The Polyvagal Theory - Stephen W. Porges

[Jefferson]

There was an interview with Stephen Porges about The Polyvagal Theory for Treating Trauma, it includes stuff from the book and it is very interesting. It is available here:

http://stephenporges.com/images/stephen%20porges%20interview%20nicabm.pdf

Thanks for the link to the interview!

I read it immediately as I haven't gotten through the full Polyvagal Theory text yet - I found this interview useful and informative. A very suitable read while in the midst of the fairly heavy book.

Interesting what is mentioned on the topic of listening: possibly middle ear muscle transfer function, or just that ability to pick out human voice among background noise, could be improved by the EE program. Also the audio in the EE program (Laura's voice) is prosodic. Her voice likely triggers what Porges calls "neuroceptive" circuits that help the listener feel safe. (Neuroception has nothing to do with perception but it basically just means detecting without awareness).The point is that sounds, the audio, changes our physiological state involuntarily, and add to this pipe breathing and positive affirmations (meditation seed) and we have a very powerful technique with EE - a technique fully substantiated and backed up by the interdisciplinary science of the Polyvagal Theory.

I am searching for gems that clearly link polyvagal theory and the EE program and it looks all interrelated. For example, I am wondering about other ways EE affects the regulation of the social engagement system which Porges speaks about.

 

[forge]

Studies (e.g. Bazhenova et al., in press.) have demonstrated
that when the face of the caregiver is not responsive,
the infant will initially attempt to socially
engage the caregiver with display behaviors (e.g.
vocalizations, facial expressions). If the infant is
unsuccessful in engaging the caregiver, the infant
will become agitated and may, in the case of
having a depressed mother, exhibit symptoms of
depression.

What if an infant doesn't get emotional response from parent(s), no matter how many tries of engagement - infant queries, infant requests - are made?

Must read the theory further, but lack of real emotional facial response from the parent seems a major contributing factor in opening up the infant's mind to pathological influences. It's as if normal emotional facial parental response would build defense against pathology in an infant. If that is missing, the infant may become very vulnerable when getting older.

Imagine that instead of normal human faces capable to express real emotion, the infant is seeing - during key imprinting phases - monsters, psychopaths (any type to a lesser or greater extent) or ponerized parents incapable of displaying emotion. How then when no normal parent is present, only pathological ones are, should the infant imprint normal emotions, facilitating normal emotional development of infant psyche?

 

[Hildegarda]

Studies (e.g. Bazhenova et al., in press.) have demonstrated
that when the face of the caregiver is not responsive,
the infant will initially attempt to socially
engage the caregiver with display behaviors (e.g.
vocalizations, facial expressions). If the infant is
unsuccessful in engaging the caregiver, the infant
will become agitated and may, in the case of
having a depressed mother, exhibit symptoms of
depression.

this is known as the "still face experiment", here is a short video about it:

-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0

 

[Gawan]

FWIW some days ago, there was a new study published. It is not from Porges per se but reports about the effects of oxytocin, parenting and autism:

_http://www.springerlink.com/content/l4444n22644n7337/fulltext.pdf

The authors are: Fabiënne B. A. Naber, Irina E. Poslawsky, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn, Herman van Engeland and Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg and it is published in the JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS:

Abstract
Oxytocin seems associated with parenting style, and experimental work showed positive effects of intranasally administered oxytocin on parenting style of fathers. Here, the first double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject experiment with intranasal oxytocin administration to fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is presented. Fathers with their typically developing toddler (n = 18), and fathers of toddlers diagnosed with ASD (n = 14), were observed in two play sessions of 15 min each with an intervening period of 1 week. In all fathers oxytocin elevated the quality of paternal sensitive play: fathers stimulated their child in a more optimal way, and they showed less hostility which suggests the positive effects of oxytocin on paternal sensitive play irrespective of clinical status of their child.

Results (partly)

A repeated measures analysis of variance with the overall parenting scale as dependent variable, condition (oxytocin or placebo) as a within-subject factor, and child gender and group (typically developing children or children with ASD) as between-subject factors showed a significant effect for condition, F(1, 29) = 4.18, p = .050, g 2= .13. Group and gender were no significant predictors (group, F(1,29) = 0.02, p = .879, g2 \.01; gender, F(1, 29) = 0.06, p = .813, g2\.01). The interaction effects of condition and group, F(1, 29)\0.01, p = .99, g2 \.01, and of condition and gender, F(1, 29) = 0.20, p = .66, g2= .01, were not significant, implying that the effect of oxytocin was similar in fathers of normally developing children and in fathers of children with ASD, and similar in fathers of boys and fathers of girls. Figure 1 shows the scores on the overall parenting scale in the placebo and oxytocin conditions for the total group, for fathers of children with ASD, and for fathers of typically developing children. A multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance on the four parenting scales with condition (oxytocin or placebo) as a within-subject factor showed an overall effect of oxytocin administration on parenting behavior F(4, 28) = 2.74, p = .048, g2 = .28. Univariate analyses showed significant effects for Structuring, F(1, 31) = 8.33, p = .007, g2= .21, Fig. 1 Scores (M, SE) on the overall parenting scale in the placebo and oxytocin conditions for the total group, for fathers of children with ASD, and for fathers of typically developing children J Autism Dev Disord 123and for Hostility, F(1, 31) = 6.13, p = .019, g2= .17. Effects for Sensitivity, F(1, 31) = 0.93, p = .34, g2= .03,and Intrusiveness, F(1, 31) = 1.94, p = .17, g2= .06, were not significant. In the oxytocin condition fathers of normally developing and ASD children showed more structuring sensitivity and less hostility than in the placebo condition.

There is another result of oxytocin I'm aware of released in the last weeks. For example in a more or less coincidentally case study of a man who used as well intranasal oxytocin spray (to improve his social anxiety) and his libido got improved, where at the moment discussions going on, that it might be better than viagra.

_http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02703.x/abstract

ABSTRACT

Introduction.  A variety of sources indicate that oxytocin has beneficial effects on several components of sexuality. This is a case report on a male who had significant, broad-spectrum improvements in sexual function during a course of intranasal oxytocin treatment for social anxiety.

 

[Jones]

I came across one particularly helpful article here, an interview with Stephen Porges where he speaks in more-or-less ordinary English for once.

I've found both this thread and the above linked article very helpful.

I am making some sense out of some of the decisions I've made but also some reactions I've had.

Years ago when I was taking medication for anxiety, it always seemed to reach a point where the medication wasn't working. Then researching the medication further, I thought that some of the potential side effects as listed seemed to describe some of the symptoms that I was taking the medication for in the first place...so I thought if I was experiencing side effects of the medication, then that would explain why the medication seemed to stop working.

So I decided to have a shot at going medication free. The idea I was having at the time was that I'd prefer to learn coping strategies for the symptoms of anxiety that were intrinsic to me and remove those symptoms that were possibly caused by the medication.

Curious that it wasn't until joining this forum a couple of years ago that I read about Seratonin Deficiency Syndrome and the issue about the side effects of the medication all of a sudden made more sense.

In working out strategies to cope with the anxiety with a therapist we come to some conclusions that are similar to those proposed in the above article, but without having any knowledge of all about polyvagal theory.

First I was pensioned off and given a job capacity assessment of between 15 - 20 hours a week. This limited the time that I had to spend in triggering environments. I was always free to work more than that though if I could find the right environment.

Second, was giving myself permission to leave any place anytime and go to a safe environment. Maintaining external social commitments were important though and so I attended activities with friends. This second point has caused some social dilemmas though where I've triggered for whatever reason in noisy or busy environments and have upset friends or family for having to leave. The best I've been able to tell them til now is that 'I know that this doesn't make sense rationally because we can't see a threat, but at the moment my body is acting like there is a threat here, and I need to go'. Sometimes my reaction was strong enough that I couldn't tell them in the moment and I'd have to call and explain later. So I'm really grateful for the above article.

I think that giving myself permission to leave at any time actually gave me the courage to go out more frequently. Prior to that I avoided going out because of the seemingly immense amount of energy it needed to stay out if I triggered and I felt trapped by either work or social convention once I got out.

A penny or two dropped when I read about the auditory hypersensitivity too. I've always gravitated to quiet environments and realise that I have reacted to noisy environments and people as though they were threats, or if they were otherwise friendly I've had a sense of ambiguity about them. I remember one good friend who is quite loud and boisterous saying to me once, 'I often feel like I've just assaulted you when I walk into a room'.

Some adjustments I made without knowing it's connection to anxiety included using ear plugs. It's not unusual for me to wear earplugs into noisy social environments. The foam type that you squash up and put in your ears are great because they filter out or muffle the sharpness in background noises but you can still hear people in close proximity talking. Paradoxically I've also been fitted with hearing aids as I lost the ability to hear high fequency sounds which created some confusion like when my partner was sure we had a gas leak and I couldn't hear a thing! It was a nice experience to be wearing them and hear sounds that I'd not realised that I wasn't hearing any more like the wind rustling leaves of trees and some birds. However I found the noise too overwhelming to wear them generally when I was out and about. I love wearing them when I'm out in the bush though. :)

Some interesting connections between what Porges is saying about polyvagal theory in the linked article and what is discussed in this thread about self compassion too.
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,27829.msg344721/topicseen.html#new

 

[Courageous Inmate Sort]

Sott ran an article today with a recent lecture with Dr. Porges where he gives a brief overview of the Polyvagal Theory and focus on its relation with compassion. The lecture is from August, 2012. I have not yet read his book so I found the lecture very instructional:

http://www.sott.net/article/264131-Origins-and-conceptual-models-of-compassion

There is also a very recent interview with Dr. Porges from May, 2013. He does not go into much technical detail but talks about the Polyvagal Theory in general and also its relation with trauma, borderline personality (around 18:20) and validation of the theory by some symptoms of Bell's palsy (around 24:00). Later on he talks about his motivations for the research and the importance of safety in social relations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tz146HQotY

Besides the theoretical aspect, he appears to be a very nice person.

 

[H-KQGE]

Sott ran an article today with a recent lecture with Dr. Porges where he gives a brief overview of the Polyvagal Theory and focus on its relation with compassion. The lecture is from August, 2012. I have not yet read his book so I found the lecture very instructional:

http://www.sott.net/article/264131-Origins-and-conceptual-models-of-compassion

There is also a very recent interview with Dr. Porges from May, 2013. He does not go into much technical detail but talks about the Polyvagal Theory in general and also its relation with trauma, borderline personality (around 18:20) and validation of the theory by some symptoms of Bell's palsy (around 24:00). Later on he talks about his motivations for the research and the importance of safety in social relations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tz146HQotY

Besides the theoretical aspect, he appears to be a very nice person.

Nothing to add as such but, i just want to say that everyone should read the Polyvagal Theory at least twice to get their bearings & then return to it after a while to see how the knowledge gleaned from it can be utilized in one's daily life.
I've had it for about a year now & i only started reading it properly last week, finishing it on Thursday thoroughly satisfied with it & the interview from June 2011 posted by Megan.(although i could only grab the tele-seminar nicabm pdf given by psyche approximately 2 years ago too)
I've already got answers to a couple of trauma issues in my life & i haven't even got the whole book (added to my lengthy reading list) I found it quite easy to follow, that said, the book might go into obscure (to the layperson) language but the basic premise works well for me.
I'll definitely be checking the links by Courageous Inmate Sort & add to the "Love Code: Chemistry of Intimacy" link from ages ago. It looked really good when i dipped my toe in but couldn't finish due to time. He does seem like a nice guy as well.

 

[paralleloscope]

Does anyone know if the myelinated vagus is layered on top of the unmyelinated (they're both 10th cranial nerve, right)? The old unmyelinated one springs from the dorsal nucleus and the new from the nucleus ambiguus, but the visual references I've found make no differences in their further paths from the medulla.

 

[Gaby]

Does anyone know if the myelinated vagus is layered on top of the unmyelinated (they're both 10th cranial nerve, right)? The old unmyelinated one springs from the dorsal nucleus and the new from the nucleus ambiguus, but the visual references I've found make no differences in their further paths from the medulla.

This is a "micro anatomy" field, so perhaps you'll find some illustrations using histology as a keyword. For instance, here is an example:

_http://vanat.cvm.umn.edu/neurLab1/nerves.html

Peripheral nerves consist of bundles of myelinated and non-myelinated nerve fibers enveloped by connective tissue.

Fig. 11. Transverse section throung a canine vagus nerve. Only myelin sheaths (plus some lipid associated wth epineurium and perineurium) are stained. Notice the rage in size of myelinated fibers. Within a fascicle, the white gaps between myelinated fibers are occupied by non-myelinated fibers.

More illustrations at _http://vanat.cvm.umn.edu/neurLab1/nerves.html

Hope it helps.

 

[jonspock]

I find this 4 part youtube series an excellent overview on the polyvagal theory in an easy to understand language (atleast what I think is an overview, not having the book). From a Colorado School of Energy Studies, lecture excerpt.

part 1 : 'The saving hug', introduction on porges and autonomic overview.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_E7MHn00Tc

part 2 : term polyvagal explored, autism study,and phylogony of heart regulation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjeuvVjQTLU&NR=1

part 3 : evolution of the autonomic nervous system, introduction of the three tiered neural circuitry (triune autonomic NS) and it's stress responses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hunp9GjsbuI&feature=related

part 4 : Jackson's theory of dissolution, learned responses and trauma recoverability. Programs and studies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMmwpVvi5_M&NR=1

Thanks for posting these links!

 

[paralleloscope]

Thanks Psyche, those micro transverse sections do give me a better perspective on how they are bundled. I was thinking they were more separated, and would have visualized them as such in a 3d model I'm making. Now I'm thinking just to draw the path from DMNX with a cojoining path from NA (see image)

My main 3d reference (zygotebody.com) seems to be be somewhat inaccurate in a few places, and I've marked where I think the NA and perhaps a purely myelinated vagus nerve, actually may spring from and join in. To me the original model/image looks like a purely DMNX streaming vagus, or do the two (DMNX & NA) strands intertwine inside the medulla?

 

[Gaby]

To me the original model/image looks like a purely DMNX streaming vagus, or do the two (DMNX & NA) strands intertwine inside the medulla?

It is more the later. All functions are orchestrated together, so to speak. I'll attach a microscopic image I downloaded a few years ago to depict the headquarters of the vagus nerve at the brain stem and how it is "intertwined" even though each nucleus receives or is in command of a more specific function.

Here is a quote from the paper:

By combining bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling and
a variety of phenotypic markers, neurogenesis was recently
identified in the adult rat brainstem within the dorsal
vagal complex (DVC) (Bauer et al., 2005). The DVC comprises
three anatomical nuclei. The nucleus of the solitary
tract (NST) is the major recipient of afferent viscero-sensory
neurons of the vagus nerve. The dorsal motor nucleus
of the vagus nerve (DMNV) contains the cell bodies of
efferent vagus nerve fibers. The area postrema (AP) is a
circumventricular organ that sprawls on the middle third of
the rostro-caudal extent of the DVC. These interrelated
nuclei in the floor of the fourth ventricle make up the main
integrative center of cardiovascular, respiratory and gastro-
intestinal reflexes

 

[H-KQGE]

I just wanted to share some info on this conference that S.Porges is participating in. It's called "en*theos": "Hardwiring Happiness: The 7 Essential Strengths". It's presented by a neuropsychologist called Rick Hanson, & he interviews seven experts on the brain's negativity bias & how to, take in the good, and hardwire happiness into your brain. Dr Hanson has a collection of works on YouTube, on his own website & has collaborated with many others in this domain. The conference started on September 23rd & concludes on November 11th. The conference is about how to use the power of everyday experiences to build up important strengths and resources for yourself such as mindfulness, compassion, courage, curiosity, and love.

http://www.entheos.com/Hardwiring-Happiness/RickHanson


There's a lot of info (archived material, but also current research too) & links can be made to the expert participants in their own fields. Much, if not most, has been covered on the forum through other expert researchers works & findings but I still think it's worth checking out. I've been looking at the information from there for a while & liked it, but you'll have to sign-up (just a simple entry of your e-mail address ) to get access to everything, & it's quick too. Once there, (it's all free BTW) you can stream or download the videos or audio.

The interview with Porges is at week 2 & he called it "Resilience." Currently there's 5 weeks worth of video/audio. I had a "phew!" moment in this interview when he said that we didn't descend from crocs, but turtles in terms of the autonomic nervous system. (evolutionary defence strategies - I haven't completed TPVT so I don't know if he's said that already)

I came across this whilst looking for info on his new book that should be out next year, hopefully, the info on this site should help ease the processing of the topics so that they can be well digested. All the rest of the information is on the site.

 

[Gaby]

Found this article which synthesizes The Polyvagal Theory in a very straightforward and comprehensible way. Thought you guys might be interested:

Immobilized by chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia? The Polyvagal Theory and movement restriction
http://www.sott.net/article/271303-Immobilized-by-chronic-fatigue-or-fibromyalgia-The-Polyvagal-Theory-and-movement-restriction

A good one for EE instructors, practitioners and all of those who are trying to understand this topic better :)

 

[Tristan]

I've come across a video talk about the experiences of S. Porges' theory polyvagal...

Attila Kemeny PhD discusses Polyvagal theory along with a spirited disscussion of the interface of human emotion and relationship with neurophysiological functions of the body.

http://<iframe width="560" height="...sY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>