A Polyvagal Library

Whether you’re using the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) in your practice or not, an understanding of Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory (PVT) offers a new lens to understand your clients and support their growth. Ultimately, the PVT is a key to understanding the human condition.

Here are some excellent resources to support your learning:

The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), Stephen W. Porges
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.

Clinical Applications of The Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies, Stephen W. Porges and Deb A. Dana
Innovative clinicians share their experiences integrating Polyvagal Theory into their treatment models. (Use the code ILSPVT2019 for a 20% discount and free shipping.)

The Pocket Guide to The Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, Stephen W. Porges
Bridging the gap between research, science, and the therapy room. (Use the code ILSPVT2019 for a 20% discount and free shipping.)

Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation, Deb A. Dana
The Polyvagal Theory presented in client-friendly language! (Use the code ILSPVT2019 for a 20% discount and free shipping.)

Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges, Mona Delahooke, PhD
Beyond Behaviors provides the basis for a paradigm shift in understanding and treating children with disruptive behaviors. Historically, educational and therapeutic models treat anti-social and asocial behavior as motivated and incentivized. In this accessible and beautifully written volume, Dr. Delahooke pulls the veil off this myth and replaces it with a neurobiologically-informed treatment model that provides insightful directives leading to effective outcomes. –Stephen W. Porges, PhD, Distinguished University Scientist, Indiana University, Professor of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, and author of The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe

Grounded: Discovering the Missing Piece in the Puzzle of Children’s Behavior, Claire Wilson
“Insightful and sensitive.  This important book provides a new understanding of a child’s disruptive behaviour.” – Stephen W. Porges, PhD

Polyvagal Exercises for Safety and Connection: 50 Client-Centered Practices by Deb Dana
A practical guide to working with the principles of polyvagal theory beyond the therapy session. Deb Dana is the foremost translator of polyvagal theory into clinical practice. Here, in her third book on this groundbreaking theory, she provides therapists with a grab bag of polyvagal-informed exercises for their clients, to use both within and between sessions.