ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the neuroscience of relationships, emphasising Stephen Porges’s concept of social engagement and his polyvagal theory that distinguishes three states of the nervous system (safety, danger, life threat) in social situations. Attachment, implicit memory, nonverbal communication, empathy, and how the brain distinguishes self and other are addressed. Aspects of the therapeutic relationship, including boundaries, intersubjectivity, transference and countertransference, and projective identification, are discussed. The right brain-body ensemble provides the foundation for the left hemisphere’s conscious efforts to relate, and therapy involves drawing attention to implicit patterns rooted therein that undermine relationships.
