Description
POLYVAGAL SAFETY
Book Summary
In Polyvagal Safety, Stephen W. Porges updates and expands his revolutionary theory on the autonomic nervous system, explaining how our fundamental need to feel safe conditions attachment, communication, and self-regulation. This book integrates decades of clinical research to offer a transdisciplinary neuroscience that illuminates the connection between mind, brain, and body. An essential work for understanding the biological foundations of emotional safety and social connection, it delves into the central role of the body in regulating our emotions and behaviors.
What is it about?
The work develops polyvagal theory from its evolutionary bases to its practical applications in understanding human behavior. Porges explains how the autonomic nervous system, through its three main branches, determines our responses of safety, danger, or life threat. The author shows how the vagus nerve, especially its myelinated branch, is key to social connection and physiological calm. Throughout the book, the implications of this theory for trauma, attachment, non-verbal communication, and the capacity for emotional self-regulation are explored, integrating the regulation of the brain and body into a unified model of mental health and relational well-being.
Main Topics
- Polyvagal theory of the autonomic nervous system and its evolution.
- Neurobiology of safety and social connection.
- Emotional regulation and physiological self-regulation.
- Relationship between the vagus nerve, attachment, and communication.
- Biological foundations of trauma and the threat response.
- Mind-brain-body integration in clinical practice.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, neuropsychologists, and mental health professionals working with trauma, attachment, and emotional regulation. It is also of great interest to students of psychology and neuroscience, as well as readers with a background who wish to deepen their scientific understanding of the nervous system and its impact on human conduct and relationships.
What this book offers
- A rigorous and complete update of polyvagal theory, integrating the latest advances in clinical neuroscience.
- A solid theoretical framework for understanding how physiological safety conditions social connection and mental health.
- Conceptual tools for applying polyvagal theory in therapeutic and clinical intervention contexts.
- A transdisciplinary vision that connects the biology of the nervous system with the psychology of attachment and emotional regulation.
Technical Specifications
- Author: PORGES, STEPHEN W.
- Publisher: EDITORIAL ELEFTHERIA S L
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, BIOPSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
- Collection: SELF-HELP
- Publication Date: September 2025
- Number of pages: 400
- Weight: 1166 g
Editorial Assessment
Polyvagal Safety represents a fundamental contribution for those seeking to deeply understand the connection between the nervous system and human experience. Stephen W. Porges offers a rigorous and updated work that integrates clinical research with a solid theoretical framework, making it highly useful for both professionals and advanced readers interested in the neuroscience of attachment and emotional regulation. Its transdisciplinary approach and ability to illuminate the biological mechanisms of safety and social connection make it an essential read in the field of physiological psychology and clinical neuropsychology.