Film Five
The Science of Safety (Polyvagal Theory)
The Polyvagal Theory
Or, The Science of Safety
The Polvyagal Theory is the landmark theoretical work of Dr. Stephen Porges, PhD, the world's leading expert on the relationship between the Autonomic Nervous System and behavior. The film above will take you deeply into the theory, which you can conceptualize as a deep map of the human nervous sytem. In the words of Deb Dana, LCSW, author of the marvelous book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy, "When I teach Polyvagal Theory, I tell my clients that they are learning about the science of safety–the science of feeling safe enough to fall in love with life and take the risks of living."
Related Practices:
For a brief general situating of Polyvagal Theory in the context of our wellbeing project, see Getting Our Nervous Systems back to Normal. For mind-body wellness considerations see Taking Charge of Your Own Wellness, Interoception, The Daisy Model of Regulation, and Turning Your Nervous System into Your Ally. For trauma healing, see Healing Trauma, and Deviations from the Nest: ACES. For evolutionary considerations, see The Evolved Nest. To consider the relationship between neural platform and ethics, see Triune Ethics Theory. For other Polyvagal perspectives, see A Polyvagal Perspective on Resilience, 3 Steps: Assess, Down-Regulate, Connect, Polyvagal Mapping, Core Neurobiological Self. To think about Polyvagal Theory in the context of relationships, see Healthy Relationships. For addressing particular nervous system states, see Coming out of Fight, Coming out of Flight, Coming out of Freeze, Calming Anxiety, Releasing Fear, and Coming out of Appease. See Embodied Movement, Learn to Set Clear Boundaries, Meditation, Sleep, Tracking Physiology, Ways of Knowing (Refining Intuition).Video: Distill | Photography: Stein Egil Liland | Licensed from Pexels.com, used with permission.