The vagus nerve's connection to anxiety is important to address in therapy
The Vagus Nerve: An Information Superhighway
The latin meaning of ‘vagus’ is wandering and this label is perfect for our vagus nerve! The vagus nerve has many branches, begins at the base of our brain, then reaches down to connect our heart, lungs, digestive tract, multiple endocrine organs as well as other stops including our ears and throat. It forms an information superhighway that transmits 80% of messages from our body to brain and 20% of messages from our brain to our body. The highway that signals heart to pump, lungs to breathe, stomach to digest and liver to detoxify is also responsible for our ability to adjust to our environment if we detect a threat. For instance, the vagus nerve can trigger anxiety if one (or more) of our senses detect a perceived threat or danger. But before we go there we need to understand the broad responsibilities of the longest nerve in our body.
The vagus nerve is why your heart races and you have butterflies in your stomach when you sense a threat. This is how the vagus nerve is related to anxiety symptoms. It can turn on the ‘fight-or-flight’ response (sympathetic nervous system) as well as turn it off when the vagus nerve senses the environment is safe and no longer a threat. If our vagus nerve has healthy vagal tone, it can quickly help us recognize the environment is safe, help us soothe our fears when we first start feeling our heart racing, which then allows our body, subconsciously to switch gears into the parasympathetic nervous system so we can think clearly and restore a state of calm in our bodies.
Dr. Stephen Porges & Polyvagal Theory
The neuroscientist Stephen Porges has been studying the vagus nerve for decades and his well published and cited polyvagal theory explains the connection between our body, brain, emotions and social behavior. This research is making its’ way into conventional therapy as it provides a basis for introducing interventions like deep breathing when a client is feeling anxious or stressed, rather than referring a client to a psychiatrist to get a prescription for an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) medication.
At Flourish!, the vagus nerve is the connector between our treatment models in psychotherapy and our nutritional services and programs. By working with clients to develop vagal tone so they can regulate their cognitive, emotional and social behavior response they can accept the body’s anxious response—rather than resist it—ensuring healthy communication and processing during stressful times. Eating the right foods to ensure healthy digestion and elimination also plays a big role in developing vagal tone.
How To Build Vagal Tone
Below is a list of Flourish! recommended exercises that can help you build vagal tone so you can navigate yourself through states of calm, alarm or dysregulation.
Daily:
Deep breathing: 2-3 times per day for 1-5 minutes; focus on expanding the belly on the breath in and contracting the belly on the exhale.
Humming: 2 times per day; in the car, in the shower, or while you are making yourself a cup of coffee, practice humming deep in your throat.
Gargling: keep a cup at your bathroom sink and gargle twice a day (preferably with filtered/distilled water; add Himalayan sea salt for extra immune protection).
Sunlight exposure: get outside and expose yourself to at least 2 minutes of sunlight several times a day, without sunglasses.
Sleep on your side; place a pillow in between your knees for extra comfort.
Meditation/mindfulness practice: spend 5-10 minutes at 3 times per week (daily for optimal results) focused on your breath, a task, or being guided by a meditation app or mantra.
Weekly:
Yoga/pilates/light exercise: create a consistent habit of body movement at least twice a week, optimally 3-4 times per week. Kundalini Yoga is ideal!
Social interaction: make a point of physically spending time with others, and if possible, laugh out loud (LOL)!
Listen to music: delight your ears and vagus nerve by making a point of relaxing to your favorite music at least 2 times per week.
Let Us Help You Flourish
At Flourish! we take an integrative approach to treating clients through mindfulness-based psychotherapy, nutritional services, and wellness consultations. A holistic approach allows us to provide individualized treatment, customized to the needs of each client. By evaluating the whole person, we’re able to get to the root cause of your symptoms and provide the most effective treatment plan so that you can live a fuller, happier life.
The most important value that all of our practitioners share: mindfulness. We believe mindfulness is key to cultivating well-being, but we understand that getting there often requires the guidance of an experienced and trusted facilitator.
If you struggle with depression, anxiety, or a mood disorder, coupled with chronic illness and/or digestive problems, you could benefit from the integrative nutrition and mindfulness-based treatment options available at Flourish!