VAGUS NERVE HEALING

This is such an important topic- and my

intention is to give you multiple powerful
strategies that make a huge difference to you
and your health

In our work, we want to find different ways that

we can stimulate the vagus nerve

This work is designed to decrease stress and

anxiety

AND ALSO HELPS THE THREAD RESPONSE IN

THE BODY
It is your 10th cranial nerve, and it is
BIDIRECTIONAL

The vagus nerve is involved in nearly every

physiological action in the human body and
harnessing its power can have an immediate
and dramatic impact on your well-being

In a very quick overview, vagus nerve is coming

down into the organs- and then it exists on the
side of the neck, right at the angle of your jaw

This is where your largest lymph nodes in your

neck sits- so your lymphatic system is going to
be really crucial to how your vagus nerve
functions
 Metaphors abound for the vagus
nerve:
The superhighway of your body, transporting vital information between
your brain and the rest of your internal organs.

A symphony conductor, directing how fast or slow, loud or quiet your

nervous system will be at any given time.

Air traffic control, monitoring a multitude of moving parts to make sure all
of the physiological airplanes fly safely and efficiently to their destination.
ANATOMY AND FUNCTION OF VAGUS NERVE:

Vagus Nerve:
Information Superhighway

DID YOU KNOW?

80%
of the vagus nerve fibers
communicate from
the body to the brain

20%
communicate from
the brain to the body
It works directly with your heart.

It is called vagal break, when the vagus is

stimulated it decreases heart rate.

It works directly with the liver.

Regulates insulin secretion, and glucose

homeostasis in the liver.
It works directly with the gut.

Creates powerful relationship to gut-brain AXIS,

which is deeply tied to inflammation in the body

Increases gastric juices, gut motility, and

stomach acidity.

Impacts inflammation.

Suppressed inflammation via the cholinergic

anti-inflammatory pathway
Impacts the brain.

Helps keep anxiety & depression at bay. Opposes

the sympathetic response to stress.

Impacts mouth.

The vagus nerve is needed to gag reflex,

swallowing and coughing

Blood vessels

Decreases vascular tone, lowering the blood

pressure.
VAGUS NERVE is anatomical map
that can lead us to a new way of
thinking about our bodies and
beings, our emotions, and our
interaction with the environment.
Big Names in the world of Vagus
Nerve:
Dr. Stephen Porges - Professor of Psychiatry, founder of Polyvagal
Theory

Stanley Rosenberg - Body Therapist and author of Accessing The

Healing Power of Vagus Nerve

Deb Dana - Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of The

Polyvagal Theory in Therapy
The Dorsal Complex and Shutdown
Dr. Porges identified two pathways of the vagus
nerve.

The first pathway, the dorsal complex, is left over from our pre-
mammalian, ancient vertebrate ancestors.

It’s often called the sub-diaphragmatic branch of the vagus, because

it originates in the brain stem and supplies nerves to the visceral
organs below the diaphragm, including the stomach, liver, spleen,
kidneys, gallbladder, urinary bladder, small intestine, pancreas, and
ascending and transverse parts of the colon.
It’s unmyelinated, which means it lacks a myelin (fatty) sheath, and
consequently transmits information slower than a nerve that’s
myelinated.

When humans or other mammals sense they are in grave danger, a

surge in dorsal activity can result in system shutdown, including a
drop in blood pressure, with a potential for fainting or state of shock.

The dorsal vagal response is referred to in shorthand as shutdown.

The Ventral Complex and Safety
The second pathway of the vagus nerve is the ventral complex.

It formed as we evolved from ancient reptiles to mammals, and

originates in the brain stem in the nucleus ambiguus, a group of
motor neurons connected to the muscles integral to speech and
swallowing, such as the soft palate, pharynx, and larynx.

The ventral vagus is the primary regulator of the heart rate, and
muscles in the face and head.
This newer ventral vagal path is myelinated and transmits
information much faster than the dorsal vagal path.

It’s what’s commonly referred to as our safe and social state, and
evolved to provide a social engagement system, which was
necessary in order for mammals to coexist, work in community, and
reproduce.

People in a ventral vagal state are generally engaged in the world,

and open to connecting and cooperating with others.
 Between the development of the dorsal vagal
path and ventral vagal path, the sympathetic
branch of the nervous system formed, allowing
for mobilization in times of stress.

This is most often referred to as the fight-or-

flight reaction.
In both instances, it’s possible
to move up the polyvagal
ladder instead of down,
depending on the
circumstance.
How To Move
Between States
With Breath
If you’re locked in a sympathetic
state, you might feel like you’re
constantly stressed, always
waiting for another metaphorical
shoe to drop.

If you’re locked in a dorsal state,

you may find yourself in a
perpetual malaise, unable to
meaningfully engage with the
people in your life and the world
around you.
Luckily, there’s a readily available
way to move yourself up the
polyvagal ladder to include the
safe and social feelings of the
ventral state, and it starts with
your breath.

The simplest vagal stimulation

that you can recruit is being able
to exhale slowly.

Stimulating the vagus nerve with

slow exhales slows down the
heart rate and gives your body
cues of safety.
1. It’s like a hot water/cold water option on the same
knob.
2. When you exhale, the vagal influences to your heart’s
pacemaker get optimized.
3. When you inhale, your heart rate goes up.
4. And when you exhale, your heart rate goes down. If you
spend more of your time exhaling, you calm your body
down.
5. If you shift rations so that most of the time you’re
inhaling, you’re hyperventilating. You’re huffing and
puffing.
6. When you see anxious people, they’re inhaling on
virtually every sentence or every word. They’re huffing
and puffing.
The beauty of the polyvagal theory
is that it brings us back to basics.

1. Social interaction, human touch, human connection, a

caring voice.
2. All of these things we know so innately when we have a
baby in our arms, but we grow up and push all that away so
we can get tough and do everything ourselves.
3. So we may lose it temporarily, but it’s this innate knowledge
that we have in our gut somewhere
 THE INVITATION:
Of all the good news science is telling us about the vagus,
perhaps the most important is that we have the ability to
befriend this wandering nerve right this very minute.

While researchers all over the world continue to explore

ways modern medicine can use the vagus nerve to heal
chronic disease, you can start breathing now.

You can start listening to the cues your body is giving you
now.

You can begin taking your recovery into your own hands
now.