Introduction
I recently came across a video in which Stephen Porges, the founding father of Polyvagal Theory, was interviewed by a staff member of an Italian neuropsychiatry platform.
I translated the transcript of the interview into a readable format (you can read the Dutch version here). I found it worthwhile, because Porges introduces some interesting new phrases that shed a clearer light on why Polyvagal Theory is so relevant today.
For instance, Porges downplays the strict distinction between mental and physical illness, pointing out that both can trigger survival responses: activations of the stress and safety/threat system that deserve attention in their own right—alongside the fact that a medical disorder may, of course, genuinely be present.
He also distinguishes different types of co-regulation, and even describes self-regulation as a form of co-regulation: namely, the co-regulation between body and brain. That’s a beautiful observation!
Finally, …
