An Academic Review
By Nancy Eichhorn
Published in Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy
Polyvagal perspectives: Interventions, practices, and strategies, by Stephen W. Porges, W. W. Norton & Company, First edition, publication date 08.13.2024, 352 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1324053408
As a seasoned laboratory scientist, Stephen W. Porges presented his polyvagal theory (PVT) in 1994 and simultaneously started a revolution. His research and resultant theories reframed our understanding of the ANS’s impact on stress, resilience, sociality, feelings of safety, and more. Porges’s newest book, Polyvagal Perspectives: Interventions, Practices, and Strategies, discusses concepts embedded in his original theory that transcended its theoretical framework. It represents his desire to ‘clarify his original theory and rectify potential misunderstandings by documenting its scientific foundation’ (pg. 24) and counter academic attacks and misrepresentations of clinical applications. The materials also demonstrate that a polyvagal perspective may deepen our understanding of vagal impacts on human health and experience.
A brief history
To understand how PVT came about, it is helpful to know that Porges was initially intrigued by what he called the vagal paradox. Two vagal systems exist in the human body. One is associated with calm states and social engagement behaviours. The other is a vestigial defensive system that is potentially lethal to mammals. Porges wondered how the vagus could protect us when expressed as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and threaten our lives when expressed as bradycardia and apnoea. Identifying ‘the vagal mechanism underlying the paradox evolved into the polyvagal theory’ (pg. 24).
After presenting his PVT, Dr. Porges became an overnight sensation. By the late 1990s, he spoke at meetings focused on clinical trauma work for healthcare workers. Helping clients understand the neurobiological foundations of their unconscious reflexive reactions helped them release shame and blame and arrive instead at a place of understanding with curiosity. His work has been generalised across disciplines and cited in more than 25,000peer-reviewed journals. Thousands of therapists currently self-identify as being ‘polyvagal informed.’
However, according to Porges, social media influencers, many lacking proper academic accreditations who joined the bandwagon purporting the efficacy of polyvagal-informed therapies, popularised his work, but the information was inaccurate, misconstrued, and misused. In this new book, theory, research, and applications to practice are revisited in five parts to correct any misunderstandings.
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