Polyvagal-Based Mental Wellness for Students Review

A set of practice flashcards focusing on the vocabulary and core concepts of Polyvagal-Based Mental Wellness and the SameHere Global initiative.

SameHere Global

A $K-12$ school mental health movement founded by Eric Kussin and Dr. John Rosa that uses evidence-based interventions and Polyvagal science.

Corporate Greed Machine

A term describing pharmaceutical and food companies that influence official guidelines to prioritize drug sales and processed foods over holistic well-being.

Polyvagal Theory

A scientific framework developed by Dr. Stephen Porges ($1995$, $2001$, $2007$) explaining how the autonomic nervous system responds to stress, safety, and connection.

Vagus Nerve

The tenth cranial nerve which regulates the autonomic nervous system and influences social behavior, emotional responses, and stress reactions.

DSM-5

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychiatry's standard classification system; the transcript notes $69\%$ of its developers had financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

SameHere Scale

A daily check-in tool that views mental health as a continuum with six stages: Thriving, Gliding, Surviving, Fluctuating, Struggling, and Sinking.

Ventral Vagal State

A physiological state characterized by feelings of calm, safety, and social connection.

Sympathetic State

An activated physiological state characterized by fight-or-flight reactions to stress.

Dorsal Vagal State

A physiological state characterized by shutdown, immobilization, and disconnection.

STARR Exercises

An acronym for Stress & Trauma, Active Releasing & Rewiring; movements designed to release stagnant energy and tension from the body.

Brainspotting

A trauma treatment modality developed by Dr. David Grand that identifies and processes psychological issues through eye positioning.

TRE

Tension and Trauma Release Exercises developed by Dr. David Berceli to release deep muscular patterns of stress and trauma via neurogenic tremors.

ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, founded by Dr. Steven Hayes, which uses a mindfulness-based approach to foster psychological flexibility.

ACE Study

The Adverse Childhood Experiences study, chaired by Dr. Vincent Felitti, which illuminates the impact of early life trauma on long-term mental and physical health.

$1\text{ in }5$ Narrative

A pharmaceutical-driven message suggesting that only $20\%$ of the population suffers from mental illness, which the transcript argues makes mental health seem binary.

HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which provides standards for securing personal health information like the data collected in the SameHere app.

DAUs

Daily Active Users; a metric reflecting app engagement, which averaged approximately $320$ daily users during the app's pre-promotion phase.

Thriving

The highest state on the SameHere Scale, where an individual feels enthusiastic, ready to go, focused, and determined.

Sinking

The lowest state on the SameHere Scale, where an individual feels burned out, exhausted, frozen, or isolated.

School Counselor Ratio

The recommended ratio from the American School Counselor Association of $250$ students to $1$ counselor.