Seth Porges: The Polyvagal Theory: Our Polyvagal World Edition of The Science of Safety and Trauma

Summary

In 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

00:00

📚 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.

05:00

🤔 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.

10:01

🟢 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.

15:02

🟡 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.

20:02

🔴 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.

25:03

🔄 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.

30:06

🧠 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.

35:08

🌀 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.

40:08

🦎 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.

45:10

🤝 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.

50:16

🚸 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.

55:17

🧩 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.

Keywords

💡Polyvagal Theory

Polyvagal Theory is a concept developed by Stephen Porges that explains the role of the autonomic nervous system in our response to stress and safety. In the video, it is the central theme, emphasizing how our perception of safety significantly impacts our physical and mental health. The script discusses how the theory has evolved and is applied to understand social behavior and mental health issues.

💡Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The Autonomic Nervous System is the part of the nervous system that controls bodily functions without conscious control, such as heart rate and digestion. In the script, it is described as an 'autopilot' of our bodies, crucial for survival. The video explains how the ANS responds to perceived safety or danger through different states, illustrating the concept with the traffic light metaphor of green (safe), yellow (danger), and red (immobilization).

💡Neuroception

Neuroception is an automatic process that assesses the environment to determine if it is safe or dangerous. It is integral to the polyvagal theory, as it influences the autonomic state the body adopts. The script mentions neuroception as the 'blackbox algorithm' that scans the world around us and decides which 'software program' the ANS should load, either for rest and relaxation or fight or flight.

💡Vagus Nerve

The Vagus Nerve is a cranial nerve that links the brain with the heart, lungs, and digestive tract, playing a critical role in the body's rest-and-digest state. The script refers to it as the 'conductor' of the ANS, highlighting its importance in social engagement and the ability to downshift the body's response to feel safe and calm.

💡Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight is a physiological response to perceived threats, preparing the body to either confront or escape danger. In the script, it is associated with the 'yellow zone' of the autonomic state, where the body's systems shift to prioritize immediate survival, such as increased heart rate and heightened senses to detect threats.

💡Freezing Response

The Freezing Response is a defensive mechanism where the body becomes immobilized in the face of extreme danger, often as a last resort when fight or flight is not an option. The script explains this as the 'red zone' state, where the body shuts down to minimize the impact of an unavoidable threat, a response inherited from our reptilian ancestors.

💡Social Engagement System

The Social Engagement System is activated when an individual feels safe and is able to interact socially without fear. The script describes it as being linked to the modern, myelinated vagus nerve, which enables behaviors like eye contact and vocalization that facilitate social bonding and cooperation.

💡Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a hormone associated with social bonding, love, and trust. The script discusses oxytocin's role in the immune system and its positive effects on various health maladies. It is produced in the context of safe social interactions, contributing to healing and a sense of well-being.

💡Co-regulation

Co-regulation refers to the mutual regulation of physiological states between individuals, often facilitated through safe social interactions. The script emphasizes co-regulation as a biological imperative for health and happiness, necessary for the development of social bonds and the healing properties of oxytocin.

💡Trauma

Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience that can cause long-lasting mental and emotional effects. In the script, trauma is discussed in the context of how it can disrupt the autonomic nervous system, making it difficult for individuals to feel safe and engage in restorative states. The video also touches on the importance of understanding the physiological changes trauma induces in the body.

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