2012 HCT Conference

Thank you for blah blah

Pre-Conference Workshop
"Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory" by Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D.


By Stephen W. Porges Ph.D
Come hear Stephen describe the foundation of the Polyvagal Theory and how it may demystify several features related to psychiatric disorders and behavioral problems.
 
How deficits in the regulation of the Social Engagement System are expressed as core features of several psychiatric disorders.
 
Porges will explain how maladaptive behaviors, which may accompany several psychiatric disorders, may reflect adaptive responses triggered by survival mechanisms.
 
He will also explain how the neural process, neuroception, evaluates risk in the environment and triggers adaptive neural circuits, which promote either social interactions of defensive behaviors.
 
Stephen will define the Social Engagement System which are the neural mechanisms connecting the brain, face and heart.
 
He will explain how features of the Social Engagement System are compromised by stress and trauma.

 

Keynote Address - Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D.
The Face-Heart Connection: Neural Mechanisms Mediating Social Behavior and Health


Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a currently Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Brain-Body Center in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago. He is former President of the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and the Society for Psychophysiological Research. He is a fellow of Division 6 and 7 of the American Psychological Association and a Charter Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. His research crosses disciplines and he has published in such diverse disciplines as anesthesiology critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology space medicine, and substance abuse. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory. The theory provides insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders including autism, depression, ADD, PTSD, and schizophrenia. His research is leading to the development of innovative interventions designed to stabilize behavioral and psychological states and to stimulate spontaneous social behavior.