Ep. 267 – Anxiety Series: Deb Dana
Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg
Be Here Now Network
4.6 • 682 Ratings
🗓️ 8 July 2025
⏱️ 66 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For episode 267, Deb Dana makes her first appearance on the Metta Hour for our ongoing Anxiety Series.
In this series, Sharon is speaking with Mental Health experts, providers and different researchers for tools to work with anxiety in increasingly challenging times. This is the seventh episode in the series.
Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, author, and international lecturer on polyvagal theory-informed work with trauma survivors and is the leading translator of this scientific work to the public and mental health professionals. A founding member of the Polyvagal Institute, Deb developed the signature Rhythm of Regulation® Clinical Training Series: The Science of Feeling Safe Enough To Fall in Love with Life and Take the Risks of Living. She is also the author of many books, her most recent 2025 release, Glimmers Journal: Reflect on the Small Moments That Bring You Joy, Safety, and Connection.
In this conversation, Deb and Sharon speak about:
- Overview of Polyvagal Theory
- How Deb came to her work
- Understanding our nervous system
- How Polyvagal Theory impacts anxiety
- Being with anxiety vs being hijacked by it
- The spaciousness of Ventral Regulation
- Sympathetic versus parasympathetic
- The biological imperative of connection
- History of co-regulation in PVT
- The Autonomic Ladder
- Impact of a clinician’s compassion
- Transmitting cues of safety to others
- Savoring the practice of 30 seconds
- The difference between inconvenience and danger
- The Rhythm of Regulation
- Breath as a regulatory tool
- Gathering Glimmers
- Building the capacity to face suffering differently
- Breakdown of a glimmer practice
- Having a sensitivity to our trauma
Deb closes the conversation with a guided practice on the Story of the Three States.
To learn more about Deb’s work, you can visit her website right here and checkout her latest books: the Glimmers Journal and the Nervous System Workbook.
Check out the first episode in the Anxiety Podcast Series with Dr. Jud Brewer on Ep .260 of the Metta Hour Podcast
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In a world that feels more divided than ever, where do we turn for refuge? |
| 0:06.0 | Join us this summer, August 14th through 18th, at the Ram Dass Legacy Summer Mountain Retreat, |
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| 0:19.0 | Together, we'll explore the theme, intimacy with all things, |
| 0:22.6 | learning to deepen our connection with ourselves, |
| 0:25.6 | each other, and the world around us. |
| 0:28.6 | Experience four nights of electrifying Kirtan with Krishna Das, |
| 0:32.6 | wisdom from Ram Dass, and teachings from Acharya Asunya, |
| 0:36.6 | Dr. Robert Thurman, East Forest, Nina Rao, and more. |
| 0:41.9 | This is more than a retreat. It's a homecoming, a space to breathe, to heal, and to awaken to the vast love that connects us all. |
| 0:51.3 | Registration is now open. Visit ramdos.org backslash boon to reserve your spot today. |
| 1:01.5 | Mind, body systems have a rhythm, right? |
| 1:08.1 | And we know when we're in a rhythm that feels healthy or brings well-being |
| 1:13.8 | or feels, you can't see me, but my hands are moving in a rhythmical way because as I talk about it, |
| 1:20.5 | I could feel it come alive. That's the rhythm of ease of regulation of connection for me. And so I call that the rhythm of regulation. |
| 1:30.7 | Hello and welcome to the Metta Hour podcast with Sharon Salzberg. |
| 1:48.0 | I'm Lily Cushman and I produce this podcast. |
| 1:51.5 | And we're coming to today with episode 267, which is another episode of our ongoing anxiety series. |
| 2:00.6 | Today we dive into the world of polyvagal theory with |
| 2:05.5 | Deb Dana, who's making her first appearance on the podcast. This series is looking at a lot of |
| 2:12.5 | different ways we can approach anxiety. Sharon is talking to different mental health experts, |
| 2:18.3 | providers, researchers, |
... |
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