A Polyvagal Perspective on Resilience
A Polyvagal Perspective on Resilience
A conversation with Dr. Stephen Porges, PhD
Our advisor, and the Honorary Chair of Neurophysiology on our faculty is Dr. Stephen Porges, the Developer of the Polyvagal Theory. Dr. Porges is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is 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 served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed papers in a wide variety of disciplines. He has spent the past forty-five years systematically mapping the relationship between the Autonomic Nervous System and behavior, which led in 1994 to his land-mark conceptualization of the Polyvagal Theory; a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.
In this conversation with Applied Mindfulness founder Gabriel Kram, which was conducted as part of the Global Resilience Summit, Dr. Porges explains resilience through a Polyvagal lens, and explore what this moment in our history (COVID-19 pandemic) teaches us about our own physiology and resilience.
In the conversation, Gabriel and Steve discuss:
-The importance (and challenges) of establishing a reciprocal connection through a screen
-What Polyvagal Theory is all about
-How important it is for us, as humans, to have a better evolutionary understanding of who we are as a species
-Why true education is actually socialization
-How the COVID-19 pandemic strips away the assumed value of accumulation
-Why meditation doesn't generally work for people with trauma
-Why we don't need complicated self-trackers or measuring equipment to assess our own, or someone else's vagal state
...and many other things.
Related Practices:
The Polyvagal lens is deeply woven into the DNA of this work, and this website, so this practice leads in many different and interesting directions. For thinking about the fundamental relationship between safety and threat, see Bird Language. For exploring Turning on the Connection system, see our film Turning on the Connection System. For exploring turning on connection with others, see Healthy Relationships, Relational Mindfulness, Reflective Listening. On dealing with neural platforms of defense, see 3 Steps: Assess, Down-Regulate, Connect. See The Relationship between Immunity and Community. See Coming out of Fight, see Coming out of Flight, See Coming out of Freeze. See Smile. See Use Your Voice. See, for a comprehensive overview of the Polyvagal Theory, our film The Polyvagal Theory, and for thoughts about its systematic application to our own well-being see Polyvagal Maps.)Video: | Photography: | Licensed from Pexels.com, used with permission.