Whether or not we feel safe in the world is a significant contributing factor to our overall emotional and psychological health. Conflict at work or with loved ones, crammed public transport, continuous stressful news fed to our phones: these aren't, for the most part, life-threatening situations, but our nervous systems might not be convinced.

And of course many of us have experienced genuinely life-threatening or traumatic events over the course of our lifetimes, which can have a lasting impact on how we perceive the world around us and how our nervous systems may try to protect us from further harm.

Deb Dana has dedicated her career to translating the work of Stephen Porges on polyvagal theory, and to working with survivors of complex trauma. She is also a consultant to the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium in the Kinsey Institute.

In our interview below, she explores the different nervous system states, what healthy nervous system flexibility and regulation looks like, and how to get there.

Deb Dana is the author of Anchored and Polyvagal Practices: Anchoring the Self in Safety