When Dr. Stephen Porges says “safety is the therapy,” what he means is that the foundation for any healing—especially from trauma—is the experience of felt safety, not just physical safety. From an Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) perspective, this means that our bodies and minds cannot begin to reorganize, process, or grow unless they register that we are safe in our environment and with the people around us.
Felt safety comes through tone of voice, body language, emotional attunement, presence, predictability, and kindness. It’s what lets the nervous system shift out of defense and into connection. Without this, all the world’s tools, insights, or interventions can’t land. The body is still preparing for danger, still bracing.
Safety makes space for curiosity, flexibility, emotional resilience, and the capacity to be in our bodies again. It’s what allows integration to happen. In that sense, safety isn’t the precondition for therapy; it is the therapy. Everything else grows from there.
