Decoding the Polyvagal Debate (2026)

Decoding the Polyvagal Debate (2026)

This talk is designed to break through the stasis surrounding the Porges/ Grossman debate incited by the Grossman et al.’s’ assertion of untenability of Polyvagal Theory (2026) and Porges’ response (2026) which is essentially a refusal to engage on epistemic grounds. With over a decade of rigorous application of PVT across trauma healing, somatic practices, and psychology we find it a work of substantial merit — yet have identified clinically observable gaps in its explanatory reach. The talk pursues five primary objectives. It explains why both PVT and the Grossman critique have inadvertently embraced foundation errors in neuroscience that corrupt core premises of both arguments. It identifies relevant errors in the foundation of neuroscience. It articulates a novel methodology for addressing those errors. It describes a novel autonomic measurement technology to supersede RSA as a non-invasive measure of in vivo autonomic functioning. It posits a novel foundation model of autonomic physiology that retains viable elements of PVT, obviates the Grossman critique, and offers a clinically verifiable in vivo autonomic cartography of greater refinement and clinical utility.

With Natureza Gabriel, Founder of Hearth Science, psychophysiologist Heather MacDuffie, PhD, functional medicine physician Eric Gordon MD, and femme tech inventor and research Shara Raqs.