Archives

Understanding Why You Are Who You Are with Dr. Stephen Porges and Luke Iorio

Who are you and what makes you whole? Do you have triggers such as sounds or scents that remind you of a familiar feeling? Why do you look at the world the way you do? So many of your questions can be answered by scientist and Professor of Psychiatry, Dr. Stephen Porges, whose current work is unlocking the ways we can see another side of ourselves–our truest form.

Stephen is a distinguished University scientist at Indiana University where he’s the Founding Director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He’s a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago as well as the University of Maryland. Stephen has served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences. He’s a former recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award.

Stephen has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and in 1994 he first proposed and pioneered the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of the physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders.

Listen in and learn more about who you are–more now than ever!

Kay Takeaways:

Butterfly effect. Did you know we go through three evolutionary stages directly linked to those of vertebrates? To be clear, mammals are vertebrate and humans are mammals. The correlation between the two is eye-opening on how it affects your physiological state, let alone your health. Your THREE transformative stages are . . . [13:41].

Tranquility zone. Did you know that you have triggers that give you a sense of security? The sounds of certain music or someone’s voice are a couple of them. All your senses slowly drop, as do your defenses. There are simple ways to develop this sense of safety in ourselves and in others, start HERE . . . [25:34].

Connection boost. Did you know there’s no such thing as winning an argument? Once a person becomes physical–such as crossing their arms or retracting in some way–the conversation is over and therefore, the discussion is over. Winning isn’t an option. To strengthen any relationship–work, home, social–give these TWO evaluation methods a try . . . [39:44].

Tune in and turn the volume up for a dose of inspiration and life lessons. You’re never more than One Idea Away from a whole, new reality.

——————————–

Luke Iorio is President of The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and has graduated thousands of coaches, leaders, athletes, and professionals across 44 countries, all of whom share his vision and desire for expanding our human potential and creating lasting, conscious change. He has been quoted in The Huffington Post, Fox Business, and Next Avenue, and is currently taking to the airwaves on the One Idea Away Podcast to entertain life’s pivotal questions with the help of celebrated thought leaders, mentors, and everyday unsung heroes.

Making the World Safe for our Children: Down-regulating Defence and Up-regulating Social Engagement to ‘Optimise’ the Human Experience

The Polyvagal Theory helps us understand how cues of risk and safety, which are continuously monitored by our nervous system, influence our physiological and behavioral states. The theory emphasizes that humans are on a quest to calm neural defense systems by detecting features of safety. This quest is initiated at birth when the infant needs for being soothed are dependent on the caregiver. The quest continues throughout the lifespan with needs for trusting friendships and loving partnerships to effectively co-regulate each other. The Polyvagal Theory proposes that through the process of evolution, social connectedness evolved as the primary biological imperative for mammals in their quest for survival. Functionally, social connectedness enabled proximity and co-regulation of physiological state between conspecifics starting with the mother-infant relationship and extending through the lifespan with other significant partners. The theory explains why feeling safe requires a unique set of cues to the nervous system that are not equivalent to physical safety or the removal of threat. The theory emphasizes the importance of safety cues emanating through reciprocal social interactions that dampen defense and how these cues can be distorted or optimized by environmental and bodily cues.

“Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: Stress and Health” by Dr. Robert Sapolsky

Science writer, biologist, neuroscientist, and stress expert Dr. Robert Sapolsky presents the inaugural Fenton-Rhodes Lecture on Proactve Wellness.

Sapolsky states that our bodies’ stress response evolved to help us get out of short-term physical emergencies – if a lion is chasing you, you run. But such reactions, he points out, compromise long-term physical health in favor of immediate self-preservation. Unfortunately, when confronted with purely psychological stressors, such as troubleshooting the fax machine, modern humans turn on the same stress response. “If you turn it on for too long,” notes Sapolsky, “you get sick.” Sapolsky regards this sobering news with characteristic good humor, finding hope in “our own capacity to prevent some of these problems… in the small steps with which we live our everyday lives.”

This lecture was recorded on September 22, 2016 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ Colwell Playhouse as part of the Pygmalion TechFest

Dr. Stephen Porges speaks about spirituality concepts from a Polyvagal perspective

This is an interview of Dr. Stephen Porges by Dr. David Berceli discussing the concepts of “spirituality” from a Polyvagal perspective.
It is divided into 18 subcategories in order to be inclusive of this topic from the perspectives of science, psychology and various systems of belief.
https://www.stephenporges.com/
https://traumaprevention.com/

Neuroception: A Subconscious System for Detecting Threats and Safety

The author describes recent findings on the neurobiological mechanisms involved in perceptions of risk and safety. The term “Neuroception” describes how neural circuits distinguish whether situations or people are safe, dangerous, or life threatening. Neuroception explains why a baby coos at a caregiver but cries at a stranger, or why a toddler enjoys a parent’s embrace but views a hug from a stranger as an assault. The author explains the Polyvagal Theory, which posits that mammals–especially primates–have evolved brain structures that regulate both social and defensive behaviors. The Polyvagal Theory describes three developmental stages of a mammal’s autonomic nervous system: immobilization, mobilization, and social communication or social engagement. A neuroception of safety is necessary before social engagement behaviors can occur. Infants, young children, and adults need appropriate social engagement strategies in order to form positive attachments and social bonds. Faulty neuroception might lie at the root of several psychiatric disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, depression, and Reactive Attachment Disorder.

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

In Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart present an integration of design and science that provides enduring benefits for society from safe materials, water and energy in circular economies and eliminates the concept of waste.

The book puts forward a design framework characterized by three principles derived from nature:

Everything is a resource for something else. In nature, the “waste” of one system becomes food for another. Everything can be designed to be disassembled and safely returned to the soil as biological nutrients, or re-utilized as high quality materials for new products as technical nutrients without contamination.

Use clean and renewable energy. Living things thrive on the energy of current solar income. Similarly, human constructs can utilize clean and renewable energy in many forms—such as solar, wind, geothermal, gravitational energy and other energy systems being developed today—thereby capitalizing on these abundant resources while supporting human and environmental health.

Celebrate diversity. Around the world, geology, hydrology, photosynthesis and nutrient cycling, adapted to locale, yield an astonishing diversity of natural and cultural life. Designs that respond to the challenges and opportunities offered by each place fit elegantly and effectively into their own niches.

Rather than seeking to minimize the harm we inflict, Cradle to Cradle reframes design as a positive, regenerative force—one that creates footprints to delight in, not lament. This paradigm shift reveals opportunities to improve quality, increase value and spur innovation. It inspires us to constantly seek improvement in our designs, and to share our discoveries with others.

The truth about mobile phone and wireless radiation

“The truth about mobile phone and wireless radiation: what we know, what we need to find out, and what you can do now”
Presented by Dr Devra Davis, Visiting Professor of Medicine at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, and Visiting Professor of Medicine at Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey.

The Lecture
What are the health effects of mobile phones and wireless radiation? While Australia has led the world in safety standards, including compulsory seat-belt legislation, plain packaging on cigarettes, and product and food disclosure legislation, it falls behind in addressing the significant issues associated with mobile phone use. In this Dean’s Lecture, epidemiologist and electromagnetic radiation expert, Dr Devra Davis, will outline the evolution of the mobile phone and smartphone, and provide a background to the current 19 year old radiation safety standards (SAR), policy developments and international legislation. New global studies on the health consequences of mobile/wireless radiation will be presented, including children’s exposure and risks.

The Speaker
Dr Devra Davis is an internationally recognised expert on electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and other wireless transmitting devices. She is currently the Visiting Professor of Medicine at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, and Visiting Professor of Medicine at Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey. Dr Davis was Founding Director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute —­ the first institute of its kind in the world, to examine the environmental factors that contribute to the majority of cases of cancer.

In 2007, Dr Devra Davis founded non­profit Environmental Health Trust to provide basic research and education about environmental health hazards. Dr Davis served as the President Clinton appointee to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board in the U.S.A. from 1994–­1999, an independent executive branch agency that investigates, prevents and mitigates chemical accidents.
As the former Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, she has counseled leading officials in the United States, United Nations, European Environment Agency, Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, and World Bank.

Dr Davis holds a B.S. in physiological psychology and an M.A. in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, 1967. She completed a PhD in science studies at the University of Chicago as a Danforth Foundation Graduate Fellow, 1972 and a M.P.H. in epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University as a Senior National Cancer Institute Post-­Doctoral Fellow, 1982. She has authored more than 200 publications and has been published in Lancet and Journal of the American Medical Association as well as the Scientific American and the New York Times.

Dr Devra Davis is an internationally recognised expert on electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones and other wireless transmitting devices.