Author Talk with Stephen Porges, Polyvagal Perspectives recorded live by Polyvagal Institute

In his new book, Polyvagal Perspectives, Stephen Porges presents a collection of recent writings that update the Polyvagal Theory and delve into sociality, safety and threat, trauma, functional medicine, vagal nerve stimulation, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, addiction, compassion, management, and dance movement therapy.
Learn more and explore our courses and trainings at polyvagal.org
Stephen Porges, PhD is the developer of Polyvagal Theory and one of our co-founders.

[@ginaiosef]

Thank you! ❤ I consider Dr. Porges a teacher, and I am always grateful for his lessons. I had and have around me, abandoned cats and kittens, for almost 20 years now. I've learned from them that they don't know the level of my pain if I don't let them know, usually by screaming. I am communicating like this to let them know if and how much they have to go playing. I don't like it but that's the only way I found so far.

[@jennyelenihealth]

Thank you. Cant wait to listen. Whilst I listen intently to this video, could you recommend other videos or material where Stephen discusses the social nervous system, particularly the face & vagal tone? I recently heard Dr Robert Schleip mention this. I have great interest in this, particularly with the elderly and even moreso those in aged care. Thank you for sharing important work for us all. Greetings from Australia.

[@Neilgs]

I see a slight, contradiction in what Steve is addressing @23.00 with respect to what he had just addressed prior (e.g., therapist in a war zone and naturally there adaptive high defensive fight/flight sympathetic-adrenal response, which can also be applied albeit on another scale with a therapist who is dealing with their own complex PTSD trauma history). Naturally, you cannot shift states intentionally (e.g., "Now I must do this somatic movement, dance, yoga, pranayama" etc.) in order to then be most available for my clients. I feel that part of being more compassionate is being less evaluative. Yet, the obvious contradiction (not conceptually but driven by a certain degree of urgency which can then of course naturally increases defense) is you cannot shift states to be more available for your clients on cue or intention. Yes, you can allow moments to slip in. Slowing down, longer exhales, etc. However, I think (equally so) it is much more compassionate and mindful if we refrain from being too evaluative on ourselves. To go off on a directly related but slight tangent, Deb Dana once said during a conference (and I am paraphrasing) that she "...Advises clinic directors not to have their therapists see their patients unless they can be to some moderate degree in ventral otherwise what use as a therapist or how useful can you really be with your patient." (the implication that you are just exacerbating more defenses by your less presencing or availability with your patient which can be more deleterious than good). I took umbrage to that. I vehemently disagree and that is how shall we say a bit unsuspectingly extraordinarily evaluative. Even as therapists we are of course first and foremost humans with our own varying degrees of defenses and trauma. To be a minimal optimal state is not always available. So, I think a much more productive and compassionate disposition would be an emphasis on being okay with where we are (rather than the implication you should not be seeing patients at that time if you cannot get to a sufficient degree of ventral, which then of course creates, to whatever degree a defense against it). We bring what we can bring. We need to honor and respect where we are. By doing so we are then (not by intention) paradoxically and incidentally more available. Overall this interview with Steve was wonderful, most enjoyable to watch.