Polyvagal Safety

Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation

By: Stephen W. Porges

Narrated by: Derek Shoales

The foundational role of safety in our lives.

Ever since publication of The Polyvagal Theory in 2011, demand for information about this innovative perspective has been constant. Here Stephen W. Porges brings together his most important writings since the publication of that seminal work. At its heart, polyvagal theory is about safety. It provides an understanding that feeling safe is dependent on autonomic states, and that our cognitive evaluations of risk in the environment, including identifying potentially dangerous relationships, play a secondary role to our visceral reactions to people and places.

Our reaction to the continuing global pandemic supports one of the central concepts of polyvagal theory: that a desire to connect safely with others is our biological imperative. Indeed, life may be seen as an inherent quest for safety. These ideas, and more, are outlined in chapters on therapeutic presence, group psychotherapy, yoga and music therapy, autism, trauma, date rape, medical trauma, and COVID-19.

©2021 Stephen W. Porges (P)2021 Tantor

Can’t understand the narrator’s speech!

I’m so excited about this book, but the narration is unintelligible. Speed reading coupled with running words together and poor diction makes it impossible to comprehend. What a disappointment that Dr. Porges’ work is ruined by this performance.

The narrator is hard to listen to…

The information doesn’t flow well from this speaker, with emphasis on the wrong words, fast speaking and inconsistent articulation. It took too much mental energy to correct it all in my mind, had to return. They really need to have a reader who is familiar with the concepts.