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MEET THE EXPERTS · No. 10 of 10
The scientist who showed that the body reads safety and danger before the mind does.
Who is Stephen Porges?
Stephen Porges, PhD, is a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied the nervous system for more than 50 years. He is a Distinguished University Scientist at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and has written several books on how the body handles stress and safety.
What he saw first
Porges saw that the body is always scanning for safety or danger, below the level of thought, and that this scanning shapes how we feel, how our heart beats and how we connect with other people.
In 1994 he introduced the Polyvagal Theory, which focuses on the vagus nerve, a long nerve that links the brain to the heart, lungs and gut. His idea gave people a new way to understand why they freeze, fight, run or shut down, and why feeling safe with other people helps the body settle.
What the science shows now
His work helped bring the vagus nerve and heart-rate variability, the small natural changes in time between heartbeats, into everyday conversation about stress. Today his ideas are widely used in trauma-informed education and counseling, and researchers continue to study and debate how the system works.
WHY IT MATTERS TO YOU
If your body reacts before your brain has a chance to think, a racing heart, tight chest or the urge to shut down, Porges’ work says that is your nervous system trying to protect you. Slow breathing, a calm voice and safe people can help it settle.
Follow his work
Website: stephenporges.com
Books: The Polyvagal Theory (2011) and The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory (2017)
Sources
Porges SW. The Polyvagal Theory. W. W. Norton (2011). www.stephenporges.com/books
Stephen W. Porges, official site. www.stephenporges.com/
Dr. Stephen Porges is not affiliated with The Broadside. We feature his work because it helps bring new science to everyday people.
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