Publicly Teaching the New Foundation Model for the First Time
If you have been reading this Substack for awhile, you are likely aware that this book, The Neurobiology of Connection, is part of a long-standing translation research project that I have been spearheading, related to the creation of the new field of Autonomics.
I have personally been working on this for nearly 30 years. The past five have been an intense and accelerating burst of synergy, aligning the work of a number of our mentors, and the breakthroughs from our own research into a new foundation model of autonomic physiology that integrates what we’ve learned from Stephen Porges, PhD (Developer of the Polyvagal Theory), Vincent Felitti MD (Co-Principal Investigator of the Adverse Childhood Experiences study), Nadine Burke Harris MD MPH FAAP (formerly First Surgeon General of California), Darcia Narvaez, PhD (Developer of the Evolved Nest), Mary Watkins, PhD (Professor Emerita of Psychology, author of Toward Psychologies of Liberation), Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Founder of the Akantu Institute), Ilarion Merculieff (Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways), Robin Wall Kimmerer (author of Braiding Sweetgrass), and many others.
The new model restructures foundation thinking in neurology, informed by breakthroughs in evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo), and constructing a novel picture of the interactions of the three primary autonomic systems with scaffolding neurochemistry in the organization of our living in vivo autonomic templates.
The living dynamic experience of autonomic state shapes our visceral experience, sense of self, emotional range, the way we think, the way we perceive the world around us, and how we behave. Due to this shaping force, and its foundational involvement in our survival responses, it is our most potent lever in transforming our embodied experience of wellbeing.
The next several decades are likely to unleash a level of chaos that far exceeds what we are capable of imagining. Fortifying ourselves with the deep maps of Autonomics provides us with actionable toolsets for taking responsibility for stewarding our wellbeing.
I will be publicly teaching the new foundation model for the first time on Friday August 23, from 8 am to 11 am PST (-8 hours GMT) on Zoom.
Please consider joining us.