Why and how some individuals are more resilient and others more vulnerable, is a question that has perplexed me and other scientists who study trauma and the clinicians who work with the survivors. Coincident with my acknowledgment that there were variations in responses to stressful and traumatic events, Polyvagal Theory emerged. The theory was a product of a consolidation of the information I had gained from decades of questioning about how bodily state influenced our interactions with others and at times distorted our perspective.
Polyvagal Theory provided a conceptualization of how physiological state and the regulation of physiology were intertwined in both resilience and vulnerability. The theory helped fill a gap in our understanding of human behavior and provided an understanding of the mechanisms that determine vulnerability to traumatic events.
We are all vulnerable to craving. Whether it’s a compulsion to constantly check social media, overeat, smoke, excessively drink, or any other behavior, we may find ourselves uncontrollably repeating. Why are bad habits so hard to overcome? Can we learn how our minds work, and even tap into this v...
Advaita Vedanta is the classic and paradigmatic school of nondual philosophy. Put simply, the essential teaching is 'The Absolute (Brahman) is the only reality, the world (jagat) is an appearance (of that nondual Absolute) and the sentient being (jiva) is none other than the nondual Absolute'. Th...
Riz Virk explores the intersection of religions, consciousness, quantum physics and computer science in this talk about one of the most consequential questions of our time: Do we live inside a computer simulation? Using examples from science fiction, Virk explores how today's virtual reality coul...
