(Jones) Do bloodline 4D STS have something that is similar to an additional vagal break giving them more control over their heart rate?
A: Yes
Q: (Jones) This would mean that they are less likely to lose awareness by being in a sympathetic or dorsal vagal state when under stress?
A: More is implicated than that!
Q: (L) So it's more than just giving them control over their heart rate?
A: Yes
Q: (L) Does it mean they have like the ability to put themselves into something like suspended animation?
A: Yes
Q: (L) Did it have something to do with their ability to prolong their lives?
A: Yes
Q: (Joe) Are we talking about undergrounders here?
A: Yes
Info about what Porges says about vagal brakes.
The sinoatrial node on the heart, or the hearts natural pacemaker, actually fires off the impulse for a heart beat much more frequently than the actual occurrence of heart beats. The reason for this is that the vagal brakes apparently mediate the number of heart beats or dampen the heart beat impulse.
Both the ventral vagus nerve and the dorsal vagus nerve can mediate heart beats. The ventral vagus so that we can be more social, co-operative and connected rather than being in a state of fight/flight all the time. The dorsal vagal break switches on when a threat is so overwhelming that the safest option that gives the best chance of survival is to play dead. So that's like passing out or losing consciousness.
In PVT all of the states have degrees of intensity. Porges talks about rape victims who suffer because they didn't fight back, rapists have been released on that basis, and says that the victims physiology wouldn't have allowed them to fight or run. They may not have gone as far as losing consciousness, but their ANS has basically decided that the best chance of survival was to go to a dorsal vagal state.
He also talks about dissociation or wanting the floor to swallow you up or wanting to disappear when feeling shame as being the mildest forms of dorsal vagal states when under some kind of threat.
The dorsal vagal state can be entered in the absence of threat - like when you sleep next to someone you love and trust. Porges also talks about a particular yogi practice where going into a total shutdown in dorsal vagal is learned and the practitioners have their tongue sliced so that it falls into the back of their throat and prevents them from breathing to make them lose consciousness - after lots of preparation for the exercise! He mentioned a practitioner he knew that was in an accident and put himself into this dorsal vagal state to slow down his heart rate to prevent blood loss.
Now, Deb Dana would say that if it comes down to a battle between the autonomic nervous system (both vagals and sympathetic) and the brain, that the autonomic nervous system would win every time. I've felt that to be a bit black and white and am not sure that I agree with it. It's possibly true for her, she mentions that her predominant survival state is dorsal vagal and that breathing practices that can control heart rate just don't work for her. Rather, she can move herself back to ventral vagal by going for a walk on the beach or in nature. She might be one of the unlucky ones who easily trigger into intense fight/flight when leaving the dorsal vagal state so needs to have some gentle non-threatening mobilisation rather than being physically still. I think the statement is partially based on the fact that 80% of the fibres in the ANS are afferent or sensory and send signals back to the brain. 20% efferent fibres take signals from the brain to the various organs in the body. Even so, I think it is possible for the mind to learn to manage the autonomic nervous system as shown by the yogi practices.
In the above, the C's seem to agree that undergrounders or 3D with bloodline connections to 4DSTS have something like an extra vagal brake and that they are able to put themselves into suspended animation - so I'm guessing at this stage that they go into a dorsal vagal state without fear and they can maintain awareness while there based on the following questions and answers - if I'm not reading too much into it that is.