The polyvagal theory : neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation

Description

A collection of groundbreaking research by a leading figure in neuroscience. This book compiles, for the first time, Stephen W. Porges’s decades of research. A leading expert in developmental psychophysiology and developmental behavioral neuroscience, Porges is the mind behind the groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory, which has startling implications for the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, and autism. Adopted by clinicians around the world, the Polyvagal Theory has provided exciting new insights into the way our autonomic nervous system unconsciously mediates social engagement, trust, and intimacy Content: Introduction: why is there a polyvagal theory? -- Theoretical principles -- Neuroception : a subconscious system for detecting threat and safety -- Orienting in a defensive world : mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. a polyvagal theory -- The polyvagal theory : new insights into adaptive reactions of the autonomic nervous system -- Biobehavioral regulation during early development -- Vagal tone : a physiological marker of stress vulnerability -- The infant's sixth sense : awareness and regulation of bodily processes -- Physiological regulation in high-risk infants : a model for assessment and potential intervention -- Infant regulation of the vagal "brake" predicts child behavior problems : a psychobiological model of social behavior -- The early development of the autonomic nervous system provides a neural platform for social behavior -- Social communication and relationships -- Vagal tone and the physiological regulation of emotion -- Emotion : an evolutionary by-product of the neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system -- Love : an emergent property of the mammalian autonomic nervous system -- Social engagement and attachment : a phylogenetic perspective -- The polyvagal hypothesis : common mechanisms mediating autonomic regulation, vocalizations, and listening -- Therapeutic and clinical perspectives -- The vagus : a mediator of behavioral and visceral features associated with autism -- Borderline personality disorder and emotion regulation -- Abuse history is related to autonomic regulation -- Music therapy, trauma, and the polyvagal theory -- Social behavior and health -- Reciprocal influences between body and brain in the perception and expression of affect -- Neurobiology and evolution: mechanisms, mediators, and adaptive consequences of caregiving.