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Edward R. Feil, Edward G. Feil, Naomi Feil, Ken Feil
Summary:
Begins with footage of Kenny riding a horse while wearing a Weehawkin Day Camp shirt. Then shows Eddie’s birthday party at the Feil home. He and his friends eat at the kitchen table. Finally, the film documents Ed and Naomi's trip to the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. Both ride bikes through the town center, Naomi reading in a public park, and a visit to Chautauqua Lake.
Home movie documenting the family visiting the newly constructed CN Tower in Toronto. Shows the surrounding railways and storefronts inside the tower. Back in Cleveland, the film captures a brief shot of Naomi and Kenny in the kitchen followed by Beth at a skating rink. Ends with a kinescope recording of a western TV show.
Three 1979 advertisements for IU South Bend. The first two advertisements feature fast and slow versions of a jingle proclaiming that IUSB offers "lifelong learning" and "evening classes." The third advertisement features a sound collage of quotes extolling the university's merits.
Mary Jo Weaver served as a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University from 1975 until her retirement in 2006. Audiovisual materials in Dr. Weaver’s papers consist primarily of recordings of radio appearances and conference presentations.
Rebroadcasting of a talk by Mary Jo Weaver on the subject of catholic and protestant fundamentalism. She discusses the impact of fundamentalist protestants on protestant organizations, and extends these impacts to fundamentalist Catholics.
Three 1997 advertisements for IU South Bend. The first shows an animated character with a red box for a torso attempting to cross a busy street. A vehicle runs over the logo, leaving tire marks on the logo's back that are consistent with IUSB's official logo (a red rectangle with four closely spaced diagonal black lines at the center). After recovering from the accident, the animated character walks jauntily to the promised land of IU South Bend. The second advertisement, titled "Chancellor Perrin" on the production slate, shows new Chancellor Kenneth Perrin pledging to improve the university and inviting viewer feedback via phone or email. The third advertisement, titled "Education Opens Doors" on the production slate, is an animated sequence showing a first-person view of an entity approaching a gradually opening door meant to represent the promise of an education at IU South Bend.
1JUP0ORP: Animation of the evolution of midplane and meridional densities in logarithmic scale for the 1JUP0ORP simulation. The axes have units of AU and the time is given in ORPs in the upper right of each panel. The series starts at t = 0.08 ORPs and proceeds to the end of the simulation at approximately 10 ORPs. The black diamond in each of the panels indicates the location of the planet.
1JUP10ORP: Animation of the evolution of midplane and meridional densities in logarithmic scale for the 1JUP10ORP simulation. The axes have units of AU and the time is given in ORPs in the upper right of each panel. The series starts at t = 10.54 ORPs and proceeds to the end of the simulation at approximately 21 ORPs. The black diamond in each of the panels indicates the location of the planet.
Donna Jo Copeland (Master), Jon Kay(Director), Ben Schreiner (Videographer), Paul Schreiner & Rick Watson (Music), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
Donna Jo Copeland has exhibited textiles for forty years at the Indiana State Fair, winning numerous awards and gaining recognition for the distinct style of her creations. At the knee of her great grandmother, she learned the skills of knitting, tatting, flat pattern work, and sewing. After purchasing a loom, she taught herself to spin and weave. Taking inspiration from the materials she produces on her farm, she creates between 20 and 25 entries every year for the fair. With her daughter and granddaughter, she is now part of three generations who continue the traditions of needlework at the State Fair.
Patti Light (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Ben Schreiner (Videographer), Pete Schreiner (Music),
Summary:
As a small girl, Patti Light saw a baton twirler in a local parade, which ignited her lifelong passion for the baton. Having twirled for most of her life, she continues to be active in this sport and art through teaching students and judging at the State Fair.
The Roney Family, Jon Kay (Director), Ben Schreiner (Videographer and Music), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
In 2008, the Tuttle Orchard celebrated their 80th anniversary. Like their grandfather Roy Tuttle and their parents Ray and Virginia Roney, Mike and Tom Roney consider participation at the State Fair an important part of the family’s tradition of excellence in growing apples.
Wayne and Helen Drake (Masters), Jon Kay (Director), Joe Martinez (Videographer), The Woodstove Flapjacks (Music) Thomas G. Richardson (Project Coordinator), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
Starting with only 30 sows, Wayne and Helen Drake built what would become a multi-generational family hog breeding business now involving thousands of pigs. Far from being an isolated practice, Wayne says he learned a lot from other hog farmers. “I learned a lot from the old people, that’s what I called them. You’d sit around the pens, and chew the fat with them, and you pick up a lot of ideas, and exchange ideas. It was really educational for me as a 4-H kid.”
Both Wayne and Helen Drake began showing at the State Fair in the 1940s and have continued nearly every year since. Their children, now running the family business, Drake Purebred Farms, have also been showing hogs their whole lives, and have amassed numerous awards and accolades themselves. For the Drakes, hog breeding and showing has turned into a family tradition with no signs of slowing down.
Mary Schwartz (Master), Jon Kay (Director), William Winchester Claytor (Videographer and Editor), Nathan Vollmar (Sound Recording), Kelly Totten (Production Coordinator), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
2013 marks Mary Schwartz’s 50th consecutive year of exhibiting at the Indiana State Fair. Active in 4-H as a girl, Mary started embroidering as a compromise with her mother: she could continue to show sheep if she participated in an activity her mother believed to be more feminine, such as embroidery. While Mary works in several different styles of needlepoint, her favorite medium is crewel embroidery, a technique that uses wool thread to create depths of color and shading. “I like the feel of the wool,” Mary said. “I was a sheep producer at one time – my family was – and so therefore I’m going to continue to support the sheep people.”
Earning numerous blue ribbons over the years, Mary’s skill and artistry in embroidery represents just one aspect of her contributions to the Indiana State Fair. She has worked for the past several years as coordinator of the Antiques division in the Home and Family Arts Building. She enthusiastically supports her department, treating her co-workers as family and welcoming and encouraging new participants and visitors each year. The distinction of being named a State Fair Master is a highlight, said Mary, as she joins the ranks of the many distinguished and talented people that have preceded her: “It is really an honor to be recognized for the state. You stop and think about how many exhibitors are on this campus at one time, to be singled out and saying, ‘we recognize you for your years of servitude to us’ – it’s a big thing.”
Mary Alice Collins (Master), Hannah Davis (Director), Dave Walter (Videographer), Lewis Rogers and Dave Walter (Editing and Sound Design), Kara Barnard (Music), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
Born March 7, 1939, Mary Alice Collins grew up in the kitchen. Learning how to cook and bake was just part of living on her family’s Hancock County farm. After finishing 10 years of 4-H and starting a career as a home economics teacher, she began participating at the Indiana State Fair in 1955.
Over the decades, she won thousands of ribbons for her pies, cakes, breads and cookies, and has been featured on "The View" and in a cookbook published by "Midwest Living." After retiring, she spent her time passing on winning tips and tricks to family and community members hoping to follow in her footsteps.
In 2015, the year following the production of this documentary, Mary Alice suffered suffering septic shock, and all of her fingers and both legs below the knee were amputated. Nevertheless after much therapy and determination, Mary continued to bake pies for the Indiana State Fair--and continued to take home ribbons. Mary Alice Collins passed away on September 9, 2019. Her story was featured in the introduction to the book "The Expressive Lives of Elders: Folklore, Art, and Aging" (Indiana University Press, 2018).
2015 Victorian Song-Camp Singers (all children’s voices used with parental permission):
Heather Metzger, age 8
Grace Stewart, age 9
Mary Jetmore, age 9
Kristen Urich, age 10
Eden Judd, age 10
Malory Bolser, age 10
Ben Schweitzer, age 10
Graham Milligan, age 11
Madeline Stults, age 12
Luke Schweitzer, age 12
Heidi Metzger, age 13
Grace Blakely, age 13
Natalie Milligan, age 13
Annetta Itnyre, age 13
Natalie Pegg, age 13
Alexa Turner, age 15
Solo: Annetta Itnyre, ages 8-11
Duets “Jesus bids of shine” & “Gentle Jesus, meek & mild”: Madelyn Brunton & Annetta Itnyre, age 8
Rest of Duets: Lydia Shively and Annetta Itnyre, ages 14 & 13
Unison & Parts: Children’s Hymn Choir, June 2015,
*Jessica Raposo, director; Caryle Bailey, pianist
Mauri Williamson (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Shaun Williams (Production and Editing), Geoff Guernsey and Olivia Smiley (Music), Andrew Wei (Recorder of Music), Jessy Yancey and Mark Evans (Additional Footage),Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
Thanks to Mauri Williamson, the Pioneer Village has become one of the most popular and beloved activities of the Indiana State Fair. The Village celebrates Indiana’s agricultural heritage through displaying antique tractors and farm implements, as well as by hosting old-time craft and farm-life demonstrations. The roots of the Village date to 1961 when Mauri, then the Purdue Agricultural Alumni Association secretary, brought a collection of farming artifacts from the university to create an educational display at the Indiana State Fair. In 1968, the Village began to grow when the Fair built a barn dedicated to housing its unique collection.
From fiddling and quilting to threshing and storytelling, today the Pioneer Village features dozens of musicians, artisans, and demonstrators who share their talents with fairgoers. More than just the founder of the Pioneer Village, for over 54 years Mauri Williamson has worked to make the Village a memorable experience for countless Hoosiers.
The Indiana State Fair Master Award was established to recognize long-time fair participants, who share their knowledge and talents at the Fair. Indiana University's Traditional Arts Indiana and Indiana State Fair are Honored to name Mauri Williamson the 2015 Indiana State Fair Master.
Bill Bailey (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Geoff Davis and Bill Bailey (Music), The Hayloft Gang (Archival Photographs), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
A fixture at the Indiana State Fair for many years, Bill Bailey coordinates the entertainment in the Pioneer Village, inviting musicians, storytellers, and other entertainers from around the state to perform on the village’s two rustic stages. His relationship with the fair began in 1991, when he played percussion with a band in the village—but Bill is no ordinary percussionist. A self-proclaimed “idiophonist,” he makes his rhythmic music with spoons, washboards, and a variety of other everyday items.
Bill played percussion throughout his school years, but sold his drums when he went to college, remaining “music-less” for a while. Then in 1976, a couple that played old-time music moved next door, and he was inspired to try his hand at the mandolin, guitar, and harmonica—yet percussion continued to call to him. He picked up playing the spoons, and eventually began tapping out his syncopated rhythms on a washboard and a variety of other resonate objects such as a wooden shoe, triangles, and horse shoes. Before long, Bill was playing multiple styles of music including old-time, blues, and jug band.
In 1991, Bill played with a couple of bands that were performing in the fair’s Pioneer Village. He was hooked. Each year he returned and played with a variety of musicians. In 2003, Gerry Gray, the original music coordinator for the village, chose Bill as her replacement. He continued to book the old-time and dulcimer music that had been featured at the fair since the 1970s, but he also expanded the program to include a greater variety of traditional music and other forms of entertainment. One successful program that he helped develop was a tribute to the WLS National Barn Dance, which featured the music and theatrical routines of the popular radio show in the early 20th Century. For six years, large audiences came to see this reenactment show.
Besides his work at the Indiana State Fair, Bill serves as a musical ambassador for the Columbus Washboard Company, the last manufacturer of hand-built washboards in North America. Bill paints and outfits their boards, transforming them into musical instruments. The company sells dozens of Bill’s musical boards, which they ship all over the world. Each year, Bill also travels to Ohio to perform at their Washboard Music Festival to promote this unique musical genre.
Today, in addition to his own musical pursuits, Bill continues to coordinate the entertainment at the Pioneer Village. From old-time country, bluegrass, gospel, and blues, to storytelling and fiddling contests, the stages at the village help create a nostalgic atmosphere where fairgoers can escape the pressures of contemporary life. And while he makes sure the Pioneer Village stage shows run smoothly, visitors can still find Bill Bailey tapping out his upbeat rhythms and entertaining audiences.
Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, Jessica Raposo, Caryle Bailey, Chris Robinson
Summary:
Songs for school and play.
Victorian Song-Camp Singers:
(in order of age)
Mikayla Petersheim age 8
Anabella Triana age 8
Caleigh Collins age 9
Noa Cox age 9
Suri Onder age 9
Reagan Phillips age 9
Josie Roller age 9
Olivia Roller age 9
Ada Smoker age 9
Avery VanDervort age 9
Ayla Bales age 10
Anna Claire Ream age 10
Grace Stewart* age 10
Eden Judd* age 12
Kaitlyn Stoner age 12
Ashley Madill age 13
*Members of the 2015 Hymn Camp
Co-Directors: Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, Jessica Raposo
Pianist: Caryl Bailey
Sound Engineer: Chris Robinson
Kathy Rucker (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
Though born in Indiana, Kathy Rucker traveled around the world, following her father during his naval duty in the submarine service. When she was sixteen her family returned to Indianapolis. Throughout those young years there was one constant—Kathy was always dancing. She recalls, “I was either dancing with the cabinet, dancing with the refrigerator handle, dancing in my room— dancing all over the house.” Years later she would study square dancing and round dancing but clogging “caught her eye” when she saw a group performing at a local festival. So, she began taking clogging classes on the southside of Indianapolis and soon discovered that she was “pretty good at it.” “Why would you want to start clogging when you are forty?” some asked her, but Kathy recognized that it was fun way to exercise, and to meet people. Eventually, several fellow students suggested to her that instead of driving all the way to the southside to take lessons, they could clog with Kathy at her eastside home. What began as a small group, soon outgrew her garage.
Before long, she started teaching classes for older adults. First one, then a second, but as quickly as she added a new session, it filled. Finally, she was up to teaching twenty-one classes each week. As she jokes, “It keeps the body in shape… it keeps the body tired.” To fuel her teaching, Kathy traveled around the country taking clogging and dance workshops and classes, in addition to learning how to dance better, these experiences also taught her how to be a better teacher. She explains, “You can be a great dancer and a lousy teacher, and you can be an average dancer and a great teacher. I was going for the great teacher, I didn’t care if I was a superb dancer, I just wanted to teach someone how to do what I love to do.”
In 1995, Kathy volunteered to manage a small dance stage at the Indiana State Fair. That first year, the crowds wanting to see clogging were so big that it blocked the roadway and the fair shuttles could not pass. To accommodate the popularity of the dance stage, the fair moved it several times to larger and better locations. Today, the dance stage is located in Celebration Park and has grown to as big as it can get at the fair. Throughout the run of the fair, the stage features a variety of dance groups, and serves as a great promotional tool for dancing groups around the region. Two of Kathy’s groups, The Circle City Cloggers and Still Kickin, are regular acts at the fair; performing several times each week. While the Circle City Cloggers consist of dancers from their teens on up, Still Kickin is for older adults, 55 and older.
The idea of an older adults group emerged when several of the members of the Circle City group felt the routines were getting too hard on them. Kathy too was getting older but recognized the elders desire to continue clogging. While some are alumni of the Circle City group, others are older women and men who didn’t start dancing until they were in their sixties or seventies.
Kathy also teaches line dancing in the Indianapolis area. One of her groups, the Heritage Place Ladies of the Dance is a group of older African American women who love to dance. They dance to classic Motown as well as more contemporary popular music. Kathy started the class nearly twenty-five years ago, and several of the original dancers are still with the group. Odessa Higginson, the “elder of the club” is 92-year-old, explains “I love dancing, and I intend to keep dancing as long as I can keep moving.”
For several years, Kathy taught twenty-one dance classes each week, but as she got older she slowly pared them down to the ten groups that she teaches today. At 73, she explains that dancing is more than a hobby or a job for her. It literally saved her life. She explains, “I’ve had cancer twice, and the doctors told me that if I hadn’t been so physically fit I wouldn’t have made it. I credit dancing with saving my life…I will probably continue to clog until I can’t lift my foot anymore!” Kathy and the Indiana State Fair have fostered a wonderful network of dancing clubs throughout the greater Indianapolis area. Kathy teaches the class and organizes the groups, and the fair helps promote the benefits of dance through its dance stage. Nevertheless, Kathy Rucky has made an incredible contribution to the cultural vitality and the health and wellness of all the communities in which she works.
Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, Jessica Raposo, Chris Robinson, Madeleine Demetriades
Summary:
Bands of Mercy songs: songs for animal-welfare children’s organizations of the late 19th century in America and England.
2019 Victorian Song-Camp Singers (all children’s voices used with parental permission):
Caleigh Koechlein
Grace Stewart**
Melody Stewart
Mikayla Petersheim*
Caleigh Collins*
Molly Fuller
Matilda Fuller
Cecelia Hargrove
Topanga Stingley
Lea Ramsey
Hailey Day
Taytem Rivera
Harleigh Raduenz
Karaline Byers #
Alice Couch
Lucy Couch
*member of 2015 and/or 2017 Victorian camps!
Co-Directors: Alisa Clapp-Itnyre, Jessica Raposo
Pianist: Madeleine Demetriades
Sound Engineer: Chris Robinson
Costumer: Sharon Walker
Location: Central United Methodist Church, Richmond, IN
Ellsworth Christmas (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Traditional Arts Indiana
Summary:
For nearly 45 years, Ellsworth Christmas has volunteered at the Indiana State Fair’s Pioneer Village to teach fairgoers about Indiana’s traditional crafts and agricultural practices. He grew up on a farm in rural Warrick County, Indiana at a time when farming with a mule and plough was slowly giving way to tractors.
In 1975, Maurie Williamson* at the Purdue Ag Alumni Association invited the young extension specialist to demonstrate chair caning at the Pioneer Village. In subsequent years, Ellsworth constructed a smoke house and built the pin-framed barn that serves as the backdrop for the Pioneer Village stage. He worked with other From splitting shingles and smoking hams to building wooden wheels and making an ox yoke at the fair, Ellsworth Christmas has worked to preserve Indiana’s farming heritage through his contributions and demonstrations at the Pioneer Village.
volunteer artisans to build the “Johnson Cabin,” a replica of the 1822 cabin that once stood on the fairgrounds. While he continues to demonstrate during the fair each year, Ellsworth works with a team of volunteers to restore the village’s collection of antique farming equipment and wagons.
Rodnie Bryant (Master), Jon Kay (Director), Channel 40-WHMB Family Broadcasting Corporation (Gospel Day Video),Traditional Arts Indiana, Indiana State Fair
Summary:
Rodnie Bryant was raised in a “very religious” and musical home. In his youth, he learned music theory alongside his older sister at the Wurlitzer Music Company and later took private lessons. His musical repertoire draws from the classical and jazz music he studied and the gospel music he sang every Sunday.
Mentored by “musical giants” in Indianapolis, such as Robert Turner, Al “The Bishop” Hobbs, and Delores “Sugar” Poindexter, Rodnie soon gained national recognition as a gospel musician and recording artist. His accomplishments include a Grammy Award nomination in 1998, and winning Gospel Music Workshop of America Excellence Awards for both “Choir of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” His music became a staple among church choirs in many congregations both locally and beyond.
Raised in Indianapolis within walking distance of the fairgrounds, Rodnie has always enjoyed attending the big event with his family and friends. In 1995, the Indiana State Fair asked him to coordinate “Gospel Music Day,” which features both local and national gospel music talents. Since the first program, which had 400 attendees, Gospel Music Day has grown to host an audience of nearly 4000 every year. Rodnie takes pride in producing an event that is “wholesome, good and able to service an entire family.”
The Bateman Case Study Competition is a public relations competition for students nationwide to gain experience in public relations. IU has its own class devoted to this competition in which 4 students and a faculty advisor work together to implement a campaign for the chosen client. This year's client: The 2020 US Census. In this week's episode you'll hear from faculty advisor Dave Groobert and students Adara Donald and Abigail Bainbridge about what it's like to work on this case study and what exactly the US Census is.
DISCLAIMER : THIS EVENT OCCURRED BEFORE THE COVID-19 LOCKDOWN, MASK MADATES, SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND OTHER RESTRICTIONS!
IUPUI Center for TRIP Campus Keynote Address featuring Dr. Sacoby Wilson from the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health.
Campus Keynote Address
"The Role of Community-Engaged Research and Practice in Addressing Environmental (In) Justice in the 21st Century"
Friday, February 21, 2020
12 noon - 1:00 pm (EST)
IUPUI University Library Lilly Auditorium
The Faculty Scholarship Celebration features IU East faculty who have been engaged in research, teaching and learning scholarship, or creative activity over the past year. Many are presenting because they received sabbaticals, Summer Faculty Fellowships, a Faculty Research Support Fund grant or other forms of support. However, participation in the Celebration is open to all faculty, and many of the presenters recently completed a project or are currently working on a project that they wish to present. The main purpose of the Celebration is to highlight the great research, scholarship, and creative activity that faculty are engaged in and to bring us all together as a Community of Scholars.
IUPUI Center for TRIP Campus Keynote Address featuring Dean Bernadette Melnyk from Ohio State University
Campus Keynote Address
Narrowing the research practice time gap to improve population health and well-being outcomes: Evidence-based translation strategies that work!
Thursday, February 25, 2021
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
IUPUI Center for TRIP Community Keynote Address featuring Dean Bernadette Melnyk from Ohio State University
Speeding the translation of research into real-world community settings to improve health outcomes: A call to action
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The Faculty Scholarship Celebration features IU East faculty who have been engaged in research, teaching and learning scholarship, or creative activity over the past year. Many are presenting because they received sabbaticals, Summer Faculty Fellowships, a Faculty Research Support Fund grant or other forms of support. However, participation in the Celebration is open to all faculty, and many of the presenters recently completed a project or are currently working on a project that they wish to present. The main purpose of the Celebration is to highlight the great research, scholarship, and creative activity that faculty are engaged in and to bring us all together as a Community of Scholars.
Highlight reel of activities surrounding the 1977 Little 500 bicycle race. Activities include Big Red Exposure, I.U. Sing, Style Show, Variety Show (featuring Bob Hope), Regatta, Tennis Tournament, Golf Tournament, Cream and Crimson game (football), Mini 500 (women's tricycle race) qualifiers and race, and Little 500 qualifiers and race.
Highlights the potential lab hazards and effective safety precautions based on information from OSHA. Discusses handling flammable liquids, proper waste disposal, electrical safety and training of emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers, eye wash stations and safety showers.
Black and white home movie of Eddie as he is learning to walk. Shows him crawling and slowly scooting up and down the stairs. He then joins his parents on the floor and plays with his toys.
The Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics & American Institutions was an endowed ethics research center established in 1972 at Indiana University Bloomington. Through its programming, the Poynter Center addressed bioethics, religion, political ethics, research ethics, professional and educational ethics, technology, and many other areas. Initiatives over the years included courses such as "The Citizen and the News," supported by the Ford Foundation, which began in the fall of 1975 and studied the institutions that produce news and information about public affairs in America.
Discussion by David Broder and a panel of others on the factors affecting the 1980 election, as well as prospects for the new administration.
At the 33rd Annual Business Conference John Mee interviews the following alumni of the IU School of Business about their time at Indiana University and their careers after graduation.
Nickolas J. Sarpa ; Moseley, Hallgarten, Estabook, Wedden, Inc.
William D. Wells ; President, IU Alumni Association
Have you ever wondered what exactly is happening in your body when you get triggered? Why do we go into rage, or feel like leaving, or completely shut down? Have you ever experienced conflict and thought something like “If only my body could just CALM DOWN then I might be able to actually resolve this?” - Or have you experienced that moment of getting nowhere in a conversation with your partner because they are triggered?
There’s a reason that we keep coming back to this issue of safety and being triggered - that’s because both your ability to feel safe in the container of your relationship, and your ability to restore safety when, inevitably, you aren’t feeling it is at the heart of your being able to do relationship well - especially once the “honeymoon” stage of your relationship is over. Creating safety with your partner is at the heart of the work of people like John Gottman, Sue Johnson, Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, and Stan Tatkin - and creating safety within yourself is at the heart of the work of Peter Levine, Dick Schwartz, and Margaret Paul. In other words, we’re diving deep because this understanding is KEY to helping you in almost every aspect of your relationship with others and your relationship with yourself.
Today’s guest is Dr. Steve Porges, creator of The Polyvagal Theory, and a distinguished university scientist at the Kinsey Institute and a Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. For more than 40 years Steve has been working on this theory of how our vagus nerve works and his work has completely transformed our understanding of how we respond to obstacles, adversity, stress, and trauma. How the very same nerve pathways that support our health can also be recruited for defense, and create health problems. If you’ve heard of “fight/flight and FREEZE” - that’s all based on his work - and you have some idea of what I’m talking about. In today’s episode, we’re going to not only get a better understanding of how and why the body does what it does, but also get even more clear on how to come back into balance so that you can be in a state of healthy responsiveness, playfulness, and curiosity - not triggered and just trying to deal.
Developing a neurophysiological understanding of our defense systems. A basic understanding of our autonomic nervous system provides insight into why we react the way we do in conflict and crisis, while also laying the framework for what we can do to help bring ourselves back into a physiological state in which we are available for connection, love, and intimacy. To begin, it is helpful to know that as humans we have developed (through our evolutionary history) two different major autonomic defense circuits:
Sympathetic nervous system: The mobilization defense system is dependent on the activation of our sympathetic nervous system which is responsible the fight or flight response we know so well.
The immobilization response- Our most ancient (meaning we share it with virtually every other vertebrate that has evolved) defense system is that of immobilization and shut down in the face of fear. This physiological state is regulated by the vagus and includes reduced oxygen demands, reduced metabolic demands, and can include dissociation, passing out, and defecation. Immobilizing in the face of fear is an adaptive behavior that allows us to disappear. Those who have experienced, or work with others who have experienced trauma, know this state well.
There is no conscious input in how these systems activate- the concept of consciousness in this context can be very damaging because it suggests a degree of volition that can lead people who experience major trauma like rape, threat, or force, to feel ashamed of how their bodies reacted. Unfortunately our culture sometimes asks questions like “why didn’t you fight?”, or, “why didn’t you leave?” These questions do not respect the implicit and reflexive activity of the body to defend itself by freezing - based on these inherited circuits.
Neuroception- Neuroception the term that Steve Porges created to describe how our body can sense something and react to it without it necessarily entering our conscious awareness. Our nervous system makes decisions and changes our biobehavior without any level of conscious awareness- despite the fact that we are profoundly aware of the impact on our physiology we are rarely aware of the triggers causing these state shifts. If our body detects risk or danger features in the environment we might have a sympathetic excitation (sweat, jumping out of our skin, etc)- we might not be aware of the cues, but our body is informing us!
What is the vagus nerve? The vagus nerve (a major component of our parasympathetic nervous system) is a large nerve in our body that originates in our brain stem and goes to nearly every organ in our body. If you are interested in the mind-body connection, then you are interested in the vagus nerve. Amazingly, 80% of the fibers of the vagus are used to bring information from the organs to the brainstem, the other 20% is for information being sent from brain to the body. This means that our organs really carry the majority of our bodily information. The vagus has two branches- an older branch that can be recruited for defense as it goes to the organs below the diaphragm and elicits immobilization behaviors, and another newer more evolved branch that, when functioning, keeps “fight/flight/freeze” in check, and supports our health, growth, and restoration! It is the part of our autonomic nervous system that is responsible for allowing us to connect, self-soothe, be playful, and be in relationship. This newer vagal circuit is linked to the features of the face (ears, eyes, mouth), enabling us to express our bodily state in our facial expression, in our voice, and to detect the intonation of other people's voices to screen for safety. This newer system has myelinated nerves which respond to voice intonation, smiling faces, playfulness, social referencing, and reciprocity.
Hierarchy of defense systems: We use our three phylogenetically evolved systems of regulation in a hierarchical pattern. In an effort to create safety, we first use our most newly developed system (the myelinated vagus) to connect, when this fails we go into sympathetic mobilization (fight or flight), and if this fails we head into our most ancient defense system of parasympathetic immobilization. Our entire autonomic nervous system (ANS) is built to support health, growth, and restoration. The key way that we ensure that we are using our ANS in this way is through the vagal brake. Our newer myelinated vagus has the potential to inhibit the defensive structures of the other autonomic nervous system (ANS) pathways. This means that when we know how to recruit our vagus we can prevent ourselves from being hijacked by the more reactive and destructive patterns of either full mobilization or immobilization.
Survival through cooperation: While being a mammal is a pretty great deal, there are a few things that we do not do very well. Namely we are not wired to deal well being by ourselves, and any extended or intensive isolation is not good. Mammals evolved to co-regulate - meaning that we help each other regulate our states through caregiving and reciprocity. It is important to remember that Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest has been long misinterpreted, and that we survived due to cooperation, and not through aggression.
Observations that may indicate that your system, or your partner’s system, is being recruited for defense: Is there reciprocity in facial expressivity? Eye gaze? Intonation of voice? Also ask whether the vocalization patterns lends themselves to reciprocal dialogue or are you stepping on each other’s words? Our culture is so focused on syntax and words that we have forgotten that one of the most important ways we detect safety is through prosody (varieties in tone/timbre/rhythm) in voice. It can be incredibly helpful to keep this in mind in your relationship and interactions.
Every relationship has some minor to severe level of arguments - meaning people feel some semblance of danger and they get angry or scared. When this happens the neural tone of the muscles in the face is reduced which changes the tone of the middle ear - and literally people will have difficulty hearing you. In arguments with partners or children, it is likely the other person is having difficulty understanding you, because they are actually having difficulty hearing you!
While communicating with your partner, regularly check in with not just what you are saying, but how you are saying it - what is your tone? What is your body communicating? And is your partner is a physiological state in which they are open to engage and hear you?
It is the experience and not the event. Trauma leads to a lack of feeling, or difficulty feeling, one’s own body. Trauma histories have very little to do with the actual events that occurred, and more to do with the physiological responses that occurred. When considering your, or someone else’s trauma history, focus less on the objective events or facts of the experience, and become curious and become witness to their subjective experience. This will lead to an understanding of how and why the body is reacting in certain ways.
If we don’t feel our own body - we have difficulty related to other people’s bodies. A feature of trauma histories is the lack of feeling one’s own body. In order to get a sense of how present you, or your partner is in their body, it is helpful to look at how well are you/they playing? Does the person have the ability to be spontaneous, reciprocal, and spontaneous in the interaction? Are they responding to cues?
In addition to the question of how well you are playing, the other important question is how well are you pooping? This is important because the whole area below the diaphragm holds and reflects the effects of trauma on our bodies. Trauma is linked with IBS, constipation, and furthermore, the nerves that regulate this area also regulate the genitals. When we bottle up feelings in the subdiaphragmatic area, our sexuality is also impacted. Highly anxious or tightly wrapped individuals will have digestive systems that reflect this, and likely their sexual responses to intimacy will reflect these features as well.
Our autonomic nervous system is there to support health, growth, and restoration! It is only when it is used chronically for defense that we begin to have dysfunctions and disorders manifest in our organs.
Repair- We have violations of expectations ALL the time! However, when you have a violation it creates an opportunity for a repair. It is important to remember that it is not the words of an apology that matter as much as it is how the apology is said: the gestures, the words, and the intonation of voice. Your partner will only respond to a valid apology when the nonverbals are in concert with the intention. It is not the words! Culturally we function so much on syntax in our culture and not enough on the intonation of the words - in your relationship shift your attention to how you are interacting and how your body, and your partner’s body is responding to intonation. Remember to ask - how am I creating safety in this interaction? Am I speaking with prosody in my voice that will create comfort for my partner?
Be more playful! Using gestures of engagement, and more playfulness, helps to regulate each other’s physiological state. The notion of connectedness is a biological imperative. The goal as mammals, and as good spouses, is to interact in a way that regulates each other’s physiology. It is a responsibility for individuals to interact to make each other feel safe. It is not just healing, and enjoyable, but it has great impact on our mental and physical health because it supports the circuits of health, growth, and restoration!
Somatic experiencing: In efforts to recover from trauma, it is critical that we learn how to separate physiology from events. This occurs when we have the opportunity to be in the same physiological state in which we experienced the trauma, however in a way in which we have the control we did not have when we were in original event. It will not happen by telling someone to not get upset or not worry when they are triggered, but instead letting them experience their body reacting, but this time in a safe context. Doing this begins to take power away from the implicit body memories.
Change your breathing pattern: Have you noticed how when you are upset with your partner, you begin to huff and puff? This is your body physically preparing to mobilize for a fight or to run. Can can change your physiological state towards social engagement through shifting your breathing. Long inhalations removes what is called the vagal brake and it allows us to get more mobilized. In an effort to slow down, we need to have long exhalations. Try extending your exhalations through intentional breathing and through singing. Singing is wonderful because it uses muscles of social engagement system. Another way to play with voice in your relationship is to improvise songs, and use gibberish in moments of tension to help change your intonation and move the focus away from the meaning of words, and towards how the voice can help build repair and closeness.
Escalation is not coregulation! In most relationship conflicts, both individuals feel like victims - in order to de-escalate a situation and move in the direction of play and connection, one person must step up and take charge of noticing the pattern, and changing the way of engagement. This means meeting your partner on their level - often through touch, gentleness, and a prosodic voice. Hug your partner - not in an effort to fix, but rather in an effort to connect and bring back safety.
Be respectful of your physiological state: Respect your body’s behaviors without judgement, and without justifying or making personal narratives. Our bodies are constantly sending us information about the world - be respectful of your body shifts, even in moments when your body is reacting in a way that feels exaggerated or maladaptive. Also be respectful of how your body state shifts affect those around you - knowing they are going to react to your shifts, whether you intended for that or not. Taking responsibility for your physiological state is not only about learning how to downregulate your system, but it is about communicating your state to those around you. We are human, and are not always going to be able to perfectly respond in a situation that triggers us, but what we can learn to do is to verbalize what is happening in our body to others! If you are angry about something that happened, or feel the signs of being triggered, share this out loud. This will help your family, your spouse, your partner be able to not take the visual and bodily cues you are sending personally. This will SAVE your relationship!
Last bits of advice: Remember to change the prosody of your voice, bring in gentle touch, and see yourself as a vehicle for healing and safety for you and your partner! Before you react, listen! Don’t use the physiological state you are in as the motivator for behavior, just pause for a moment and get a better evaluation of the context. Add in a few long exhalations, and you will be more able to stay present and get back to a physiological state that allows you to be responsive, engaged, and connecting with your partner and those in your life!
Resources
Visit Stephen’s website for more information, a list of public speaking events, and links to previous interviews!
If you want to gain an in depth understanding of Polyvagal Theory, read Stephen’s book The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation
www.neilsattin.com/safety Visit to download the show guide, or text “PASSION” to 33444 and follow the instructions to download the show guide to this episode.
Text and original publication: https://relationshipalive.libsyn.com/34-the-science-of-safety-with-stephen-porges#1z8b0HZBdYOzR2mP.99
Robert Shine, Richard Brinkman, Frederick Cook, Robert Cook, Dennis Evans, Robert Evans, Richard Strain, Louis Rukeyser, John Mee, Dr. Long, Mike Metzger
3JUP0ORP: Animation of the evolution of midplane and meridional densities in logarithmic scale for the 3JUP0ORP simulation. The axes have units of AU and the time is given in ORPs in the upper right of each panel. The series starts at t = 0.08 ORPs and proceeds to the end of the simulation at approximately 10 ORPs. The black diamond in each of the panels indicates the location of the planet.
3JUP10ORP: Animation of the evolution of midplane and meridional densities in logarithmic scale for the 3JUP10ORP simulation. The axes have units of AU and the time is given in ORPs in the upper right of each panel. The series starts at t = 10.54 ORPs and proceeds to the end of the simulation at approximately 21 ORPs. The black diamond in each of the panels indicates the location of the planet.
An animated advertisement for 3M in which a man in an office tries to avoid social interactions by camouflaging as various objects around him. An offscreen male narrator talks about how workers in many jobs learn that they should stay out of sight and not contribute much in order to stay out of trouble, but 3M encourages employee collaboration and input. The ad concludes with the man being asked for his input on a project, at which point he stops camouflaging himself and begins collaborating. One of the winners of the 1971 Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 4711 Original Eau de Cologne in which a jingle plays over various scenes of people biking, picnicking, sitting at cafes, and doing office work. Submitted for the Clio Awards International category.
A woman applies 48 Hour Cologne Deodorant after her shower which allows her to be admire as she walks through the streets. A jingle is sung, and a narrator talks about the benefits of using the cologne.
The excitement of the Gold Rush is in this show; the feverish travel across the country to find treasure, and the life of the prospectors. Bash shows the methods of mining with rocker and with gold pan, and then goes on film to visit Columbia, California, where rich strikes of gold were made. An old prospector takes her to the river and shows her how he extracts gold by rocker and pan, equipment which is as good now as it was then. Songs include “I Wish I Were Single” and “Clementine.”
An advertisement for 5 Day Deodorant Pads in which an offscreen male narrator describes how the pads more effectively cover the armpit with antiperspirant than do roll-on, cream, and spray deodorants. The effectiveness of the different deodorant types is visualized with white paint lines across a black background. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
A woman shares an article from the National Medical Association. The article states that the 5 Day deodorants are the most effect with protecting people from perspiration and odor.
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. This film has no sound; shows residential and campus life in Bloomington.
Edward R. Feil, Harold S. Feil, Nellie Feil, Mary Feil Hellerstein, Daniel Hellerstein
Summary:
An event celebrating 50 years of the PTA at Roxboro Junior High in Cleveland Heights. Harold and Nellie walk through an exhibit that has been set up in a classroom with historical documents and photos. Teachers, parents, and sponsors mingle and talk. Outside, student bands members (including Daniel Hellerstein) perform for the crowd.
From the series Ripples. It seems easy to get on a plane and fly somewhere, but it takes about 55 people to get a jet ready to fly. Each has his own job handling baggage, fueling, preparing and storing food, checking weather and maps,servicing the aircraft. Some important people you don't usually see are maintenance men,meteorologists at the weather station, and controllers in the tower. All these people and more work together so passengers can travel safely and comfortably by jet.
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movie of family and friends playing, cooking, and eating together.
Edward R. Feil, Harold S. Feil, Nellie Feil, Naomi Feil, Mary Feil Hellerstein, Beth Hellerstein, Susan Hellerstein, Daniel Hellerstein, Jonathan Hellerstein, George Feil, Helen Kahn Weil, Julius Weil, Edward G. Feil, Ken Feil
Summary:
Home movie of an anniversary party for Harold and Nellie Feil at their home. Friends and family mingle and enjoy refreshments.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which a jingle plays over shots of animated graphics and live-action female dancers moving around a psychedelic backdrop of stars, bubbles, and lights. One of the winners of the 1975 Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which an offscreen male narrator describes how the product "freshes up" one during a busy office workday. Shots of 7 Up bottles sitting in office and meeting settings are interspersed with stock footage from silent-era movies. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which an offscreen narrator describes the beverage as the perfect sandwich companion over shots of sandwich ingredients stacking atop one another on plates and young people dancing and drinking the product. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up featuring the folk music group the Kingston Trio as cowboys in an old western town. The Trio sings about shooting a bartender after he serves them the wrong drink after they request 7 Up. One of the Trio ends up imprisoned in a chain gang as the other two drink bottles of 7 Up nearby. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up featuring the folk music group the Kingston Trio in a small mountain town. The Trio sings about buying bottles of 7 Up from a woman selling them outside her shop. A man being chased by a law officer gives the officer some 7 Up to call a truce. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up featuring the folk music group the Kingston Trio as circus promoters. The Trio sings to a crowd of patrons about a trapeze artist called "Lovely Louise." One of the trio climbs up a ladder to give Louise a 7 Up, only to fall off in shock upon discovering she looks like a man. Submitted for the Clio Awards. (Note: ad contains an instance of transphobia.)
An advertisement for 7 Up in which an offscreen male narrator describes the product's refreshing features over close-up shots of bottles of 7 Up on ice, an ingredient list on a bottle, and young people smiling and dancing. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which an offscreen narrator describes how the product is the perfect refresher for a busy business executive's work day over humorously re-appropriated footage from silent-era films. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which a man and woman are thwarted in their attempts to flirt with each other on a bus and a cafe, before finally meeting in their shared work office and going out to a restaurant. An offscreen narrator repeats how it is "always 7 Up time" and praises the qualities of the product as the man and woman drink bottles of 7 Up at the restaurant. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which a narrator named Eloise talks about her routine for preparing lunch and a 7 Up before talking on the phone. Still sketches of Eloise by cartoonist George Clark accompany the narration. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
An advertisement for 7 Up in which an offscreen male narrator lists a variety of situations that are perfect for drinking the product, such as sightseeing, friend gatherings, barbecues, etc. Shots of 7 Up bottles in different home and recreational settings are interspersed with stock footage from silent-era movies. Submitted for the Clio Awards.
