Michael Allison is the developer of The Play Zone, a unique application of Polyvagal Theory to optimize health, resilience, and performance. He is a contributing author for Psychology Today with his platform, The Pressure Paradox, where he explores the physiological, psychological, and social paradoxes that underlie the challenges of performing in a culture of competition, evaluation, and rapid, unpredictable change. Allison is an educational partner with Polyvagal Institute, a Polyvagal Performance Consultant for high profile organizations, executives, coaches, teams, athletes & creatives, and provides a variety of courses and Polyvagal-informed Certificate Programs accredited by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaches and endorsed by Stephen W. Porges Ph.D., developer of Polyvagal Theory. He has certified hundreds of professionals around the globe as Play Zone Pros©, applying his methodology to a wide variety of disciplines, including sports, business, leadership, healthcare, and the performing arts.
Allison is a leading expert teaching Polyvagal Institute’s flagship course and is the author of a chapter titled “Turning Competition Into Co-regulation” in the forthcoming Norton Professional Series book Somatic-Oriented Therapies – Embodiment, Trauma, Polyvagal Perspectives, co-author with Dr. Porges of a chapter titled “Empathy to Compassion: A Two Step Process” in the forthcoming Norton Professional Series book Polyvagal Perspectives, and contributor of a case study examining performance enhancement through physiological state regulation in a Sounds True publication.