Books by Paul North
Available September 2026
Paul has written two books on the Polyvagal Theory for both families and professionals, making complex neuroscience practical, relatable and accessible. He focuses on how the nervous system affects behavior, emotion, and relationships, offering simple tools to support emotional safety, connection, and healing – especially helpful for families dealing with trauma.
Polyvagal Parenting:
Polyvagal Parenting is a compassionate and practical guide to the polyvagal approach, written for anyone supporting emotional well-being – whether in families, classrooms, or therapy spaces. Paul North brings the science of safety, regulation, and connection to life through simple language, relatable stories, and gentle guidance grounded in the latest neuroscience.
- Drawing on years of clinical experience and teaching, North offers readers a deeper understanding of how trauma, anxiety, and disconnection show up in the body. He explores how states of fight, flight, and shutdown influence both children and adults – and how we can shift toward safety and connection using everyday tools.
- The book includes easy-to-use strategies for co-regulation, nervous system awareness, and creating environments where people feel seen and supported.
- Ideal for parents, caregivers, educators, and therapists, Polyvagal Parenting: Harness the Power of the Vagus Nerve to Help You and Your Child Stay Calm, Coregulated, and Connected is both an educational resource and a hopeful companion. Readers will find validation in their challenges and encouragement to move forward with curiosity and care.
“The translational value of this work is profound…Through examples and exercises, the book helps readers feel what safety looks like, sounds like, and feels like in the body.”
Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D.
Endorsements for Polyvagal Parenting
I began my career working with young children and their families as a play therapy therapist. I longed for the right companion book to help parents understand why the change the sought for their child began with them, their nervous systems, and a shared sense of safety. Polyvagal Parenting is that book. Not only does it make the science of polyvagal theory accessible for any reader but Paul North along with colleagues Dr. Lydia So and Michael Allison brings a spiritual depth that inspires us to create positive change for generations to come. Whether you are a therapist working with families or a parent, this book is a must have.
Arielle Schwartz
Polyvagal Parenting is a compassionate, scientifically grounded guide that invites parents, educators, caregivers, and clinicians to understand children—not through the lens of behavior, but through the language of the nervous system. Drawing on the wisdom of Polyvagal Theory, North, So, and Allison offer a blend of clarity, clinical depth, and practical tools that offer children and their families a powerful paradigm shift in how we think about and treat families in distress.
Having collaborated with members of this team in teaching and applying Polyvagal Theory, I can attest to their rare capacity to integrate rigorous neurobiological insight with compassionate, trauma-informed practice. This book conveys complex physiology with clarity while remaining deeply rooted in lived experience and relational attunement. Its strength lies in unlocking the wisdom of the body to lead the way in creating safety for all family members as they find their way back to co-regualtion with each other. For parents, clinicians, and educators, seeking a grounded, scientifically informed pathway to healing and connection, this book will stand out as essential.
Jan Winhall
This important book reminds us of our most essential role as parents: helping our children feel safe. Through a Polyvagal lens, behavior becomes a clue, guiding us to respond with understanding rather than control. With compassion and science, North, So, and Allison illuminate how co-regulation and connection build the resilient nervous systems our children—and our collective future—depend on.
Karen Onderko
Safe and Sound:
In Safe and Sound Paul North and Dr. Lydia So bring the essence of Polyvagal Theory to young children in an intuitive and engaging graphic presentation. Polyvagal Theory is about feelings and how we, as responsible parents, teachers, and clinicians, need to be accessible to our children, to witness their feelings, and to reassure them that they are safe by being with us.
Illustrates the important functions in optimising development by acknowledging our bodily feelings and respecting our need to connect with others including our pets, as critical resources that enable us to shift from negative feelings to feelings of safety, trust, and love.
The narrative illustrates how therapeutic strategies that are “Polyvagal Informed” such as the Safe and Sound Protocol™ functionally incorporate these understandings.
“Safe and Sound showcases the Polyvagal perspective translated into child friendly language that will surely comfort all children facing emotional storms, while guiding their loving parents at the same time. I highly recommend it!
Mona Delahooke, PhD
Chloé n’a plus peur
Safe and Sound : A story about a little girl who overcomes fear
« Lorsque le tonnerre gronde, Chloé est terrifiée.
Et quand ses camarades de classe se moquent d’elle, Chloé explose de colère.
Comment comprendre ces réactions ? Chloé est-elle « trop craintive » ? Est-elle une « vilaine petite fille » ?
Et si c’était plutôt des événements du passé qui la faisaient réagir ainsi
sans qu’elle n’y puisse rien ?
Comment l’aider à apprendre à gérer ces émotions qui la submergent ? »
Cet ouvrage, à portée des plus jeunes, permet d’explorer et de décrire le sentiment d’insécurité qui peut naître lorsque l’enfant vit des choses difficiles. Il propose des manières de surmonter cela et, avec les parents et l’aide de médecins et thérapeutes sensibles aux traumas psychiques, de retrouver un équilibre.
Il peut également représenter une aide précieuse pour les pédagogues et enseignants qui sont souvent démunis face aux crises que peuvent traverser les enfants avec lesquels ils travaillent.
D’une façon imagée et didactique, il nous offre une première approche de la Théorie Polyvagale (TPV) qui nous enseigne, notamment, comment prendre soin de soi et de ses émotions.
Start Your Polyvagal Parenting Journey (Free)
These resources are taken directly from my clinical work and upcoming book.