The Polyvagal Theory and Trauma with Dr. Stephen Porges

Dr. Stephen Porges, the creator of the polyvagal theory, joins the podcast to walk us through how its lessons can be applied to recovering from traumatic experiences. Forrest and Dr. Porges simplify the polyvagal theory, discuss the three key states our body can rest in, and explore how we can use polyvagal practices to heal old wounds and feel safer. 

About our Guest: Dr. Stephen Porges is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. He’s published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers and is the author of a number of books, including his recently released Our Polyvagal World: How Safety and Trauma Change Us.

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:10: A brief overview of Polyvagal Theory (PVT)

5:20: Ventral, sympathetic, and dorsal vagal states

12:05: Relating PVT to trauma, and processing cognitively vs. in the body

19:30: Creating enough safety and co-regulation for healing work

23:30: What helps people gain awareness, safety, and regulation

27:15: Contextualizing a freeze response both psychologically and medically

30:45: Distinguishing feeling safe vs. being safe

34:10: Where to start when you don’t have a secure base in another person

37:20: How our physiology has evolved to detect psychosocial cues

39:20: How healing practices change our perception of the world

41:35: The calming effect of slow exhalation and top-down visualization

43:05: Other tools to calm the nervous system, and the need for social nourishment

47:05: Recap

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