CC13 Keynote 04 – A Neural Love Code: The Body’s Need to Engage and Bond – Stephen Porges, PhD

Description:

The Love Code provides a metaphor to explore the neural mechanisms underlying how and why we attach, bond, fall in love and seek out safe and trusted others in an unsafe world. This presentation will explore the body’s need for intimate engagement and social bonding from an adaptive perspective. Within the theoretical context of the Polyvagal Theory, the presentation will illustrate how specific features in our social environment may trigger neurophysiological systems, through a process of “neuroception,”  that enables us either to be fearful and disengage or to feel safe and enter enduring intimate relations.

Educational Objectives:

1. Demonstrate a foundational understanding of the Polyvagal Theory.
2. Explain how deficits in the regulation of the Social Engagement System are core features of several psychiatric disorders.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*