Stephen W. Porges

Stephen W. Porges

Stephen W. Porges, PhD, is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. In 1994, he proposed the Polyvagal Theory. This theory links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior, and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory has reshaped how trauma therapy is understood worldwide.