Polyvagal theoryPorges

Polyvagal theory is a framework that explains how the autonomic nervous system responds to the perception of safety and danger. Developed by the neuroscientist Stephen Porges, this theory proposes that the nervous system consists not of a single gas-brake pair but of layered states. These states are ordered from being safe, to mobilizing, and from there to shutting down. Polyvagal theory has given a common language to somatic and trauma work. This framework allows bodily responses to be read not as a flaw but as the nervous system's search for safety.