Using the Polyvagal Theory for Trauma | Dr. Stephen Porges, Being Well Podcast

Forrest, your way of interacting with and reacting to people makes me feel safe. Your presence has regulated me many times

I am a survivor of trauma that fits complex ptsd. I was placed on psychiatric medications after becoming disregulated and misdiagnosed. That happened to many. I got off after 16 years and into therapy. I learned to meditate, yoga, and qigong. Then I was referred to a trauma therapist that helped me understand that I was dissociating. I did some EMDR which was helpful and the relationship with the therapist grew into safety as I did. But what helped me the most was neurofeedback. Understanding trauma has come a very long ways! I recently had bypass and repair for A-fib. Blockages were bypassed and A-fib quieted. I know these were in direct reflection of what I experienced during my life. Neurofeedback gave me a new brain and therapy a new heart along with open heart surgery! I hope to live many years in a regulated and safe mind, body, and spirit! 🙏 ❤❤❤🙏

I was so excited to see Dr. Porges being your guest!!! I've listened to more interviews with him than I can count, yet I still learned something new! Everyone needs to know about the Polyvagal Theory! ❤❤❤

Forrest, thank you for this content. And you have a gift of accurate summarization ❤

I love that this kind of information is accessible without spending a ton of money. I am on this journey of healing and have been researching techniques to calm the body. The idea that safety can be a trigger is something I hadn't heard before and is a real eye opener! Thank you. A technique I am using is called having. Rubbing around the occipital bone, down the arms and rubbing hands together. Keep doing it until a yawn or sigh is produced. Can take 20 minutes, but it signals the nervous system that it's safe.

This was wonderful and you did a terrific job summarizing complex information. Thank you!!!

Brilliant. Parts of this talk helped me decode why a recent interaction was so upsetting: anticipating a bonding time with a new group, and it totally went sideways. Subterfuge, masked sabotage, queen bees, agitated acting out by one person, no moderation from leader, followed by denial by some and others seemingly not aware at all. I think those claiming to be unaware may have been the wisest attendees! Thank you for so many connections between systems. More to learn, definitely.

Loved this episode! Both polyvagal theory and your podcast have helped me so much over the last few years! I'm thankful for everything that you and your father do to make the world a better place.🙂

Thank you, Forrest, and Dr. Porges for a really marvelous conversation! It was a nice balance among physiology, experience, and recovery (healing and re-harmonizing). As a coach (not as a therapist like Dr. Rick) who aids professional folks who have more 'mild' traumas (if there is such a thing) or relational distresses in their history, I really appreciate PVT and its practical, everyday implications regarding safety, baseline calm, and awareness of arrousal. And thank you also, Forrest, for handling the overview of PVT in the recap (well done, too!), rather than asking Stephen to explain it for the n^nth time (LOL). Cheers! "Tomorrow's mastery begins with mental calm today."

Forest your podcast is my favorite listen on my daily walks. So much wonderful content. This episode with Dr.Porges is a gem! Thank you for all the wellness goodness! ✨🖤

Thank you for this interesting episode, I got a lot of insights from it. I had numerours adverse experiences and was "dysregulated" most of my life. The very last one was the death of my little sister, who passed away from an aggressive cancer in the age of 18 two years ago. It was an immensely difficult time for our family, and left me, unsurprisingly, even more dysregulated. I have developed an illness anxiety disorder and a somatization disorder while she was still alive, but already ill. After her death, my disorder persisted and shifted to a chronic pain disorder. I have extremely tight muscles all over my body which contribute to pain and anxiety. I never felt safe in my home and no longer feel safe in my own body. This episode once again made me realize how important the work with the nervous system is, and gives me hope that change is possible.

This interview is very helpful thank you. It touches on questions I've been having about my meditation practice. We are often introduced to this mind/body complex system in a somewhat oversimplified manner I believe. Being that our body has reacted to trauma in the past, that it is scarred into us, and that we need to learn to dissociate from it through the sitting meditation practice. Though this proves effective on the moment, a questioning of this explanation at large has arisen from my experience. Which is the following: is it a good idea to see our mind as needing separation from our nervous system, is that not dangerous on the long term. Especially given that I do not aspire to a monastic life of enlightenment... Dr Porges' description of the intertwined mechanics involved between the mind and nervous system helps me understand that shutting off that connection through meditation is not enough. That a deeper understanding of this two way system is what is needed, in order, if I understand correctly, to let the nervous system look after our organs efficiently. And to learn to love this system rather than see it as a burden we need to shut off from. Things in life are rarely simple, and many schools of thought will oversimplify in my opinion. Which though it may help on the moment, and also attract followers, is not enough to get the big picture. I'll try to understand Dr Porges' work better with the hope of widening my perspective on meditation and stress management. Very curious to hear whether others have had the same sort of questions relating to whatever it is they do to try and care for themselves.

Forrest, this was one of the best interviews with Stephen Porges I've heard. excellent work!! and thanks for the end piece.

Forrest ..you are such a pleasant interviewer…lovely to witness. Dr.Porges is a genius. TY!❤

Omg this is SO GOOD. There are insights Dr. Porges said in here that unlocked so much for me - and I am not new to polyvagal theory but this really, really helped to integrate some stuff that I wasn't getting before. You did such a top notch job guiding this conversation and asking him questions to guide it effectively. Thank you!

Wonderful episode, thank you to both of you!

What an insightful gem of a podcast!! I've been pausing to digest because there's so much that I can relate to, and so much to learn from Mr Porges' work. Thanks so much for this interview Forest

Fantastic session . Lovely to see Forrest became so confident yet open to the wisdom of Dr porges . I could feel the the secure attachment and ventral vagal stage of both ..🎉

Wow, great job. I really appreciate how you actually listen to the people you are interviewing.

Great interview! Thank you ❤