Thanks. I have purchased Dr. Porges' book on the Polyvagal theory, mostly because It will please my son, who has a desire to learn more about his autism and how this could be related to the nervous system and any effective treatments that may be available for him.
I've only begun reading and am feeling very hopeful. I will share this one statement from the forward that I found especially interesting: "The polyvagal theory legitimates the study of age-old collective and religious practices such as communal chanting, various breathing techniques, and other methods that cause shifts in autonomic state".
What I have found even more significant is what Porges stated in one of his interviews regarding the specific manner in which the mind communicates with the "viscera", which I feel is the equivalent of what the fathers have identified as the "heart", and it makes me recall their teachings regarding specific breathing techniques and focusing upon an area within ones own chest while practicing the Jesus prayer. The similarities are definitely uncanny.
