Unleash Your Inner Creative with Lauren LoGrasso (A Creativity Podcast)

Calm Your Nervous System: Unlock Safety, Resilience & Creativity with Polyvagal Theory ft. Dr. Stephen Porges & Seth Porges

Oct 18, 2023

Neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges and filmmaker Seth Porges discuss the Polyvagal Theory and its impact on creativity. They explore stimulating the vagus nerve, the connection between digestion and relationships, trauma's relation to gut issues, and the importance of feeling safe. They also highlight the power of conscious breathing for relaxation and offer gratitude to listeners.

56:40

Creator website

Episode guests

Seth Porges

Stephen Porges

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Feeling safe is essential for accessing higher brain structures and engaging in creative activities.

Trauma disrupts the body's ability to feel safe and regenerate, resulting in a range of symptoms.

Breathing signals safety to the body and allows for access to brain regions associated with creativity.

Deep dives

The Power of Calming the Nervous System

In this podcast episode, Dr. Stephen Porges and his son Seth Porges discuss the importance of understanding the nervous system and how calming it can lead to mental and emotional safety. They explain the Polyvagal Theory, which emphasizes the significance of feeling safe for our health and creativity. They highlight the connection between feeling safe and accessing the parts of our brain that allow for creativity. Breathing is identified as a tool to activate the body's relaxation response and induce a sense of safety. The conversation also addresses the impact of trauma on the nervous system and the importance of co-regulation and social support in promoting a sense of safety and well-being.

Introduction

4min

The Origin of the Book and Collaboration

3min

Writing a Book about Trauma

29min

Building Safety and Healing through Co-Regulation

5min

The Yellow Phase of the Polyvagal Theory

10min

Understanding the Power of Breathing for Safety and Relaxation

4min

Gratitude, Book Recommendation, and Breathing Exercises

2min

Today’s guests are Father/Son duo, Dr. Stephen Porges and Seth Porges.

Dr. Porges is a neuroscientist and is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. He is also the author of several books about the Polyvagal Theory, a theory he originally proposed in 1994.

Seth Porges is a filmmaker, journalist, and television commentator. He produced, wrote, and co-directed the feature documentary Class Action Park, which premiered as the number-one movie on HBO Max in 2020. He has also appeared on numerous television shows and networks including National Geographic, Discovery, and The History Channel.

Together, they co-authored the book, Our Polyvagal World, which is out now.

From this conversation you’ll learn:

A simple explanation of the Polyvagal Theory
What the vagus nerve is and how it affects you psychologically and physiologically
How to stimulate the vagus nerve
How digestion and our relationships are intertwined
How trauma can relate to gut issues
Why the distinction between the question: ‘how safe do you feel’ vs. ‘how safe are you’ is important
How to move through trauma
How all of this relates to your ability to be creative
And Much More!

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