“If you want to improve the world, start by making people feel safer.” – Dr. Stephen Porges The Polyvagal Theory
This quote resonates so deeply with me because for the past 10 years or so, that has been my life’s work. Creating safety. I often think while working with clients “is this safe?” before I move to act. I think that comes through because I have often heard that feedback from clients. It certainly is my goal. Safety can many things, but I think the most fundamental way to experience safety is to feel safe in your body. And to me, that is a matter of activating the parasympathetic nervous system. And the main player in that system is the vagus nerve.
Dr. Stephen Porges’ contributions to the understanding of safety come from his research and formulation of the Polyvagal Theory. His insights about the autonomic nervous system and how you can apply the principles of activating the vagus nerve to bring a feeling of safety to clinical practice has revolutionized therapeutic intervention in trauma, anxiety and depression.
There are a number of simple ways you can stimulate the vagus nerve to find a feeling of calm and safety. The vagus nerve is a key part of your parasympathetic “rest and digest” nervous system. It influences your breathing, digestive function and heart rate, all of which can have a huge impact on your mental health. But what you really need to pay special attention to is the “tone” of your vagus nerve.
Vagal tone is an internal biological process that represents the activity of the vagus nerve. Increasing your vagal tone activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and having higher vagal tone means that your body can relax faster after stress.
Here is a list of ways that you can stimulate your vagus nerve:
1. Get cold – Research indicates that exposing yourself to cold on a regular basis can lower your sympathetic “fight or flight” response and increase parasympathetic activity through the vagus nerve.
2. Deep and Slow Breathing – I have long coached my clients to begin a Reiki or massage session by taking three long, slow deep breaths, and to emphasize making the out-breath longer than the in-breath. What I didn’t know until recently is the vagus nerve is stimulated by this kind of breathing.
3. Singing, Humming, Chanting – The vagus nerve is connected to your vocal cords and the muscles at the back of your throat. Singing, humming, chanting and gargling can activate these muscles and stimulate your vagus nerve.
4. Probiotics – Research has established that for stress, anxiety and depression, symptoms can be relieved by introducing certain probiotics. Probiotic capsules containing Lactobacillus casei, L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, B. breve, B. longum, and Streptococcus thermophilus, and probiotic yogurt containing B. lactis and L. acidophilus were found to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. In addition, B. longum and L. helveticus strains were found to have a similar effect.
5. Meditation – Meditation has several positive effects on the body from influencing your gut biome to increasing attention span and relieving stress. It also has been found to stimulate the vagus nerve. When you meditate, you are intentionally calming yourself and sending a signal throughout your body that you are safe. Many of us who have experienced trauma find it hard to meditate, or meditation practices seem impossible. But did you also realize that you can meditate in 5 second intervals? One minute intervals? You don’t need to spend hours meditating in lotus position to begin to reap the benefits of meditation. Start where you are and relax your body for 5 seconds and take a long slow deep breath. That counts as meditation, and sometimes, when you tell yourself, ok, I can do this for 1 minute, that minute can turn into 5 or even 10 minutes.
6. Omega-3 Fatty Acids – These are essential fats that your body cannot produce itself. They are found primarily in fish and are necessary for the normal electrical functioning of your brain and nervous system. Researchers have also discovered that omega-3 fatty acids reduce heart rate and increase heart rate variability, which means they likely stimulate the vagus nerve.
7. Exercise – “Tonic” levels of exercise, or levels of exercise that are challenging but aren’t so intense that they create anxiety or fear have a positive effect on your heart rate variability (HRV) and thus increase your vagal “tone”. Mixing cardiovascular exercise with strength training also has the added benefit of building all aspects of your body from heart-lungs to bones-muscles.
Massage and Reiki both stimulate deep relaxation, which tells your autonomic nervous system to activate.
Trying any and all of these methods on a regular basis can help you stimulate your vagus nerve and experience many other health benefits. And the best thing is that all these interventions are free.