Polyvagal theory, oxytocin, and the couple relationship

Theme: The neurobiology of love and safety

With Stephen Porges and Sue Carter

In this webinar, science meets therapy, Professors Stephen Porges and Sue Carter will present the core principles of Polyvagal Theory and the Oxytocin Hypothesis, focusing on their relevance to intimate couple relationships. Drawing from decades of groundbreaking research, they will illuminate how neurobiological systems that govern safety, bonding, and threat shape emotional availability, connection, and conflict between partners.

The sessions will explore how these autonomic and hormonal systems, particularly the role of oxytocin and the vagus nerve, influence behaviours such as emotional withdrawal, shutdown, compulsive protest, and repair. Rather than viewing such responses as purely psychological, Porges and Carter offer a model that understands them as adaptive physiological reactions rooted in our evolutionary biology.

Clinicians will be introduced to a neurobiological framework that clarifies how subtle relational cues like tone of voice, facial expression, and presence can regulate nervous system states and foster felt safety. This model offers practical insights into how therapists can support couples and individuals in distress by attending to co-regulation, emotional safety, and the embodied nature of intimacy.

The dialogue between Porges and Carter will also explore how disruptions in these systems due to trauma, betrayal, or chronic stress can impair the capacity for connection and intimacy. The webinar concludes with an invitation to view love and relational repair not only as psychological processes, but as biological imperatives grounded in a regulated nervous system.

Cost: £80 (£68 Trainee/NHS)

For full details, CPD credits information and booking, see 
https://trtogether.com/events/polyvagal-theory-oxytocin-and-the-couple-relationship

Find out more about Tavistock Relationships at https://tavistockrelationships.org/