Stephen Porges & Sue Carter Legacy Interview

Event Highlights

This Legacy Interview brought together two of the most influential figures in trauma and connection science, Dr Stephen Porges and Dr Sue Carter, for an in-depth conversation about the neurobiology of human relationships.

Stephen Porges, developer of Polyvagal Theory, and Sue Carter, pioneering oxytocin researcher, shared insights from over five decades of collaborative and personal partnership. Their work has transformed how we understand the autonomic nervous system, stress regulation, and the physiological basis of safety, trust and emotional connection.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Jane O’Rourke, they explored the therapeutic implications of their research, including how to work with trauma, promote co-regulation, and support recovery through biologically informed approaches.

Their special guests brought further richness and depth to the conversation:

• Deb Dana reflected on how Polyvagal Theory offers clinicians a new language for understanding trauma responses
• Dr Suma Jacob discussed emerging clinical trials on intranasal oxytocin and its potential role in neurodevelopmental support
• Professor Sarah Blaffer Hrdy shared anthropological perspectives on caregiving and how Sue’s research has helped ground these ideas in biology

Key Themes Explored

• How oxytocin and the vagal system interact to foster calm states and social engagement
• Why heart rate variability can be both a marker of resilience and vulnerability (the “vagal paradox”)
• The role of rhythm, synchrony and play in therapeutic settings
• How early caregiving and attachment shape lifelong physiological regulation
• The neurobiological mechanisms underlying therapeutic presence and safety
• Practical applications of Polyvagal Theory and oxytocin research in trauma therapy
• Reflections on psychedelic interventions and their interaction with stress biology

Clinical Insights

This recording is an invaluable resource for practitioners wanting to deepen their understanding of how body-based processes underpin emotional regulation, therapeutic connection and recovery from trauma. You’ll gain insight into:

• The science of co-regulation and why safety is a biological prerequisite for healing
• How to read nervous system cues in clinical work
• The role of oxytocin in bonding and resilience and how it might be recruited in therapy
• Ways to translate complex neuroscience into accessible therapeutic practice

Dr Stephen Porges

Developer of Polyvagal Theory. Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University

Stephen Porges, developed the groundbreaking Polyvagal Theory, which has fundamentally changed how we think about the autonomic nervous system’s role in emotional regulation, social connection and trauma. He is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University and founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium.

Dr Sue Carter

Pioneering researcher of Oxytocin. Distinguished University Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University

Sue Carter is an internationally recognised expert in behavioural neuroendocrinology and was the first scientist to identify the physiological mechanisms of social monogamy through her pioneering research on oxytocin. Her work has reshaped our understanding of this hormone beyond its reproductive functions to include its crucial role in social bonding, stress regulation, and emotional wellbeing across the lifespan. She is Distinguished University Scientist and Rudy Professor Emerita of Biology at Indiana University.

Together, their research reveals how our biological systems underpin our capacity for connection, resilience, and wellbeing. Their personal partnership mirrors their professional one—both have dedicated their careers to understanding how our physiology shapes our psychological ability to connect with others and navigate stress.

During this special event, they shared how their personal and professional journeys have intersected, from Sue’s experiences with motherhood that sparked her scientific interest in oxytocin to Stephen’s development of Polyvagal Theory through clinical observations and neurophysiological research. They discussed how their complementary perspectives have enriched both their research and therapeutic applications.

Special Guests

Dr Deb Dana

Leading clinician translating Polyvagal Theory into therapeutic practice

Dr Deb Dana is a leading clinician and author whose work has brought Polyvagal Theory into the heart of therapeutic practice. Deb has worked closely with Stephen Porges over many years to develop accessible and practical applications of polyvagal theory in clinical settings. She will bring a vital clinical lens to this conversation, especially around the role of safety, co-regulation, and therapeutic presence.

Suma Jacob

Leading psychiatrist and researcher on social systems, oxytocin and neurodevelopmental disorders

Dr Suma Jacob is Professor and Division Director of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Della Martin Chair of Psychiatry at UCLA. She is a leading figure in translational neuroscience and psychiatry whose research focuses on neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and ADHD. Her clinical trials on intranasal oxytocin to support social engagement in young people directly build on Sue Carter’s foundational work on the biology of social bonding. She brings vital clinical insight into how oxytocin and autonomic regulation interact in real-world therapeutic contexts, especially in child and adolescent populations.

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy

Evolutionary anthropologist uncovering the origins of human caregiving

Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Professor Emerita of the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Davis, and an Associate at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. Sarah’s research has transformed our understanding of human evolution by showing that our species’ unique traits – large brains, complex social abilities and our capacity for cooperation – could only evolve in societies where raising children was a collective effort, with both parents and additional caregivers (‘alloparents’) sharing the responsibilities of nurturing, protecting, and feeding the young.

Access to this recording qualifies for 2 CPD/CEU hours.

Interview Host

Stephen & Sue were in conversation with Jane O’Rourke.

Jane O'Rourke, founder of MINDinMIND and a former award-winning BBC journalist now practising as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, draws upon her combined expertise to create rich and thoughtful conversations with leading mental health clinicians. Her interviews weave together the personal and professional threads of her guests' journeys, capturing the experiences that have shaped their clinical work and thinking.

Details correct at time of recording – 18 June 2025

Bibliography & Resources

Publications:

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