Show 604: Dr. Stephen Porges on the PolyVagal Theory

In our society, violence in increasing. Along with the violence, not incidentally, we have a growing mental health crisis which is still not getting the attention, understanding, and funding needed to help those adversely affected by this profoundly sick society (to echo the sentiment of the late philosopher, Jiddu Krishnamurti). While there are several ways we can understand what is happening, learning about human nature and how we evolved to be can help us have a better grasp on what we can do and where we might go. In 1994, Professor of Psychiatry and neuroscientist Stephen Porges introduced the Polyvagal Theory. This theory has allowed us to understand more about how the brain works, and what happens when things go wrong—and why. Stephen Porges is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.