-verbal cues, PhysioCam can serve as an additional tool to track autonomic shifts in real time.
Addressing Common Client Reactions
- “Why am I in red?” → Encourage curiosity: “Red doesn’t always mean dysregulation. What do you notice in your body right now?”
- “I ended my last session in green, but today I started in red.” → Emphasize that each session begins with a new baseline; changes reflect moment-to-moment experiences.
“I feel calm, but the bar is shifting.” → Discuss how the nervous system can register subtle shifts before conscious awareness catches up.
The Role of Co-Regulation
- Clinicians Impact the Client’s Nervous System: If a therapist is subtly dysregulated (e.g., feeling pressured), it may influence the client’s state and appear in PhysioCam’s output.
- Use PhysioCam to Strengthen Co-Regulation: If a client is struggling to settle, assess your own state and adjust accordingly.
- Consider Dual Tracking: Ideally, future iterations of PhysioCam could allow both clinician and client to track their states simultaneously.
Using PhysioCam for Client Self-Regulation
- Between-Session Use: Clients can use PhysioCam outside of therapy to build awareness of their nervous system’s responses to daily experiences.
- Encouraging Non-Judgmental Observation: Clients should be guided to observe, not assign meaning to, their physiological state.
Self-Regulation Practices: Clients may experiment with regulation strategies (e.g., breathwork, movement) and observe how their PhysioCam output responds.
Final Thoughts
PhysioCam is not a replacement for clinical intuition but an enhancement of it. It offers a visual representation of nervous system movement that can deepen both client and clinician awareness. Used with curiosity and sensitivity, PhysioCam can become a powerful tool in therapeutic practice.
As part of the PhysioCam clinician community, you will have access to ongoing consultation and support. Engage with the technology, explore its nuances, and integrate it into your work in a way that aligns with your clinical style.