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Thank you to everyone who joined us for The 2025 PVI International Gathering, The Vagus Nerve: A Path to Wellness. We hope this event was both enriching and restorative, and that you enjoyed cutting-edge discussions with top experts, explored practical applications, and integrated new insights.
If you were registered to attend this conference, either in-person or virtually, you will have access to the Event Recordings for 365 days in your PVI Learning Platform.
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Stay tuned for details about The 2026 PVI International Gathering, September 21-23, 2026 in Sitges, Spain.
The Vagus Nerve: A Path to Wellness
Our Main Stage Presenters
Stephen Porges, PhD
Developer of Polyvagal Theory &
Co-Founder of Polyvagal Institute
Sentinel Trauma: A Single-Trial Imprint of Life-Threat Through a Polyvagal Lens
From a Polyvagal perspective, trauma reflects not just memory, but a disruption in autonomic
regulation—a physiological imprint of life threat. This talk introduces sentinel trauma, a form of
trauma arising from a single overwhelming event, neuroceptively encoded without requiring
conscious awareness. Medical trauma exemplifies this, as life threat may be detected even under
anesthesia. We explore how such imprints recalibrate the nervous system toward chronic defense
and inhibit co-regulation. Polyvagal-informed strategies—including co-regulation, bottom-up
interventions, and vagal-regulating technologies—offer pathways to restore safety, connection,
and autonomic flexibility.
Peter Staats, MD, MBA
President, Founder, and Chairman of the Vagus Nerve Society
The Bioelectric Revolution
The human body is a complex network of chemical and electrical signals. For the past 75 years, healthcare has largely focused on chemical and surgical interventions, often overlooking the critical role of bioelectricity in health and disease. The Bioelectric Revolution highlights a profound and current paradigm shift in modern medicine. Bioelectric medicine—particularly vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)—is emerging as a transformative tool for addressing the root causes of illness rather than merely managing symptoms. This talk explores how harnessing the body’s own electrical signals is reshaping healthcare, offering both invasive and non-invasive, non-pharmacological therapies that improve patient outcomes across a wide range of conditions.
Steven Cole, PhD
Researcher, Professor
Molecular Biofeedback: Parasympathetic Regulation of Gene Expression
This talk outlines the role of the autonomic nervous system and the vagus nerve in regulating human genome function, including the basic physiologic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms involved; their role in disease (particularly sympathetic regulation of inflammatory gene expression) and stress resilience (parasympathetic support for antiviral gene expression); their contributions to social epidemiology and health disparities; their evolutionary roots; and the emerging prospect of “molecular biofeedback” to help shape lifestyle and behavior to maximize human health and well-being.
Niki Elliott, PhD
Educator, Author, and PVI Board Member, Director of the ​Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity (CEEN) at University of San Diego
Supporting Neurodivergent Students from a Polyvagal Perspective
Dr. Elliott's presentation will explore how awareness of polyvagal theory and the vagus nerve impacts K-12 educators' ability to implement effective teaching strategies for neurodivergent students, as well as those impacted by trauma. She will introduce her Embodied Learning Framework, which offers a holistic way of supporting neurodivergent learner's vagal tone through five key areas of support in schools: physiological, relational, instructional, environmental, and transcendental. She will share examples of transformational research conducted with educators from elementary through middle school, and explore how learning improves for all students when educators teach with a polyvagal lens in mind.
C. Sue Carter, PhD
Researcher, Distinguished University Scientist
Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology, and former Director of The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University
The Polyvagal-Peptide Perspective and Stress:
A Hormetic Hypothesis
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Embedded in the regulation of vagal pathways are two ancient peptide hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin. The polyvagal-peptide system supports social attachments, survival and longevity. The endocrine and immune adaptations that lie at the heart of this integrated system facilitate resilience and the capacity to cope with stress. This presentation will discuss the role of the vagus, oxytocin and vasopressin in the biological process known as hormesis. Awareness of “stress-response hormesis” offers a unifying polyvagal perspective on many superficially divergent practices and may suggest ways to optimize the biological systems that support hormesis during therapeutic interventions.
Jan Winhall, MSW, FOT
Developer of the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model
Depathologizing Trauma and Addiction Treatment with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model
The Felt Sense Polyvagal Model (FSPM) helps clinicians to appreciate the vital role of embodied processes for healing and offers a powerful somatic therapeutic framework for individuals and couples healing from trauma and addiction. The model teaches two skills: recognizing and rewiring nervous system states, and tapping into body wisdom through the practice of felt sensing. Research shows that interoceptive practices such as felt sensing engage the vagus nerve, increasing clients’ capacity for health, growth and restoration. Applications of the FSPM will be discussed, including case examples of working with trauma and addiction, couples and families, and conducting somatic assessments with the Embodied Assessment and Treatment Tool.
Michael Allison
Polyvagal-Informed Performance Expert
Autonomic Agility™: Fostering safe, trusting, and adaptable individuals, families, and teams
This presentation, which includes a panel discussion, introduces 'Autonomic Agility™,' a concept that integrates ventral vagal tone (VVT) and vagal efficiency (VE) to optimize resilience, healing, trust, and performance. We will explore practical applications of Autonomic Agility™, including our ability to shift between empathy and compassion, engage in co-regulation and self-regulation, and skillfully navigate both connection-based and protection-driven autonomic states with awareness and intention. The discussion will highlight how autonomic agility is at the heart of aligned and adaptable relationships, families, and teams —whether between coach and player, therapist and client, parent and child, or organization and leader —enhancing overall well-being, performance and trust.
Arielle Schwartz, PhD
Clinical Psychologist and Somatic Expert
Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery: Applying the Principles of Polyvagal Theory for Self-Discovery, Embodied Healing, and Meaningful Change
Dr. Schwartz will focus on the intersection of applied polyvagal theory, affective neuroscience, and trauma-informed care within therapeutic yoga. Conscious breathing, mindful movements, and trauma-sensitive meditation practices all help to foster autonomic nervous system health. Yoga helps to enhance vagal regulation which forms a foundation for resilience as measured by physiological stabilization, emotional regulation, cognitive flexibility, and co-regulatory capacity. This lecture will help you gain a better understanding of how the brain and body responds to stress and trauma. Through gentle experiential practices, you will learn simple yogic breath and movement interventions to enhance vagal efficiency, vagal tone, and an overall sense of wellbeing.
Elisa Song, MD
Polyvagal-Informed Pediatrician
Helping Kids Thrive in Our Modern World: Could Vagus Nerve-Microbiome Resilience Be the Missing Link?
At the intersection between health and disease lies the Vagus Nerve and the Gut Microbiome. Gut dysbiosis and leaky gut can adversely affect heart rate variability, and low heart rate variability can adversely affect gut microbiota composition and function. The key to breaking this vicious cycle is understanding how to create Vagus Nerve and Microbiome Resilience - every day! In this session, practitioners will learn fun and practical ways to teach families how to use powerful yet simple diet and lifestyle modifications to create Microbiome Magic every day!
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BG Mancini, MHSc
Neurodevelopmental Specialist, Acupuncture Physician and Primary Care Provider
The Microbiome, Microtraumas & The Mind:
Cultivating Safety from Within
Explore how hidden stressors like food sensitivities, sensory processing challenges, and inflammatory responses shape our health and sense of safety. Microtrauma impacts accumulate over time to disrupt the body’s natural ability to self-regulate, leading to chronic stress, physical imbalance and nervous system state changes. We’ll reframe chronic illnesses, autoimmunity, and challenges with trauma resolution as symptoms of systemic dysregulation. This talk will empower individuals and clinicians with actionable insights to optimize therapeutic outcomes for themselves, and to support clients in cultivating safety from within through a new lens.
Donnalea Goelz, PhD
Researcher & Somatic Clinical Psychology Expert
Research-Supported Somatic Vagus Exercises That Make a Difference
This presentation shares the tools used in a somatic polyvagal-informed intervention/research project recently completed at the University of Florida, Jacksonville. Integrating the wholeness of body, mind, and spirit through breath, sound, movement exercises, as well as tuning into sensations can make a difference. The presentation is experiential and the skills learned can be helpful for you as an individual as well as for your family, friends, and clients.
Robert Schwarz, PsyD, DCEP, ACAP
Emotional Freedom Techniques and Polyvagal Theory in Treating Trauma
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Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) [also known as 'Tapping'] is a brief, focused approach to treating unresolved trauma and restoring self-regulation. This presentation suggests that the clinically rapid results, supported by over 200 outcome studies, may be due to the restoration of ventral vagal regulation of the flow of information and energy in the mind-body system. We’ll discuss how Polyvagal Theory helps explain phenomenological experience of clients during EFT, treatment improvements in heart rate variability, and how autonomic reactivity is an intervening variable between past trauma and current symptoms. The intersection of EFT and Polyvagal Theory raises many questions, including: What is the long-term stability of improvements in vagal tone and vagal efficiency in trauma treatment? Are those improvements generalized or conditioned to specific memories? What is the relationship of memory reconsolidation to these issues? How can these questions be experimentally tested? We’ll discuss.
Stephen Porges & Anthony Gorry
How Sonic Augmentation Technology is
Shaping the Future of Well-Being
Sound has the power to heal, inspire, and transform. But can it do more—can it guide us toward Sonostasis, an emerging concept in which sound fosters nervous system balance and physiological harmony. In this experiential presentation, Dr. Stephen Porges and Anthony Gorry will explore the groundbreaking potential of Sonic Augmentation Technology. Rooted in neuroscience and physiology, this innovative approach blends science and artistry to create immersive, evidence-based auditory experiences that regulate the nervous system and enhance well-being. A live demonstration will offer participants the opportunity to feel firsthand how specific rhythms and frequencies can promote calm and support healing.
*Please note: For copyright reasons, the live audio demonstration during this session will NOT be recorded.
Ticket Types: What's included?
Choose the ticket that is right for you!
Your In-Person Ticket Includes:
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In-person Access to Main Stage Presentations
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Online Access to all Main Stage Presentations
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Access to all In-person and Virtual Opportunities for Community Connection & Co-Regulation
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Access to our digital Event Community Space
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An invitation to our Welcome Social Hour on Friday, with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres
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Breakfast on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday plus coffee break beverages
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Option to add 9 CEs for live attendance
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Access to the full event presentation recordings for 365 days
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In-Person
Ticket
In-person seats and
on-site accommodations are limited; we recommend securing your tickets early!
Your Virtual Ticket
Includes:
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Online access to all Main Stage Presentations
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Access to all Virtual Opportunities for Community Connection & Co-Regulation
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Access to our digital Event Community Space
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Option to add 9 CEs for 100% live, real-time attendance
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Access to the full event presentation recordings for 365 days
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Virtual
Ticket
Continuing Education Credits (CEs/CEUs)
• CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
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• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes.
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This event will provide 9 optional CEs for LMFTs, LMHCs, LCSWs, LPCCs, psychologists, and nurses for an additional cost of $65.
You will have the opportunity to add CEs to your registration during the check-out process.
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In order to be eligible for CEs, you must attend all Main Stage Presentations on all days of this event, live and in real time.
If you are attending virtually, you must attend all sessions on all days with your name displayed the full duration of each presentation.
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For questions about receiving your Certificate of Attendance for this event, contact Polyvagal Institute at info@polyvagal.org​
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For questions about CEs, contact Spiritual Competency Academy at info@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com
For questions about whether or not APA CEs are valid for your license type, please contact your local licensing board directly.
Learning Objectives
1/ List two general types of genes that are regulated by the autonomic nervous system.
2/ Identify clinical indicators that suggest when to refer clients for gut, microbiome, or nervous system support, enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration.
3/ Summarize research on the microbiome’s influence on mental, emotional, and physical health, including its implications for conditions such as anxiety, depression, and chronic illness.
4/ Explain the nature of hormesis and why the vasopressin-oxytocin system may be critical to hormesis.
5/ Explain addiction through a polyvagal lens.
6/ Demonstrate how to enhance health through natural vagus nerve stimulation.
7/ Explain how the ability to fluidly shift between autonomic states—play, connection, fight/flight, conservation, and recovery— impacts autonomic agility and affects resilience, performance, a sense of purpose, trust, and well-being.
8/ Evaluate the role of bioelectric medicine and vagus nerve stimulation in modulating the autonomic nervous system and improving clinical outcomes across various medical conditions.
9/ Explain the critical role of vagal tone in prosocial behavior and optimal learning especially in the context of working with neurodivergent students.
10/ Identify the most common factors that disrupt children’s gut microbiomes.
11/ Explain how the vagus nerve impacts our autonomic nervous system states and relates to our overall wellbeing.
Event Community Space & Virtual Access
The PVI Learning Platform
Once you register to attend this event, you'll receive a confirmation and Welcome Email from noreply@notify.polyvagal.org encouraging you to head to our learning platform to find additional details specifically for ticket holders. You will find detailed schedules, travel information, access to Zoom links for the event live stream, presentation recordings, our Event Community Space, and more.
For additional tech support, please view our For Enrolled Learners page.
Event Community Space
Connect with fellow attendees in our dedicated Event Community Space. Network with other professionals, make dinner plans, discuss presentation topics, or arrange to share a taxi to the event location. This digital space is hosted on our learning platform, and is open to both in-person and virtual attendees once you are registered.
Virtual Access &
Event Recordings
All ticket types include access to the event live stream (via Zoom). Your registration also includes access to the event recordings of the Main Stage Presentations for 365 days. You'll also find virtual event access and the recordings (when ready) at the link below.