BG Mancini, AP, FMP

Polyvagal Theory & the Brain-Gut Axis

An Intro to Neuro-Integrative Medicine

October 14, 2026

Make Sense of What Your Body's Been Trying to Tell You

This class offers a Polyvagal-Informed lens to Neuro-Integrative medicine. By understanding what the Brain-Gut Axis and microbiome are communicating to us, we can reduce stress, improve our health, and deepen our connection to self, each other, and the world around us.

This course is taught by BG Mancini, Neurodevelopmental Specialist and Founder of the Brain-Gut Institute. With almost 30 years of clinical practice, she has worked with children and adults to unlock their unique potential through biomedical, nervous system, and neurodevelopmental practices.

Who is this course for?

For clinicians, therapists, and anyone navigating anxiety, burnout, gut issues, or inflammation.

Enroll at $987 Payment Plan

Included in this course

You're Experiencing Symptoms, but Need to Connect the Dots

Today, our bodies process way more sensory information than our ancestors did. And yet, most of us have no framework for what's happening.

Deep Dive on Polyvagal Theory

Understand how Polyvagal Theory explains the role of the Autonomic Nervous System in shaping real-time experiences, safety perception, and behavioral responses, and how it integrates with Functional Medicine to support health and well-being.

Brain-Gut Axis Breakdown

Explore the foundational components and bidirectional communication of the brain-gut axis and microbiome, including their impact on mental health, behavior, and physical well-being.

Trauma's Link with Inflammation

Examine how inflammation, unprocessed trauma, and food sensitivities influence brain function, mood, and health, and identify strategies to reduce their effects.

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Course Description & Timing

Investment: $987 (payment plan available at bottom of page)

The goal of this course is to help provide resources to create more safety and resilience in the nervous system in order to deepen the connection to ourselves, each other and the world around us. We will explore the easy-to-access ways to create more coherence, and safety in our physiology and nervous system on every level. When we feel safe in our bodies, we can optimize our metabolic resources, regulate our internal systems, and shift our behaviors, improving our overall health, resilience, and quality of life. By understanding how food, sensory input, neuroception, interoception, and more influence our nervous system, we can make small, impactful changes to create the experience we want.

This approach is practical, easy to understand, and rooted in self-connection. Participants will learn to identify “microtraumas” impacting them in real-time and gain tools to foster safety in their nervous systems, benefiting themselves, their loved ones, and their clients. As clients face increasing medical and emotional complexities, recognizing their needs and providing the right tools or referrals is essential to enhancing the support you offer in your specialty. Whether for personal growth or professional development, the course covers a wide range of inputs shaping our daily experience and provides tools to create the experience we want to live.

Schedule

Live sessions meet on Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET (US & Canada).
Click here to convert this to your time zone.

Date	Event
Wednesday, October 14, 2026	Module 1 - Polyvagal Integrative Medicine
Wednesday, October 21, 2026	Module 2 - The Microbiome & The Brain-Gut Axis
Wednesday, October 28, 2026	Module 3 - Internal Microtraumas
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Daylight Saving Time ends in ET.	Module 4 - External Microtraumas
Wednesday, November 11, 2026	Module 5 - Sensory Input and The Autonomic Nervous System
Wednesday, November 18, 2026	Module 6 - Pediatric Functional Care & The Family Nervous System®
Self-paced	Module 7 - Impacts of the Autonomic Nervous System on end-organ symptoms, health, and behavior (pre-recorded discussion with Dr. Porges)

A live info session about this course was offered on February 25, 2025

We invite you to watch the recording here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a clinical background to take this course?

No. BG has designed this course with no barrier to entry. Whether you're a clinician or someone with no medical background, the material is presented accessibly. Lab reports and scientific concepts are used as illustrations, not prerequisites.

What makes this course different from other courses on Polyvagal Theory?

This course is specifically framed through a neurointegrative medicine lens — integrating Chinese medicine, neurodevelopment, and Polyvagal Theory into a single, connected system.

What are the learning objectives?

Upon completion of this course, learners will:

Polyvagal Theory and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): Understand how Polyvagal Theory explains the role of the ANS in shaping real-time experiences, safety perception, and behavioral responses, and how it integrates with Functional Medicine to support health and well-being.
Brain-Gut Axis and Microbiome: Explore the foundational components and bidirectional communication of the brain-gut axis and microbiome, including their impact on mental health, behavior, and physical well-being.
Inflammation and Trauma: Examine how inflammation, unprocessed trauma, and food sensitivities influence brain function, mood, and health, and identify strategies to reduce their effects.
Sensory Processing and Regulation: Investigate the links between sensory input (e.g., interoception, neuroception, proprioception) and nervous system regulation, and learn tools to improve sensory balance and emotional resilience.
Microtraumas and Environmental Stressors: Identify and address the effects of external microtraumas (e.g., noise, screen time, lack of sunlight) on the nervous system, promoting safety and regulation.
Neuro-Integrative Approaches: Apply Polyvagal-informed Neuro-Integrative Medicine strategies, including somatic practices, movement, dietary changes, and tailored interventions, to support nervous system balance across developmental stages.
Child Development and Mental Health: Recognize key physical and behavioral expressions of neurological and emotional needs in children, and employ or refer to functional strategies that support bonding, attachment, and resilience.

How long will I have access to course materials (recordings, slides, etc.)?

As soon as you register, you're welcome to begin with the self-paced introductory content. All of our courses offer access for 365 days beyond the first class date.

If I miss a live session, will I be able to watch it later?

Yes, all live sessions are recorded and uploaded within a few business days to the course materials on the learning platform.

How Our Gut-Brain Axis Relates to Polyvagal Theory

BG Mancini joined Wired for Connection: A Polyvagal Podcast to discuss how the health of our gut microbiome impacts our nervous system. She also shared practical tips for parents in supporting their children's development with proper nutrition, and highlighted the concept of neuroplasticity in stabilizing mood and energy levels.

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Your Instructor

AP, LAc, FMP BG Mancini

BG Mancini is a Neurodevelopmental Specialist, Advanced Certified in Functional Medicine, and an AP/PCP (Acupuncture Physician/Primary Care Provider). She is the founder of www.braingutinstitute.com and creator of The Family Nervous System®. With 27 years of practice, she works with both children and adults to reach their potential through biomedical, nervous system & neurosequential practices. She has lectured internationally on PVT and functional medicine and simplifies the following principle: through the integration of many disciplines we can more easily find safety and comfort in our brains and bodies, and help clients to do the same. She teaches about the Brain & Gut axis in a compassionate and usable way, as if it’s the manual we all should have gotten at birth. Her courses always provide tangible, take away tools to start improving our quality of life, today! By understanding our own cues we can more deeply connect to ourselves, our loved ones and the world around us.

Student Testimonials

Bg Mancini is brilliant, and her teaching style and presence makes this - her - brilliance accessible. BG’s Polyvagal Theory and the Brain-Gut Axis is a course for every body. She shares a spectrum of information and practices that are applicable to a broad range of professions, people, organizations and communities. Offering this material in such an accessible format and way has huge potential to empower many people to enhance their well-being, which benefits our collective community.

Dr. Amber Gray

The PVI Brain-Gut Axis course is a fabulous dive into the human body and how our nervous system impacts every aspect of our functioning. The course breaks down the science into components that can be applied to every-day living as well as to just about any professional perspective. Understanding how our bodies interpret internal, as well as external, stimuli - on a nervous system level - is a catalyst for change in the way we interact with ourselves and others.

Kelly Rain Collin

An eye opener of a course on healing options for mind, body, cognitive, and emotional balance. BG’s deep research-and-evidence based information would take a lifetime to gather and process. Expert dialogues were testaments to our innate healing power. Many had alchemized their own experiences into expertise to heal themselves and others. BG deconstructed inflammation, stress, certain foods, our environment, and on our immune system. Truly transformative and definitely worth the money and time!

Dr. Mina Roustayi

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