Learn how to stimulate the vagus nerve for relaxation and healing. Understand the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in reducing stress and improving well-being – 10 Minute Read.
Your Nervous System and Healing
As a survivor of abuse, I understand how my system was stuck in a state of stress even when I was safe and free.
Learning how to recover from an abusive relationship was not an easy task, but what helped was learning what was going on in my brain and body and why. This insight allowed me to understand why I saw the same recommendations for healing repeated in every resource I found, and why they helped me heal.
Self-compassion, self-care, mindfulness, being present, relaxation, breathing… yes, but why did they work? Why did they prompt healing?
Survivors of domestic abuse often struggle with nervous system regulation, making it hard to shift from fight-or-flight mode into a state of rest and recovery. This is because prolonged periods of living in trauma get you stuck in a state of hypervigilance and anxiety. After all, your body and brain stay on red alert to protect you from danger.
I used to think relaxation was just about taking deep breaths… well, that’s what Instagram kept telling me. But I learned that understanding how my nervous system works and actively supporting it was a big key to my healing and something I could do for myself at any time.
In this post, I’ll go over how the parasympathetic nervous system and the vagus nerve influence stress, healing, and overall well-being.
By the end, you’ll know:
- What the parasympathetic nervous system is and why it matters
- What is the vagus nerve, and how does it play a key role in your emotional and physical health
- Simple techniques to stimulate your vagus nerve for relaxation and healing
- How long-term nervous system regulation can improve your mental resilience
What Is the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems?
These Nervous Systems are a network of nerves that act as your body’s autonomic nervous system.
It has two primary modes:
The Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn)
- This nervous system activates in response to perceived stress or danger. This will put your body into the trauma responses of fight, flight, freeze or fawn.
- It increases heart rate, blood pressure, and alertness. It dilates pupils, constricts blood vessels to the digestive system, stimulates sweat production and releases adrenaline. It gets you ready to fight or to run (flight).
- While its job is to prepare the body to respond to threats, but can become overactive if you are exposed to chronic stress or ongoing traumatic situations like an abusive relationship.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest-and-Digest)
- Helps the body relax and recover. Regulates breathing, metabolism and helps blood vessels relax, reducing blood pressure. It supports your immune system by focusing on recovery.
- Lowers heart rate, improves digestion by increasing digestive juices, and reduces inflammation.
- It promotes calmness and emotional stability. Slows your breathing rate, making it deeper and calmer.
- It’s essential for healing, deep sleep, and emotional regulation.
- It supports cognitive clarity and memory formation, maintains long-term health and internal balance.
When trauma or chronic stress keeps the sympathetic system overactive, it can lead to anxiety, fatigue, hypervigilance and difficulty relaxing, let alone sleeping. Learning to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and why it works can help you heal.
What happens in my body if my Sympathetic Nervous System is overactive?
When your Sympathetic Nervous System is triggered, several key hormones are released.
- Adrenaline: it’s what increases your heart rate, boosts your blood flow to muscles, widens air passages, dilates your pupils and increases blood glucose levels.
- Noradrenaline: This raises your blood pressure, sharpens mental alertness, mobilises your energy stores and supports adrenaline to increase your heart rate.
- Cortisol: This sustains energy levels by increasing blood sugar, suppresses your non-essential bodily functions (like digestion and immune response) and helps the body maintain heightened alertness and readiness.
That’s a lot going on in your body. All very normal functions that are hard-wired to protect you. But when you are exposed to prolonged periods of trauma, like domestic abuse, this causes an overactive Sympathetic Nervous System, putting you in a state of chronic activation and hypervigilance. This can have physical health effects on your body.
- Cortisol overload: this disrupts hormonal balance, impairs your immune function, impacts your metabolism and can interfere with memory and cognitive function. This made me suffer, as it created brain fog and the inability to remember the sequence of events.
- Cardiovascular issues: It can create high blood pressure, palpitations and an increased risk of heart disease.
- Digestive issue: Chronic indigestion, increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome, disrupted appetite and metabolism
- Immune dysfunction: Reduced immune response and increased vulnerability to infections. It can also cause an increased risk of autoimmune disease and chronic inflammation.
- Muscular: Chronic muscle tensions and pain (jaw, neck, back, shoulders). Increase in headaches or migraines. Fatigue or exhaustion from constant muscle tension.
The emotional impact can look like chronic anxiety and panic, depression, sleep disorders, hypervigilance, lack of emotional regulation, difficulty concentrating and remembering, or social withdrawal.
Besides formal trauma-informed therapy, the recommendations you will repeatedly see of mindfulness practice, exercise, journaling, grounding, self-care, comfort products and nurturing practices are a legitimate way of reversing the impact of trauma from prolonged abuse.
What Is the Vagus Nerve and Why Is It Important?
The vagus nerve is the main pathway of your parasympathetic nervous system. It connects your brain to your major organs, influencing:
- Heart rate: helps slow your heartbeat and promote calmness.
- Digestion: Supports gut health and nutrient absorption.
- Emotional regulation: Affects mood, anxiety, and resilience.
- Inflammation control: Plays a role in reducing chronic inflammation, which can be brought about by stress.
A well-functioning vagus nerve is key to balancing your nervous system… You should care about your vagus nerve.
People with low vagal tone can experience more stress, anxiety, and digestive issues. If you’re a survivor of domestic abuse and trauma, this can be common.
I came across information on the vagus nerve when I first started looking for answers to my chronic hypervigilance. I found all the “self-care” information unhelpful on its own. I didn’t understand how it would help me heal. Once I understood the scientific reasoning and the impact on my nervous system and how they worked, it all became a bit clearer.
The physical and emotional toil of my abuse history had made my vagus nerve a true underperformer, and I needed to do something about strengthening its function. Learning how to “flex” my vagus nerve built my resilience.
How to Stimulate your Vagus Nerve to feel better
Learning to activate your vagus nerve isn’t difficult. Like everything, it comes down to consistency and building a little more every day. It’s just a new set of habits.
You would already be aware of many of the following techniques, but now you have a better idea of why they may help you:
Breathwork & Deep Breathing
- Try diaphragmatic breathing: Inhale deeply for 4 seconds, hold for 4, and exhale for 4-8 seconds.
- This action slows your heart rate and signals your body to relax.
- This can help with anxiety and emotional regulation.
Cold Exposure
- Take cold showers, ice baths, or splash cold water on your face. This isn’t one of my favourites, believe me! But it does work and has become more popular in the last couple of years due to studies released on its benefits.
- Cold exposure increases vagal tone, improving stress resilience. It lowers the heart rate and promotes calmness and relaxation.
- Studies show that cold therapy can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. This occurs as it increases the hormones endorphins (natural painkillers) and norepinephrine (mood regulators) levels
Humming & Singing
- The vibrations from singing, chanting, or humming stimulate your vagus nerve.
- Try humming or chanting “Om” for a few minutes daily. Strangely, a simple hum as you go about your day can help lift your mood. I’m not an “Om” person… but I will hum whatever song is stuck in my head.
- Engaging in music-based activities can also improve your mood. It’s not uncommon for me to have an impromptu dance around my house when a fav song comes on – dance like no one is watching!
Meditation & Mindfulness
- This helps shift your nervous system into a relaxed state.
- Focus on slow breathing and present-moment awareness. This can be for as little as 5 minutes. There are simple methods available for beginners. You can find some further information in the Resilient Blueprints resources.
- Regular meditation strengthens your vagus nerve activity and enhances your mental clarity. Over the long term, it can help you have more control over your thoughts and how you process them.
Massage & Gentle Touch
- Neck and ear massages activate vagus nerve pathways. Your ears contain a branch of your vagus nerve called Arnold’s or Alderman’s nerve. Our head and neck have sensory neurons that respond to pressure, stretch and temperature. Sounds weird, but if I am tense, I will often gently pull my ears; it feels good and generally calms me down.
- Acupressure points along the neck and face support relaxation and create stimulation.
- Touch-based therapies like craniosacral therapy can also aid nervous system healing. Craniosacral therapy is a massage technique that uses light touch to release tension in your body.
Yoga & Movement
- Gentle movements like yoga and stretching enhance vagus nerve function. Its slow movements and breathing regulation calm your nervous system and connect you with your body.
- It doesn’t have to be yoga. Try slow, intentional movements paired with deep breathing.
- You can consider other movement-based therapies, like Tai Chi and Qigong, which also improve your nervous system balance.
The Benefits of a Healthy Vagus Nerve
When your vagus nerve is strong, you may experience:
- Reduced anxiety and stress levels.
- Improved digestion and lower inflammation.
- Better emotional resilience and nervous system regulation.
- Enhanced ability to relax and recover from your trauma.
- Increased social engagement and emotional connection.
Final Thoughts: Supporting Your Nervous System for Healing
Understanding your nervous system, how it works and how to look after it can be a game changer for healing. You can bring peace into your body and mind, and you’re treating a physical ailment that is having a mental and emotional impact on you. Your body and mind are connected; treat them both with love and compassion to heal.
By practising simple vagus nerve stimulation techniques, you can help your body shift out of stress mode and into relaxation. The key is consistency (I know you’re sick of hearing that, but it’s true!). Regular activation of the vagus nerve leads to lasting improvements in emotional regulation and overall well-being. This is why self-care is so important.
Is there anything on the list that jumps out at you? Which technique are you excited to try? Did I miss a question you would like an answer to? Share in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
FAQs
Q: How long does it take to see results from vagus nerve stimulation?
Results vary, but many people feel immediate relaxation from techniques like deep breathing and cold exposure…and like me, ear pulling. Consistent practice over weeks or months leads to long-term benefits. Building resilience will help you bounce back faster.
Q: Can vagus nerve stimulation help with anxiety?
Yes! Stimulating the vagus nerve helps regulate the nervous system, reducing anxiety and promoting calm.
Q: Do I need special equipment to stimulate the vagus nerve?
No. Most techniques, like breathwork, humming, and yoga, require no equipment and can be done anywhere.
Q: Is vagus nerve stimulation safe for everyone?
Most techniques are safe, but if you have a medical condition, consult a healthcare professional before starting cold exposure or intensive breathwork.
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Nadine Brown
As a survivor of emotional and physical abuse, I know firsthand how difficult the healing journey can be. I created The Resilient Blueprint as a passion project—an accessible resource hub designed to empower others on their path to recovery. My goal is to provide survivors with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to reclaim their lives.
