Seth Porges: The Polyvagal Theory: Our Polyvagal World Edition of The Science of Safety and Trauma
Summary
TLDRIn this insightful presentation, Seth Porges explores the Polyvagal Theory, explaining how our perception of safety significantly impacts our physical and mental well-being. He discusses the autonomic nervous system's response to safety or danger signals, the role of neuroception in assessing our environment, and the three primary autonomic states: the restorative 'green zone,' the defensive 'yellow zone,' and the immobilizing 'red zone.' Porges emphasizes the importance of feeling safe for social connection, healing, and overall health, advocating for environments and interactions that promote a sense of security and well-being.
Takeaways
- 🧠 The Polyvagal Theory is a model for understanding the autonomic nervous system and how our bodies respond to the world around us, emphasizing the importance of feeling safe for our overall health and well-being.
- 🔑 The key concept of Polyvagal Theory is that our perception of safety is crucial to our physical and mental health, not just objective safety.
- 🌟 Seth Porges introduced the Polyvagal Theory to a broader audience through his YouTube video, making complex concepts accessible and engaging.
- 🤝 The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has traditionally been viewed as a dichotomy between the parasympathetic (rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight) systems, but Polyvagal Theory expands this to include a third state related to immobilization and dissociation.
- 👀 Neuroception is the automatic process of perceiving the environment to assess safety, which influences the state of our ANS.
- 🟢 The 'green zone' represents a state of feeling safe, activating restorative and social functions, while the 'yellow zone' signifies a fight or flight response, and the 'red zone' indicates a freeze or shut-down state.
- 🦄 The metaphor of Bruce Banner (safe, calm) turning into the Hulk (threatened, aggressive) helps explain the physical transformations our bodies undergo when we perceive danger.
- 👂 Changes in our auditory processing can be a result of trauma, with our middle ear muscles physically adjusting to detect different types of threats based on our perceived safety.
- 🤝 The importance of social connection and feeling safe with others is emphasized as a means to activate our 'green zone' and promote healing and homeostasis.
- 💔 The modern world can often trigger our defensive systems (fight/flight/freeze) unnecessarily, leading to a constant state of stress and preventing us from accessing the restorative 'green zone'.
- 🌱 The Polyvagal Theory offers a perspective that can help us understand and improve various aspects of our lives, from personal relationships to societal structures, by prioritizing safety and social connection.
Q & A
What is Polyvagal Theory and why has it gained interest?
-Polyvagal Theory is a model for the autonomic nervous system, explaining how our bodies respond to the world around us based on our sense of safety. It has gained interest due to its profound implications for understanding mental health, social behavior, and our physiological responses to stress and trauma.
Who is Seth Poges and what is his contribution to Polyvagal Theory?
-Seth Poges is a documentarian who became famous for his YouTube video explaining Polyvagal Theory in an accessible way. His interpretation of the theory helped make it understandable to a wider audience, and he has since continued to contribute to the field with his work.
What is the autonomic nervous system and why is it significant?
-The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the nervous system that controls involuntary functions such as heartbeat, respiration, and digestion. It's significant because it acts as the 'autopilot' of our bodies, allowing us to live by managing millions of simultaneous functions without conscious effort.
What is the role of neuroception in Polyvagal Theory?
-Neuroception is a key concept in Polyvagal Theory. It refers to the unconscious neural mechanism that rapidly assesses the environment to determine safety or danger, thereby influencing the state of the autonomic nervous system and our physiological responses.
What are the three primary autonomic states described in Polyvagal Theory?
-The three primary autonomic states are the 'green zone' of rest and relaxation, the 'yellow zone' associated with fight or flight, and the 'red zone' of immobilization or freeze response. These states represent different 'software profiles' that the autonomic nervous system loads depending on perceived safety.
How does the vagus nerve relate to the Polyvagal Theory?
-The vagus nerve is central to Polyvagal Theory as it links various organs and bodily systems together, allowing them to act in synchrony. It plays a crucial role in the social engagement system, helping us to downshift and feel safe around others, which is essential for social interaction and cooperation.
What is the significance of breathing in influencing the autonomic nervous system?
-Breathing is significant because it is both an autonomic function and something we can consciously control. Slow, deep breathing can signal to the body that it is safe, which can help activate the restorative 'green zone' and reduce stress.
How does Polyvagal Theory relate to the understanding and treatment of trauma?
-Polyvagal Theory provides a physiological framework for understanding trauma. It explains how traumatic experiences can cause the body to remain in a state of fight, flight, or freeze, and emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of safety for effective healing and treatment.
What is the role of social connection and safe environments in Polyvagal Theory?
-Social connection and safe environments are fundamental in Polyvagal Theory. They are necessary for activating the 'green zone' and the social engagement system, which are crucial for mental and physical health, learning, and overall well-being.
How can understanding Polyvagal Theory impact our approach to various aspects of life, such as education, work, and social interactions?
-Understanding Polyvagal Theory can lead to more empathetic and effective approaches in various life aspects. For example, in education, it might encourage the creation of safe and nurturing environments that promote learning. In the workplace, it could lead to policies that reduce stress and foster a sense of safety. In social interactions, it can promote kindness and understanding by recognizing the importance of making others feel safe.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Polyvagal Theory and its Impact
The speaker introduces the topic of Polyvagal Theory, reflecting on its emergence in popularity and the influence of Seth Porges' 2017 YouTube video that simplified the concept for a broad audience. The talk aims to provide language and tools for participants to explain the theory to others, emphasizing the importance of feeling safe for physical and mental health. The Polyvagal Theory is presented as a model for understanding the autonomic nervous system's response to environmental cues and the role of neuroception in determining our sense of safety.
🤔 The Autonomic Nervous System and its Dichotomies
This paragraph delves into the autonomic nervous system (ANS), highlighting its role as the body's autopilot and its two traditionally recognized states: the parasympathetic (rest and digest) and the sympathetic (fight or flight). The Polyvagal Theory challenges this dichotomy by introducing a third state, emphasizing the importance of safety in determining which state the ANS adopts. The concept of neuroception is introduced as an instantaneous and automatic process that assesses safety and directs the ANS to load the appropriate 'software program' for the situation.
🟢 The Polyvagal Theory's Green Zone: Safety and Social Engagement
The speaker explains the 'green zone' of the Polyvagal Theory, which represents a state of feeling safe and the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. In this state, the body engages in restorative functions such as digestion and social behavior, promoting healing and learning. The green zone is associated with homeostasis, the body's baseline state for optimal functioning. The talk also touches on the physiological changes that occur in this state, such as slowed heart rate and increased vocal pitch, which facilitate social interaction and connection.
🟡 The Yellow Zone: Fight or Flight Response
The 'yellow zone' represents the fight or flight response, activated when the body perceives danger. This state is characterized by increased heart rate, heightened pain tolerance, and a shift in sensory perception to detect threats. The speaker discusses the physical transformations that occur, such as changes in the middle ear muscles to better hear predator sounds, and the implications for individuals who have experienced trauma, explaining how the body's response to threat can manifest as auditory processing disorders or digestive issues.
🔴 The Red Zone: Immobilization and Dissociation
The 'red zone' is introduced as a state of immobilization, where the body perceives such extreme danger that it responds with a freeze or dissociation response. This is a critical aspect of the Polyvagal Theory, as it acknowledges a response that traditional ANS models often overlook. The speaker discusses the societal implications of misunderstanding this response, such as victim-blaming in legal systems and the importance of recognizing immobilization as a valid and involuntary reaction to severe threat.
🔄 The Evolutionary Order of Autonomic States
This paragraph explores the evolutionary perspective of the autonomic states, explaining that the body's response to danger follows a reverse evolutionary order. The green zone represents a more modern mammalian response, while the yellow and red zones reflect older, reptilian responses. The speaker emphasizes that understanding this evolutionary context is crucial for comprehending trauma and the body's defensive mechanisms, including the freeze response that is an ancient survival strategy.
🧠 The Vagus Nerve: The Conductor of the Autonomic Orchestra
The speaker highlights the importance of the vagus nerve in the Polyvagal Theory, describing it as the conductor that coordinates the organs and bodily systems to act in synchrony for survival. The vagus nerve is also identified as a neural brake that slows down the body in safe and social contexts, allowing for social engagement and restorative activities. The paragraph underscores the role of the vagus nerve in fostering cooperation and social behavior, which are essential for human survival and civilization.
🌀 Breathing: The Portal to Control the Autonomic Nervous System
Breathing is presented as a controllable aspect of the autonomic nervous system that can be used to influence the body's state. The speaker explains that slow, deliberate breathing sends a signal to the body that it is not in danger, thereby activating the restorative properties of the green zone. This paragraph also discusses the significance of breathing in ancient practices like meditation and yoga, and how it has a scientific basis in the Polyvagal Theory.
🦎 The Ancient Vagus Nerve and its Role in the Freeze Response
The speaker contrasts the modern, myelinated vagus nerve with its ancient, unmyelinated counterpart, which is associated with the freeze response in times of severe duress. This part of the vagus nerve connects to the dorsal brain stem and is linked to our visceral organs, playing a role in the body's shutdown during the red zone state. The paragraph emphasizes the evolutionary origins of this response and its automatic nature.
🤝 The Social Implications of the Polyvagal Theory
The Polyvagal Theory is discussed in the context of social behavior and the importance of feeling safe for social engagement. The speaker explains that the vagus nerve is intertwined with other cranial nerves associated with social behavior, suggesting that our ability to connect with others is deeply rooted in our nervous system. The paragraph also addresses the challenges faced by individuals who struggle to feel safe in social situations, particularly after trauma.
🚸 The Impact of Environment on Safety and Social Behavior
The speaker discusses how environmental factors and societal structures can influence feelings of safety and, consequently, social behavior. The paragraph explores the impact of school environments, media, politics, workplaces, and prisons on the autonomic nervous system, emphasizing the need for safe spaces that promote social connection and homeostasis. The speaker argues that prioritizing safety is essential for health and well-being and criticizes environments that perpetuate fear and stress.
🧩 The Healing Cycle of the Polyvagal Theory
The final paragraph focuses on the healing potential of the Polyvagal Theory, which involves creating environments and relationships that foster safety and social connection. The speaker discusses the importance of recognizing the body's innate desire for homeostasis and the role of oxytocin in the immune system and social bonding. The paragraph concludes with a call to action to prioritize safety in all aspects of life, including interpersonal relationships and societal structures.
🎙️ Closing Remarks and Q&A Session
In the closing segment, the speaker summarizes the key points of the presentation, emphasizing the importance of safety for health and the role of the Polyvagal Theory in understanding human behavior and responses to stress. The speaker also engages in a Q&A session, addressing questions about the practical application of the theory, the challenges of creating safe environments in society, and the balance between self-regulation and co-regulation.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Polyvagal Theory
💡Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
💡Neuroception
💡Vagus Nerve
💡Fight or Flight
💡Freezing Response
💡Social Engagement System
💡Oxytocin
💡Co-regulation
💡Trauma
Highlights
Introduction of polyvagal theory's significance and its accessibility to a broader audience through Seth's 2017 YouTube video.
Seth's transition from a YouTube video creator to a renowned documentarian, with his work on 'Class Action Park'.
The purpose of the talk: equipping people with the language and tools of polyvagal theory to educate others.
Polyvagal theory summarized in one sentence: our perception of safety is crucial to our physical and mental health and happiness.
Explanation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as the body's autopilot, controlling involuntary functions.
The traditional dichotomy of the ANS: the parasympathetic (rest and digest) versus the sympathetic (fight or flight) systems.
The concept of neuroception as an instant and automatic process that assesses safety and triggers the appropriate ANS response.
The three primary autonomic states described as green (safe), yellow (danger), and red (immobilization) zones.
How the vagus nerve acts as a conductor for the organs, enabling the ANS to function and allowing us to downshift in safe environments.
The role of breathing as a portal to control the autonomic nervous system and signal safety to the body.
The importance of play and social engagement in activating the green zone and building resilience in the nervous system.
The impact of the modern world on the ANS, causing overloads in defensive systems and hindering access to the restorative green zone.
The evolutionary perspective of the ANS, with the red, yellow, and green systems corresponding to reptilian, mammalian, and human adaptations.
The necessity of social connection and co-regulation for health, happiness, and the human experience.
The role of oxytocin in the immune system and its promotion of health through social bonds and feelings of safety.
The impact of unsafe environments on human behavior, leading to cycles of pain, trauma, and danger.
The concept of an 'autonomic echo chamber', where our nervous systems mirror the states of those around us.
The importance of creating safe environments in various societal institutions to promote health and well-being.
Transcripts
[Music]
excuse me
everybody it's time to get
started in
2017 a lot of us were trying to figure
out what polyal theory was um poly vagal
Institute hadn't been started uh the SSP
at that time had been
released and um we were getting an
increasing interest in poly vagel Theory
and Dr pores of course had released all
kinds of on wonderful books Deb Dana had
great information training out there and
all of a sudden this video showed up on
YouTube by this guy named Seth
porges and I remember looking at it
thinking wow this is like so needed and
it's such a fantastic interpretation of
poly vagal Theory and it was so
accessible to so many people and it was
fantastic um I remember I sent him an
email you probably never got it saying W
this is fantastic thank you so
much Seth disappeared he reappeared in
2020 becoming one of the most famous
documentarians in the country with a
documentary that came out called Class
Action Park in case any of you have seen
that really watchable fun documentary
he's got another one coming out next
year on pickle ball oh
yeah and and and that will probably come
out after the book that he's writing
with his father on poly vagel
Theory and this evening he's going to do
a revised version of what he did back in
2017 explaining poly vagel Theory to all
of you I'm sure you've heard of it I'm
sure you need a new interpretation
please welcome Seth
porches everybody how's everybody doing
got you late in the day so let's keep
the energy up thank you Randall thank
you poly vagel Institute thank you unite
this is um an interesting crowd to give
this talk to I feel like I'm explaining
ice at a freezer
convention uh it's a clicker so uh the
purpose of this is probably not to give
anybody in this crowd information they
don't know and probably have not
obsessively read and studied and all
that kind of stuff I think we can think
about this somewhat differently I think
the purpose here is to equip people with
the language tools and
conceptualizations a poly vagal theory
that they can use to inform other people
to explain it to other people to clients
to friends the people who might have a
hard time understanding it based on the
more academic literature or or materials
out there so with that let's just jump
into
it what is the poly vagal theory if you
wanted to know you could pick up many
many books including at least these
written by Dr pores as well as many many
others written by many other people and
I'm just going to kind of go all full uh
Dead Poets Society on you guys right now
and just throw those books out because
you don't need to read any of them all
you need is one sentence poly vagal
theory is simple how safe we feel is
crucial to our physical and mental
health and happiness if somebody is
struggling to get through a book
struggling to understand it struggling
to watch a YouTube video I think that
one sentence really sums it up how safe
we feel not how safe we actually are our
bodies have no way of knowing if a car
is going to come out of nowhere or
lightning is going to strike us but how
safe we feel it's crucial to our our
health our happiness and how we
experience the world in a more literal
sense the poly vagal theory is a model
for the nervous system the autonomic
nervous system specifically and how our
bodies respond to it how we respond to
the world around us it's also something
else and I think this is really
important and kind of comes I think very
naturally to people like yourselves In
This Crowd who have spent a lot of time
steeped in this world but it kind of is
a way of seeing the world right it's a
world viw it's not just an academic
framework it's something else that
begins to take hold and it's like once
you see it you can't unsee it like you
begin to see it everywhere and I think
it's it's a really empowering worldview
I think it's one steeped in Hope and
steeped in empathy and one that I kind
of feel like gives us permission to live
our lives outside of a lot of the
narratives that I think cause a lot of
pain in this world as well so if we're
going to call this a model for an anomic
nervous system I think we kind of have
to understand what the autonomic nervous
system is first one of my favorite
things to do is ask smart people to
define the autonomic nervous system
because they'll say do you know what the
autonomic nervous system is and they'll
go yes I'll go what is it and then
they'll just like freeze right it's like
asking um a writer to Define irony they
can't do it all right um but it's simple
really anomic means automatic it's the
automatic nervous system it's all these
functions we don't consciously control
it's our heart rate it's our breathing
it's our digestion our heart beats
whether we ask it to or not if we didn't
we could never go to sleep can you
imagine a world in which every sweat
gland we had to manually control the
autonomic nervous system is the
autopilot of our bodies right it is what
allows us to actually live it's what
frees us up from the demands of keeping
the millions of simultaneous functions
in our body going at any given time
traditionally separate from the poly
vagal Theory this is how the autonomic
nervous system has been defined and
described there's a sort of dichot
tension between these two opposing sides
on one side imagine like it's a boxing
match on one side you have the
parasympathetic nervous system it's your
rest and relaxed system the other side
you have your sympathetic nervous system
that's your fight ORF flight system and
the way it's always been kind of put is
this like versus right like they're in
constant tension and battle for control
of your body I don't know if the people
in Marvel Comics cre the Hulk had any
concept of the an but it's kind of the
perfect metaphor for it right it's like
these kind of things battling for
control with this on one side you've got
Bruce Banner this scientific minded
compassionate maybe romantic figure then
he gets angry and he gets stressed he
turns into the Hulk Hulk smash and I
think this is a really useful way of
explaining the ANS to people because we
may not turn green when we get angry or
stressed but nonetheless virtually
everything in our body does change form
sometimes and absolutely function we go
through the similar transformation the
transformation just is largely
invisible so an's number one job from
the beginning of time beginning of
humanity of evolution was simple Just
Keep Us Alive right especially
especially especially in early times in
our in our species Evolution when
resources were scarce right our
autonomic nervous system its job is
basically to decide which fire does the
fuel go on to you know we can we have
all these systems that are good for one
thing we can rest we can heal we can
relax we can digest we have these other
systems that are good for something else
evading capture running fighting doing
all these things and can't turn them all
on to 100 at the same time because there
simply isn't enough energy out there now
they as we go to Burger King but back in
the day it was a lot harder calories
were scarce your body had to really be
diligent about how it used its resources
what the ANS is the autonomic nervous
system is it's this autopilot program
but it's an autopilot program that has
different let's just say kind of
software profiles right depending on
what the needs are of that moment to
best keep you alive and the one variable
there's one variable that basically
decides which software program does your
autonomic nervous system load is it
going to be the rest and relax one or is
it going to be the fight ORF flight one
and that variable is of course how safe
am I at any given moment right that's
what it terms because if you're safe and
you don't need to use all those really
resource intensive systems that are
there to evade capture or to fight back
you don't want them on because your body
wants to use all energy to heal to
recuperate to learn learn to have fun to
socialize to all these things that make
life worth living right but if your body
needs to evade capture you better
believe it needs to know that it needs
to put those resources there because if
it doesn't you could die it's literally
existential it's life or death so the
an's job is to Keep Us Alive and pig
figure out which software program does
my body load up in any given moment and
in order to do this in order to figure
out how safe am I and thus which
software program do I load up we turn to
this concept called neuroception which
everybody in this room is probably
familiar with at this point neuro
meaning brain setion is in perception of
course perception is conscious
neuroception is not neuroception I like
to think of as this kind of like
blackbox algorithm embedded in our
bodies its job is kind of like in the
movie Predator there to scan the world
around us take in all the sensory input
again sights sounds smells everything I
can and really as close to instantly as
possible determine the answer to one
question
am I safe or am I in danger and
depending on the answer to that question
your neuroception system will cause your
autonomic nervous system to again load
up the right autopilot program are you
going to be in a rest relaxed healing
recuperative State as you want to be as
our body is almost demand to be as much
as possible or to get the hell out of
Dodge State I need to survive right now
state neuroception is instant
neuroception is automatic this is really
really important because often times I
think we find ourselves envir in Environ
ments that just feel to us like they
feel wrong they feel dangerous they feel
unsafe they feel whatever or you just
kind of meet people who you like people
like Charisma I think the word Charisma
really just means you're good at making
people's neuroception make you're safe
right and it's kind of it's this really
invisible weird intangible thing that
occurs but we all know it we've all been
in rooms before where we're like I don't
like this I need to get out of here
that's your neuroception right and the
important thing about neuroception is
there's sort of like a baseline that's
somewhat standard across most people
once you begin to understand how
different sensory stimuli in particular
impact us you can actually draw I think
a lot of very broad-based conclusions
about what certain sounds do to us for
example what certain environmental cues
du to us and this is really important if
you're going to do something like design
a school or a hospital that's conducive
to peace conducive to relaxation if
you're going to design a spa you got to
know what music to play right to get
people to relax 100% um and so yeah
neuroception is instant neuroception is
automatic and while there's sort of a
baseline generalization across most
people there are of course individual
differences and these individual
differences can Endo change over time
and change over past based on past
experiences if you saw if you smelled a
particular smell during the worst day of
your life that smell might remind you of
that and make you feel very unsafe going
forward and so there are generalizations
but then there are specific differences
and I think that's really really
important to understand and also
important for sort of the empathy that
is required to understand why some
people might have a hard time in certain
situations that to you you have no
problem with as well anyway based on
what your neuros ction does based on
what autopilot program is best going to
keep you alive your body then
transitions into what's called an autom
autonomic State an autonomic state in
general terms is basically a profile
that software program that that software
program about what bodily functions need
to be on right now to allow me to
survive and to thrive and the
traditional model of the ANS is that
there are these two kind of damal
battling States the parasympathetic rest
of relax State and the sympathetic figh
ORF flight State the P the poly vagel
theory supplants that it recognizes the
shortcomings in that model and it says
there aren't actually two states there's
three there's actually more than three
but we're going to say three primary
ones there are hybrid States there's
some Nuance to this but in general terms
there are three basic autonomic States
three basic software profiles our ANS
can load up and I just love the use of a
a traffic light as a metaphor for
explain this I'm going to sit down for a
bit um a traffic light to explain this
because green yellow red we all
instantly understand that good not good
even worse right like that's kind of
simple and depending on how safe your
neuroception detects you to be at any
given moment you load up the green
software the yellow software or the red
software depending on anomic State your
body transforms it may not be as
dramatic a transformation as Bruce
Banner turning into the Hulk but it's
kind of the same basic concept this is
involuntary you can't really say to
yourself I really want to be relaxed
right now when you're stressed and if
you say to somebody who's really
stressed just relax you can surely
expect them to get angry at you people
don't like that right this state is
involuntary and more importantly it is
the filter through which we experience
the world sounds sound different smells
smell different things you once love
lose their lust depending on what state
you're in and how you feel any given
moment we are feeling driven organisms
we are body first organisms we are
emotional organisms right we um to some
degree are just you know our
Consciousness is a passenger in a body
and the filter through which we
experience the world is our anomic state
and this transforms everything almost
everything about how we experience the
world so let's talk about what these
three basic states are I like to kind of
use this hypothetical example imagine
you're some prehistoric man and in the
prairie and in the distance you see some
shadowy figure and you're not sure if
it's a friend or a foe or an animal or
what it's going to be your neuroception
has to scan that figure and decide as
quickly as possible are you safe or are
you dangerous and it decides first are
you safe and if so it turns on what
we're going to call the green zone the
parasympathetic nervous system often
called but we call the green zone here
this is what happens when you feel safe
and what happens to your body then is
your heart rate slows down all of the
bodily functions and muscles muscles
associated with digestion relaxation
importantly social behavior begin to
turn on your vocal procity increases
your facial effect effect increases you
have more eye contact the middle ear
muscles in your ear shift position to
better hear the sounds of human voice
this is key to how SSP works of course
and when you're in this state you're in
what we'll call homeostasis this is our
Baseline of healing this is what our
body wants to be in but sometimes needs
the leave for survival purposes and when
you're in this state your body is taking
all those resources that would normally
if you're in danger be thrown on the
fire to get you away from that saber to
tiger and it uses them to heal yourself
this is a state that is conducive to
Healing it's also conducive to Advanced
cranial activity to learning to
creativity to all of these you know to
to Art to all of these things that we
love as humans right but let's say that
you come across that figure in a
distance and you're neuroception
determines it's not safe it's dangerous
going to the yellow the danger zone here
is Kenny log to put it right danger zone
and this here this is what we you know
know is a fight ORF flight system your
heart rate speeds up your pain tolerance
goes up your you don't need the
socialize why would you have an
effective face you don't need to talk to
why would you have vocal procity your
middle ear muscles change position
because no longer are you trying to hear
people talk you know diplomacy time is
over instead you need to hear predators
and a bush so your middle ear muscles
change position to hear that tiger
rumbling around or that that that that
Predator who might attack you at any
given moment so when we feel fight or
flight when we feel activated when we
feel scared our ideology signal changes
we hear different noises and this is
really really important because a lot of
times people who have trauma are told
that the trauma is purely a
psychological or psychiatric condition
but it doesn't explain why so many of
them have auditory processing disorders
it doesn't explain why so many of them
have gut and digestive issues once you
begin to understand the physical changes
that occur when you feel threatened it
all begins to make sense and I think
trauma if nothing else is being in a
position where you rarely if ever feel
safe where you're effectively stuck in
many of these positions and in doing so
stuck with many of the physical shifts
that occur when your body is in these
positions with the goal of keeping you
alive now what happens if your
neuroception scans the environment and
it says I'm not safe I'm not even in
danger I'm in so much danger that I'm
probably going to die that's when we
enter the Red Zone here this is
immobilization it is freezing it is
dissociation this is crucial to the
polyal theory because it is something
that the traditional model of the ANS
simply doesn't acknowledge right I think
a lot and this causes a lot of problems
in how our society runs how our legal
system runs how our media runs how the
way we treat other people is there are
many many people who find themselves in
dangerous scenarios assault whatever you
it is and they don't run or fight back
and people make this assumption they
jump to the conclusion that if they were
attacked they would have run or F fought
back and if that person didn't run or
fight back they weren't assaulted
because there was no sign of a struggle
and that creates problems when imagine
like if every juror seed in a jury
understood this right what change that
would result imagine if every victim
under Survivor understood this because
suddenly they are it creates this blame
narrative where people they're
socialized to believe this and they
begin to doubt it themselves maybe I
wasn't attacked maybe I wasn't assaulted
maybe I was complicit because I didn't
run and I think just simply if there's
like one piece of information in here
that I just wish the whole world would
understand it would be that the way we
as humans respond to duress and assault
and Trauma isn't necessarily to fight or
flight it's often times to freeze and
shut down and that signs of struggle are
not a prerequisite for such scenarios I
think that's so so important for people
to
understand none of these states are
innately bad it needs to be said we'll
use terms like bad or evil or whatever
but none are bad these are all states
that evolved for a purpose and that
purpose is to Keep Us Alive and they all
do their job very very well the problems
come when the defensive systems the
yellow and the red in particular are
overused as is I think incredibly common
even for people who don't consider
themselves folks who who deal with
trauma I think just for normal people
who have jobs or deal with traffic or
have to watch the news right we live in
this world that feels engineered to
stress us out at all times to activate
us to engage us to make us feel scared
sometimes for cynical reasons to sell
products or political positions or what
it might be but what this does is it
overloads our defensive systems and in
doing so locks us out of the healing
restorative properties of the green
system and that's where the problems
come into play we have a system system
that evolved for a world before mass
media before traffic before spreadsheets
before deadlines before all of these
things and these same neural Pathways
that evolved to keep our ancestors our
ancient ancestors alive in a much
simpler time are now put through the
funnel of the modern world and screens
and news and deadlines and television
and that creates problems for virtually
everybody including people who view
themselves very dist from the whole
world of trauma I'll
say so when your nervous system is
deciding which autonomic state am I
going in the red the green the yellow it
doesn't just pick them out of a hat
randomly there's an order it kind of
settles on them on this is also
something that the poly vagal Theory
differs from their older model of the
ANS it kind of is reverse evolutionary
order dissolution as jackon Jackson
would have called it so the more danger
you sense the more ancient your response
so if you come into contact with that
strange figure in a distance and your
nervous system says this thing safe
turns on the green system turns on your
social engagement system gets you ready
to have a good time to socialize to rest
to digest the party to do all those
things and this is only seen in
relatively modern mammals humans dogs
folks like that right but then you go
further back in time you see the yellow
system the fight or flight system the
sympathetic system you see that in even
more animals right that's pretty common
in the animal kingdom then you go even
further back in time and you see the red
system the the dissociation the freezing
the immobilization you see that in very
early reptiles even pre- reptile
vertebrates as their primary way of
Defending themselves is to freeze play
dead and if they do die to basically
shut down all their bodily systems so
they can die with as minimal pain as
possible so understanding this
understanding that we inherited the
system from not even reptiles before
reptile vertebraes I think it allows us
to understand trauma in a way that I
think is very very helpful because a
common response again to traumatic
events is not to run but to freeze I'm
repeating this I think it's like that
one takeaway that if the world
understands nothing else even if they
never hear the word polyal in their
lives if they understand that the way
people responded to rest isn't always to
run I think a lot of I think it's very
important I'll say and this comes from a
reptile and even pre- reptile ancestors
and it's completely involuntary people
do not make the decision to shut down
and freeze it's the nervous SYM that
takes over and a lot of problems happen
for people when they themselves are
confused by this response and they begin
to question why did they shut down and
why did they freeze it begins to create
very very destructive narratives that
are truly unnecessary if people
understood
this so we have these states and again
none of these states are innately bad
they all serve a purpose and healthy
individuals have the ability to bounce
between these states and to take the
best from all of them without getting
stuck in them Dr porit Des Dr porit
describes play the act of playing as
basically a neural exercise that allows
us to utilize the features of the yellow
system the mobilization the activation
the physicality of it in a place that's
safe A place that's social a place
that's amongst friends he oftentimes
talks about seeing dogs play like a dog
park they'll be nipping in each other's
Fe you know feet they'll be running
around chasing each other to an outsider
it might even look like they're fighting
only they're not and it's obvious
they're not because they make eye
contact because they stop because they
look at each other so on one hand
they're engaging the physical attributes
of the yellow system Sy but they're also
engaging the social aspects of the green
system and in that sense play can be
viewed as I think a neural exercise that
allows us it builds resilience in our
nervous system allows us to utilize the
features of the yell system so it's
there for us when we need it without
getting stuck in it once you begin to
understand that you begin to view things
like play which when I was growing up
and certainly other Generations too is
be just frivolous right like why would
need to play they start cutting recess
like crazy when I was a kid you know
begin to realize that these are actually
really important things not just from a
keeping people in shape and active
perspective but also from a neurological
perspective
too so your autonomic nervous system
your ANS it's a system it's a system
that involves tons of body parts tons of
organs and with this we finally get to
the veg nerve the star of the show it's
right there in the title poly vagal
Theory right the vag nerve as you in
this audience probably know is a cranial
nerve that begins in the brain stem goes
down to the gut and so links all of
these organs and bodily systems together
and this is important because what the a
is what the autonomic nervous system is
is the ability for all of these organs
to act in synchrony so if you're running
you're fighting and fleeing your heart
doesn't beat one way while your sweat
glands respond another way in your liver
another they all need to kind of act in
synchrony with the shared purpose of
keeping you alive the vagus nerve is
that shared connection it is the
conductor it is the Baton it is the
whatever that binds all of these organs
and bodily systems together so that your
ANS can exist right without the Vegas
there is no ANS
really but the Vegas is more than that
it's also a neural break when activated
it downshifts our body it slows us down
in the context of safety and sociability
in the context of the green zone this is
what allows us to be near other people
without killing them there are some
animals who lack this ability where you
put two of them together they will kill
each other humans are not like that
humans have the ability to be social to
be safe to downshift Dr pores often
times talks about the polyal theory as
being amongst other things the story of
how we as humans and mammals evolved to
seek safety and to seek social ability
it is through the Vegas nerve that we
are able to do this it's through the
Vegas nerve that we can downshift
ourselves you know he talks about how
survival the fittest is often a term
used in a defensive or aggressive or
dominant
context but it's also I think fair to
say that often sometimes the fittest
species is one best able to cooperate
best able to collaborate best able to be
peaceful if we couldn't we couldn't
build cities we couldn't team up we
couldn't go hunting together back in the
day we couldn't do all of these things
at some point in our Evolution
collaboration cooperation became
necessary for our survival we became
better able to survive with it and is
this system that allows that to
occur the Vegas nerve is what allows us
to be calm and measured we all know what
that feels like we all know what it
feels like to be calm we all know what
it feels like to not be calm the vagus
nerve its ability to downshift our body
is what allows that to happen and this
is really interesting so anomic
nervosismo it happens without us
controlling it it just sort of ticks
along but there's one major exception we
can't think to ourselves I want my heart
to be differently but we can think to
ourselves I want to bre breathe
differently breathing is talked about in
all sorts of ancient Traditions
meditation yoga martial arts practices
and there's a reason for this because
breathing is a portal that allows us to
control the uncontrollable allows us to
control our bodies allows to control
this autom autonomic this automatic
system breathing is so so powerful
because it is both autonomic and a
system we can control if I don't think
about breathing I still breathe I can go
to sleep at night and continue to
breathe but if I choose to hold my
breath if I choose to breathe a Stern
away if I choose to play an instrument I
still have the ability to do this and
what that means really is that if I
choose to breathe slowly what I'm doing
is I'm sending a signal to the rest of
my nervous SYM into my entire body that
I'm not actually in danger because if I
was actually running from that saber 2
tiger I wouldn't have the time to be
able to breathe slowly so people often
times talk about slow breathing
breathing as a way of calming your body
and it is this is why it is because what
you're saying to your body is by virtue
of breathing slowly I'm not actually
running for my life that's what you're
saying to your body and in doing so
you're breathing there is a relationship
between your heart rate and your
breathing and when you change your heart
rate you change your breathing you
change your heart rate and in doing so
you change the rest of your ionomic
nervous system and you do that through
the Vagas the vagus again begins in the
brainstem
goes to the gut links together all of
these organs and it goes both ways from
your brain to your gut from your gut to
your brain but these aren't equal
Pathways about 80% of the vagal fibers
go from your body up to your brain only
about 20% go from your brain to your
body and what that means is that our
sensory experience that we feel the
emotions all of these things are so much
more important for changing the way we
feel or autonomic State than what we
think the way we navigate the world and
the way we settle on our autonomic stain
the way we feel things differently our
Consciousness can impact it we can say
to ourselves I want to calm down we can
do these things but for the most part
it's our body that is really driving the
show here that's what's
occurring again breathing is a way of
slowing down your body this is how
meditation works this is how yoga
breathing works a lot of this magic has
long been couched in new age or
religious language this is a scientific
explanation for it um Dr por just likes
to talk about how you know how I think
it's kind of amazingly like you think
about thousands of years ago people
learned this they studed that they they
didn't know Neuroscience they had never
heard of the PO vagel Theory uh they
probably hadn't even developed written
language yet you know but somehow
they're able to stumble upon this
information and create narratives that
allow it to be passed on through
generations and generations and
generations till we have it today and I
think that's really really amazing when
you begin to think about it the Vegas of
course has an evil twin I don't mean
evil evil again none of this is bad but
I I like that picture all right veg has
an evil twin the veg we've been talking
to right now the veg that allows us to
slow down as mammals to safely be around
other people that's only present in
relatively modern mammals humans dogs
social creatures like that you go back
to our reptile ancestors you go back
even before then to very early
vertebrates they also had a Vegas that
Vegas was different though that Vegas
was
unmated oh so the Vegas in humans dogs
it's got a milein sheath it's a fatty
coating kind of like the rubber coating
you might find in a coaxil cable at a
Best Buy that coating is a modern
adaptation it gives them more signal
Clarity signal strength all those sorts
of things the old Vegas the ancient
Vegas we've got that too we have two
branches of the Vegas at least two
actually um there's also sensory ones
but okay and so that one there does not
have the milon AG sheath but more
importantly yeah wow what's going on
here
sorry guys
Tech all
right yes so the ancient unmated Vegas
it also acts as a break it also slows us
down but rather than the slowing us down
to be social and calm and relaxed this
is the Slowdown that's associated with
that freeze response what we endure when
render severe duress again remember when
we come into contact with anything our
neuroception goes back in time reverse
evolutionary order and it settles on
that red system that's what's happening
here that's that involuntary freeze
response which we borrowed from reptiles
and even pre- reptile
ancestors each part of the Vegas also
plugs into a different part of our brain
stem this is really really important
because by doing so they kind of take on
the properties of the parts of the brain
stem and are linked into the functions
that are associated with each part of
the brain stem stem so the ancient Vegas
that plugs into the dorsal brain stem
which is associated with our visceral
organs digestion things like that my dad
can correct me if I got this wrong um
the modern Vegas goes into the ventral
brain stem and what's really really
important about the ventral part of the
brain Sim is that the Vegas isn't the
only cranial nerve that goes there four
other cranial nerves you've only got 12
cranial nerves in our
bodies I doing my math right five of
them five of them plug into the vental
veal cortex that part of the brain stem
and these other these other cranial
nerves that sit beside the vagus in the
vental vagal cortex these are all the
cranial nerves that are associated with
social behavior your trigeminal nerve
your facial nerve your accessory nerve
your glassop fagal nerve these are the
nerves that allowed us to emote with our
face with our voice to hear with our
ears so all of these functions Evolution
played this cruel trick where the Vegas
nerve kind of merged up into this little
part of our brain ststem where all of
the cranial nerves that are associated
with social behavior live and so poly
vagal Theory isn't just about how our
autonomic nervous system works it's
about how we as humans evolve to be
social creatures and this is how and
this is why when we are calm and
collected and peaceful around people who
make us feel safe our social engagement
system that sweet bodily features and
nerves that allows us to be social it
turns on and when you feel threatened it
turns
off and this is why Dr por just suggests
that safe social behavior itself acts as
a vagal trigger there's a lot of
Articles out there these days about
hacks and tips and tricks for activating
your Vegas as a way of somehow improving
your health or making you feel calm all
of those things are great but at the end
of the day there's no substitute for
being around people who you like being
around people who make you feel safe
that's what makes us as humans feel calm
that's what makes us feel healthy that's
what makes us feel alive that's what we
seek as humans that's what our entire
culture is based on that's why we have
parties and nightclubs why we watch TV
because it kind of simulates hanging out
with your sitcom Friends you know like
this is what our civilization is based
around so come back to it we have two
vagel branches here this is where we get
the poly and poly vagel and
understanding the different impact of
each of these vagal branches it begins
to answer all sorts of questions related
to trauma in the body like why did I
freeze why didn't I fight back if I had
a traumatic incident well again it
wasn't up to you your Red Zone was
activated your dorsal Vegas was
activated this ancient reptilian
response was activated and it shut you
down why does everything look sound and
feel different why do I no longer enjoy
things I used to enjoy because your
senses change the depending on how safe
you feel and often times after trauma
people have a really hard time feeling
safe and their senses may be kind of
stuck to some degree in those danger
zones in those defensive
States why do I hear things differently
after again those middle ear muscles
shift position when you feel safe they
are in a position that allows you to
better pick up the sounds of human
speech when you feel in danger they're
there to pick up predator noises if you
always feel in danger well you're might
have an auditory processing disorder as
a result this is why so many people who
come back from war have a hard time with
loud noises with crowd environments with
bars because these sounds are filtered
through the Predator Pathways your body
is looking for danger anywhere it
can why am I always so anxious I think
this is sort of the million-dollar
question of our of our era I think
anxiety is everywhere now um and I I
think it's it's I like to think of
anxiety as
these ancient systems that existed for a
whole other world are just being pushed
and pushed and pushed every single day
by traffic by deadlines by news alerts
by vibrating phones by kids screaming in
the car by whatever it might be to the
point where I think a lot of us are just
kind of burnt out and I think it's
important to recognize that virtually
everybody you ever meet in this world is
dealing with that to some degree these
days why does trauma last so long and
it's so difficult to treat and this is
the big thing for the longest time so
many people treated trauma purely as a
psychological or psychiatric issue it is
not trauma is physiological once you
begin to understand a poly vagal Theory
you begin to understand that trauma
changes your body how safe you feel
changes your body you become Bruce
Banner you become the Hulk your body
changes and treating it as a purely
psychiatric issue which means talk
therapy and drugs is the only possible
treatment
doesn't do enough drugs might be good
for some people talk therapy for others
I'm not here to bash those but we need
to understand the bodily changes that
occur when people feel traumatized when
they feel unsafe and prioritize how we
can make people feel safe both an
interpersonal relationships as well as
the simple physical environments we
construct for
ourselves and I'm not just talking about
trauma here autism depression baline
schizophrenia a whole Suite of different
diagnosis I think can all be
characterized as to some degree being an
autonomic nervous system that has a hard
time feeling safe and in doing so a lot
of these symptoms that appear across all
of them all begin to make sense why do
all these conditions of auditory
hypersensitivity as a common symptom
flat facial affect lack of vocal procity
it all begins to make sense when you
view it as this is a nervous system that
doesn't feel
safe why do I have a hard time
socializing after trauma well the bodily
functions that are used the social
engagement system that allow us to
socialize with people those are really
only turned on when we feel safe and
this creates a problem because
socialization itself is one of the chief
ways our body soothes itself regulates
itself calms itself and so the people
who need this the most often times have
the hardest time tapping into that
ability of people people have
traumatized or have a hard time feeling
safe social connectedness and
co-regulation is a biological imperative
as much as eating drinking shelter all
those things it is something we as
humans evolve the need for not the want
for to survive the poly vagal Theory
links social behavior to mental and
physical health social behavior is not
optional safe social behavior is not
frivolous hanging out with friends is
not a waste of time social events like
this one are not a waste of time time
once you begin to prioritize them I
think life becomes a lot more
interesting a lot more fun also it gives
us permission to engage in a behaviors
that we innately want to and the reason
we innately want to is because they are
a biological imperative right often
times people are told like oh I'm
wasting time hanging out with my friends
kids might be told this it's cut recess
from schools all these sorts of things
once we begin to realize this is
necessary for health and happiness I
think it gives us permission to actually
be happy I think that's really powerful
and also feeling safe is necessary it's
a necessary requisite for strong social
relationships which are necessary for
your health Dr Port just kind of
presented as this Continuum this
flowchart where safety is required for
physical proximity which is required for
physical contact which is required for
safe social bonds with people right and
this is this this creates the
possibility of co-regulation the
possibility of healing the possibility
of tapping into our oxytocin system
which is very closely tied to to this
oxytocin was long thought to be only
involved with uh pair bonding and love
whatever it is but what's now become
clear with research that comes out like
every Journal issue is that oxytocin is
a part of our immune system it's part of
our defense system almost any health
malady you can think of oxytocin as a
positive effect on and it doesn't mean
you should go and like you know sniff
oxytocin it doesn't work what works is
creating It In Yourself by being around
people who make you feel safe and we're
not just talking about romantic
relationships between adults I mean we
see this in other mammals right cute
right see this between parents and their
children I think I stole all these
slides from Dr porches we see this
between humans and other mammals right A
lot of people have like fur babies and
their best friend is a dog and that's
totally cool and these are your oxytocin
machines I like to tell people like
don't feel guilty about it remember the
Co in co-regulation they're getting just
as much out of it as you are right this
is necessary for our survival as a
species is to be around people or
sometimes dogs that make us feel safe
and never feeling safe sucks especially
for young children with developing
nervous systems if you don't feel safe
you can't get close to people you can't
make contact you can't develop bonds and
in doing so you miss out on the healing
properties that come from this the the
healing properties of homeostasis the
healing properties of oxytocin feeling
safe is a NE necessary prerequisite for
all of this and once you begin to
realize it you begin to understand what
it means to prioritize feeling safe in
your own life and in any you know world
you might have power over for that
matter I know and relationships without
feelings of safety are not healing a lot
of people are in relationships that that
really don't offer them these
benefits not feeling safe is effectively
disregulation and when you are
disregulated the body will do almost
anything it can to to regulate itself
and feel safe our bodies crave
homeostasis they crave the healing
properties of the green zone They will
do anything they can to feel regulated
right this includes unsafe and addictive
behaviors addiction rarely exists
without trauma right often times people
view addiction as a criminal offense or
a moral failing I think we can
recontextualize it as an attempt by a
nervous system that feels unsafe to
regulate itself if people are stuck in a
state of immobilization as is common of
people who have experienced trauma it's
very likely that upper stimulants will
become will make them feel normal right
and if people are stuck in a hyper
mobilized State as is common with other
people downers depressant will make them
feel normal and you begin to understand
why people turn to these things why they
self-medicate in this matter and this is
important because it removes I think
both this a sense of blame and conscious
in ttention that comes from the way we
and those close to us may act we see
people act in ways we don't like they
might just be regulating themselves
people often times act awful to
themselves and the people they love not
because they want to hurt themselves or
anybody else but
because their bodies are forcing them
their bodies have taken control or
they're out I get really emotional
talking those guys it's really crazy not
for any reasons man it's it's important
stuff though okay once you remove this
sense of blame and conscious intent from
these things I think it frees us up to
approach people who have problems with a
level of empathy that the world often
lacks because often times we say you're
doing wrong you're a bad person that's
not at all the case feeling safe is
crucial to health it is crucial to
happiness it's crucial to learning it's
crucial to critical thinking it's
crucial to productivity it makes life
more enjoyable it makes life more
relaxing it optimizes The Human
Experience when people don't feel safe
they get not freed up to fully live
their lives and that is a
fact we live in an autonomic Echo
chamber we mirror the autonomic state of
the people we are around and that's not
just in person but it could be the
messages we get through TV screens
through the internet through all of
these things we live in an autonomic
Echo chamber if we're around anxious
stressed out threatened people we're
going to take on those properties if
we're around people who feel safe we're
going to feel safe too again you our
bodies Our neuroception are really good
at picking up cu about should I feel
safe or should I feel in danger and part
of that is looking amongst other people
how are they responding to whatever
scenario we're in or is that person
threatening is that person threatening
to me is that person giving off signs
that they're going to attack me we live
in an autonomic Echo chamber we our
nervous systems respond to the nervous
system the people around and the
messages we pick up in the media today I
will say and I think this is really
really interesting once you begin to
understand this I think it opens up the
ability again earlier in this talk I
said the poly vagal Theory it's a way
it's a model for the nervous system but
it's also a way of seeing the world and
once you see through the Matrix here
it's hard to unsee it if you are safe
you sense more safety if you feel
threatened you sense more threats this
is true in a number of ways one of which
is purely sensory when our autonomic
nervous system turns on defensive states
that defensive software program our
senses change to pick up more threats
the reason our middle ear muscle shift
when we feel threatened is because they
are now looking for more danger which
makes us feel ever more threatened and
so it goes our neuroception it feeds our
physiology which feeds our neuroception
and on and on and on it goes we can kind
get stuck in these feedback loops very
easily pain trauma and danger creates
cycles of pain trauma and danger once
you get stuck in that state it can be
really hard to get out but by but the
but the green system doesn't go away
right it's there for us it just might be
dormant and once you find ways of making
people feel safe you can create a
virtuous cycle of healing as well that
gets people out of those so I said
before it's like seeing through the
Matrix once you begin to understand the
polyal theory you can sort of see it
applied I think everywhere in the world
uh this book I'm working on with Dr por
is part of it is kind of looking at some
of these real world examples I think
that allow us to approach love our
institutions and just the lived in world
we have I think with a degree of
critical eye and degree of empathy that
I think is sometimes lacking uh once you
can just look at schools for instance
right like the way the the environments
we put kids into whether it's auditory
or are we treating kids like criminals
or Point them through metal detectors we
have all these features in our world
that oftentimes purport to keep us safe
but what they're doing is bombarding our
body with imagery and ideas that they
should feel very unsafe right just
imagine taking away recess suddenly this
neural exercise is gone uh it it's long
been known that kids who study like art
and music do better at math that doesn't
make any sense why should that be until
you begin to realize well maybe art and
music are vagal exercises maybe these
things are are turning on our green
system that makes it better to learn
almost anything look at the media look
at uh the way politicians talk since the
beginning of time they've always just
tried to make us scared it's pretty
simple and the reason for that is
because when we are scared when we are
in our defensive States our bodies will
do anything at all to feel safe and that
means often times following reactionary
orders or or the instincts of the most
Craven amongst us once you begin to
realize that there might be you know
people in power who have a vested
interests in making us feel unsafe I get
a little angry because it's not only are
they manipulating us but they're hurting
our health right like every time my
phone buzzes with a news alert I just
feel a little worse you know I feel a
little less safe I feel a little more
stressed out like my day can be ruined
because of an alert that pops up on my
phone how messed up is that right
just you know and once you begin to
realize how cynical some of it is
sometimes and how manufactured it is I
think it's kind of freeing look at the
workplace look at what happens when
people are in traffic for two hours a
day or in these cold sterile
environments or forced to fight against
each other and ranked on spreadsheets
and deadlines could be called at any
hour to show up at work called while
they're on vacation never given the
chance to fully disengage never given a
chance to reach homeostasis what does
that do to us look at prisons what
happens when you take people and you put
them into perhaps the most unsafe
environment you can imagine their
nervous system is never going to feel
safe and they're going to act more
aggressive right if we want to pretend
like our prisons are places of
Rehabilitation well we should make
people feel safe right truly because
what what does solitary confinement do
to somebody you're not just poting them
into a dangerous scenario you're cutting
off the ability for them to use their
social engagement system at all for an
extended period time which is torture is
extremely unhealthy and if your goal is
to make people you know prisoners better
behaved and more peaceful it's 100%
counterproductive and so here's a bunch
of
takeaways we don't need to go over them
you guys get it feeling safe is
necessary to our health it's that simple
being around people who make you feel
safe is necessary to your health it's
that
simple once you deconstruct all these
things it's quite empowering I think so
in conclusion I'll just leave it with
this be safe to each other and party
on oh there's some questions too why
not thank you
guys hit me with your hard ball
questions this will be
fun is there is there mic somewhere you
can yell there's mic over there just
yell it I'll repeat it so for treating
physiology I know what that means to me
what does that mean to you there are
probably a hundred people in this room
better equipped to answer that question
than me I will just say um but when I
say that I mean understanding that we
need to make people feel safe right when
we make people feel safe almost any
treatment whether it's psychiatric
whether it's physical medical
therapeutic whatever it is is going to
be more effective once you view the
Green State homeostasis
that state is a state that our bodies
need to heal and restore themselves
whether you're talking about treating
addiction whe you're talking about
treating mental health we're talking
about treating physical health safety
becomes Paramount now in terms of uh
what do I mean by treating physiology
again I'm not even going to pretend like
I'm close to the expert for that in the
room so I'm just going to say
pass
yes exper
it's it's not something you develop it's
something you know your parasympathetic
nervous system exists in you and people
oftentimes enter this world under
unfortunate circumstances and which they
never really have the opportunity to
feel safe and it's very unfortunate it
really is but it doesn't mean they can't
feel safe it just means the threshold
for what will make them feel safe is
different from the average person right
and so a normal environment that might
be normal to you were I might come off
as threatening to them that means you
need to kind of pay attention to what
does this environment do to the
neuroception what do the Acoustics what
did the light what do the way I talk to
somebody the way I look at somebody the
eye contact what do all of these things
do
to them and again there's in terms of
the specifics of how do you rehabilitate
somebody who's been through that it's
100 people in this room more equipped to
answer that than me but to me what that
means is not that they don't have the
system it just means that the threshold
for activating it for reaching it the
goalposts have moved and they're
different for
everybody yes and
somebody come
on she got the mic over here sorry um
over here over
here sorry I can't over here oh no he
has a mic are we talking to you or I
have a okay he's got a first cool okay I
just wanted to ask when you live in a
society that certain things make one
group of people feel safe and another
unsafe what do you do
like 100% it is
uh I think again that's seeing through
the Matrix to some greate once you begin
to realize that a lot of the things
around us that purport to make us feel
safe really are aimed at making one
subgroup feel safe at the expense of
another
undeniable what do you
do it's a big big
question it's a really big question um
it's something I think about every day
and I think about how cynical a lot of
those things are how uh reactive a lot
of the discourse is where it's aimed at
dehumanizing some people it's a that
making some people seem like threats to
other people for very uh again cynical
reasons what do you do in the end of the
day I think honestly love and kindness
is the best way through this mess it's
to make people realize that the people
who they might be told are their enemies
aren't and that's hard and it's
unfortunate that burden is often plac on
the persecuted but I'm not sure what
else there
is thanks Seth that was an incredible
presentation I I felt um my name's Cal
and I my question is and it may tap into
uh the gentleman's question before mine
and also what we talked about this
afternoon uh how far can we go with
self-regulation before co-regulation
becomes the necessity well they both go
hand inand you always need co-regulation
self-regulation is something you know we
all have our own ways of self-regulating
some people play video games some people
listen to music some people use drugs
whatever it is we all do things we like
that make us feel good that is
self-regulation on the other hand we all
need co-regulation otherwise you're
somebody in solary confinement whose
nervous system Withers right these
aren't independent of each other they go
hand inand and I don't think the way to
view it is okay I can only get
self-regulation disagree then I need
co-regulation you need as much of both
as you can at all times is what I think
it
is anybody else any other questions
sorry it's hard to see with the light
yes there's a microphone behind
you hi Seth I really enjoyed your
conversation with us and I'm I'm
wondering about um when you say the only
way to make other people um you know
settle in their nervous system is to
make them feel safe what if they are not
settled in their nervous system that
they're openly
aggressive and so what do you suggest we
do it's an interpersonal thing well
oftentimes you need to worry about
making yourself feel safe in addition if
you're dealing with somebody who no who
you can never make feel safe and they
make you feel unsafe um you need to make
sure that you're safe at all times and
there are some people who will never
accept help there are some people who
don't want to change there's some people
who will always just kind of be
that's the world we live in
unfortunately um and I'm not not
suggesting that everybody out here
becomes some evangelist who tries to
change everybody they come across right
prioritize your own safety you know the
oxygen mask in the airplane you put that
on yourself first right and if you're if
somebody's not not allowing you to feel
safe it's perfectly okay to remove
yourself from the situation at all times
all right thank you let's give a big
round of applause to Seth
GES
and now you guys go to dinner and party
on or go to bed whatever good
[Music]
night than you perfect
تصفح المزيد من مقاطع الفيديو ذات الصلة
Emotion, Stress, and Health: Crash Course Psychology #26
Use Your Thoughts to Optimize Your Health - Dr Joe Dispenza
Secure Attachment Is Possible, You Just Need To Do These Things... - Sarah Baldwin
How play can heal your nervous system | Jessica Maguire BHSci, MPhysio | TEDxByronBayWomen
How to practice emotional first aid | Guy Winch | TED
The importance of psychological safety: Amy Edmondson
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