Vagus Nerve Reset

If you’ve experienced chronic or severe stress, fear, or pain, your vagal nerve is likely in need of a reset.

The Vagus Nerve, also known as the Polyvagal System, tells our brain everything it knows about how safe, healthy, and happy we are. Or how unsafe, unhealthy, and unhappy we are.

It’s the most important part of you that you’ve probably never learned about. And giving it some TLC goes a long way toward relieving the ill effects of stress, fear, and pain.

“The vagus is really the largest nerve that travels throughout the body. And it carries about 80% of its fibers are sensory. So it’s really the portal to the brain from the periphery. It’s telling our brain, the state of our body. And it has a whole series of other fibers. Some of them are myelinated, which means they’re very efficient in communicating and some that are unmyelinated and they regulate organs that are both above our diaphragm and below our diaphragm.

So the vagus is very critical nerve that deals with all or most of our primary internal organs and it communicates to our brain their status. And so when you feel good, your vagus is telling your brain that it’s a good state and when you’re not feeling bad or you’re feeling nauseous, it’s conveying that information as well.
Stephen Porges, PhD
Why the Vagal System Holds the Key to the Treatment of Trauma

This Vagus Nerve Reset a simple action and doesn’t involve any recalling of trauma.

Lie on your back (knees bent if that’s most comfortable for you).
Raise your arms and place your hands behind your skull, interlacing your fingers. This will stabilize your head. (If you have restricted mobility in either shoulder, don’t place that hand behind your head. The hands are only there to keep you from turning your head during the exercise.)
Now, breathe in a relaxed, natural manner as you shift your gaze to the left. If there was a clock face in front of you, your eyes would be looking toward the 9 o’clock position.
Hold this for at least 30 seconds and notice any sighing, yawning, swallowing, or other form of release.
Once you’ve felt that release, return your eyes to the center of the imaginary clock.
Next, shift your gaze to the right, the 3 o’clock position.
Breathe naturally and hold for at least 30 seconds, noticing any sign of releasing.
Let your eyes return to center once you’ve felt that release demonstrated by yawning, sighing, swallowing, or other releasing physical experiences.
That’s it. You’ve reset your vagus nerve. You may want to repeat this for a number of days or whenever you feel that stress, fear, or pain has a hold on you.

This exercise comes from the book, Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism by Stanley Rosenberg.

A video demonstration by Sukie Baxter can be found here:

**MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This content cannot and does not contain medical/health advice. The medical/health information is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. We do not provide any kind of medical/health advice. THE USE OR RELIANCE OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS CONTENT IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK

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