Polyvagal Theory

Polyvagal Theory (PVT) is a neuroscientific framework developed by Stephen Porges in 1994 that explains how the autonomic nervous system (ANS), particularly the vagus nerve, regulates physiological states, emotional responses, social behaviors, and adaptations to safety or threat. It integrates insights from evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and psychology to describe how humans and other mammals unconsciously evaluate environmental cues and shift between states of calm connection, mobilization, or shutdown.