Downloadable e Book

      Polyvagal Theory is a new understanding of how the Autonomic Nervous System functions. This theory is very important for anyone working with clients diagnosed with PTSD as well as anyone working with clients with other stress-related conditions. You owe it to yourself and to your clients to understand this important theory. The cost to do so, is only $14.00. Read more about this e Book below. Click here to purchase .



Polyvagal Theory eBook


Quotes About the Article

Polyvagal Theory: What Is It & Why Should We Care?


  • "The clearest statement of SE's purpose that I have seen"
  • "Clear articulation of a complex theory"
  • "Outstanding resource referrals"
  • "Excellent conclusion"
  • "Great footnotes"
  • "Repetition of key points helped reinforce material"
  • "Nicely organized structure"
  • "Deep and Comprehensive"
  • "Interesting and thought provoking"
  • "Spacious open-mindedness about the newness of this theory and its implications.

Polyvagal Theory: What Is It & Why Should We Care?

Introduction

       I wrote Polyvagal Theory: What Is It & Why Should We Care? in an attempt to clarify Stephen Porges' new theory about the Autonomic Nervous System. His theory is set forth in his article: Orienting In A Defensive World: Mammalian Modifications Of Our Evolutionary Heritage. A Polyvagal Theory. Porges' article is recommended reading for advanced students of the Somatic Experiencing® Training Program. The article though, is extremely technical and difficult to understand (even for those with a background in physiology, biology, or neuroscience). For that reason, I enlisted the services of my friend and colleague, Dr. Benjamin Shield, to help clarify the theory.

       Dr. Shield holds degrees in biochemistry and biology from the University of California with graduate studies at the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry. His doctorate degree is in the field of health sciences. Dr. Shield taught a one-day workshop on Porges' theory and I wrote the paper for that class. (NOTE: The audio version of the one day workshop is also available. Click here to read more and/or order the CD's ).

       The audio CD's and the paper compliment each other rather than duplicate each other. Different information is presented in each.


Overview

       What if the cure for many of the dysfunctions that health care professionals are confronted with in today's world lay in a new understanding of the way the autonomic nervous system operates? What if this new understanding led health care professionals to a new way of reducing, and in some cases eliminating, many of the physiological and psycho-emotional symptoms that plague the clients that come to them for help? What if this new understanding led to a new approach that provided health care professionals with both a strategy to assess and to intervene? Would you, as a health care professional, be interested? If so, then you will be interested in Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory. Dr. Stephen Porges, who has spent a great deal of his life attempting to understand the way the brain operates, believes that conditions ranging from autism to anxiety disorders may be a product of a functional and not a structural brain abnormality."1 Even physical conditions such as asthma, can be explained by taking into account this new understanding of the autonomic nervous system.

       Dr. Porges' approach is not a learning theory-based approach. It is not a biochemical approach (i.e., pharmacological). And it is not a psychotherapeutic approach (i.e., psychoanalytic and/or cognitive). The emphasis instead, is on the direct and active modulation of the autonomic nervous system. Pharmacological strategies can be effective in changing autonomic state but they do so without actively engaging the nervous system. Dr. Porges believes that the autonomic state can be changed by actively engaging the nervous system.

This monograph will be of value to:


  • 60 pages
  • Includes many resource referrals
  • Detailed endnotes (for those seeking greater detail and explanation)
  • References
  • Table of Contents below


Table of Contents

Part I: Polyvagal Theory: A New Approach to Modifying Behavior

  1. The Ventral Vagal Complex
  2. The Dorsal Vagal Complex

Part II: Current Research on Vagal Tone

  1. Infant Studies
  2. Child Studies
  3. Adolescent and Adult Studies

Part III: Polyvagal Thoery & The Threat Response

  1. Old View of the ANS & Threat Response Strategies
  2. Stephen Porges' New View of ANS and Threat Response

Part IV: The Social Engagement System

Part V: Recognizing Dysfunction:

  1. For Bodyworkers Not Trained In SE
  2. For Non-Touch Therapists

Part VI: Restoring Function: For Bodyworkers Not Trained in SE

  1. Maintaining Structural Changes: The Bigger Picture
  2. The Perception of Safety
  3. The Nature of Traumatic Energies
  4. The State of the ANS
  5. Lack of Re-enforcement of New Pattern
  6. Character Structures

Part VII: Restoring Function: For Non-Touch Therapists

  1. Keeping the Client Visually Engaged
  2. Using Voluntary Movements to Compete Frozen Facial Expressions
  3. Tracking for Tonal Changes

Summary and Conclusion


Click Here to Purchase                            Return To Top of Page