Stephen Porges

Behavioral neuroscientist and psychologist who originated Polyvagal Theory. He is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute, founding director of its Traumatic Stress Research Consortium, and a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina.

Physiological State Determines Which Capacities People Can Access

Neuroscientist Stephen Porges argues that anxiety, withdrawal, and loss of capacity are often consequences of a nervous system organized around defense rather than failures of will or mindset. His polyvagal theory holds that physiological state shapes what people can perceive, feel, and do—from social connection and creativity to fight, flight, or shutdown—and that safety depends on positive signals of connection, not simply the absence of threat. Porges says the practical aim is flexibility: the ability to meet demands, recover, and re-enter relationship without remaining on alert.

Chris WilliamsonJul 25, 202617 min read