Not Las Vegas...not even close. But my favorite nerve.... The 10th cranial nerve, The Vagus Nerve. The nerve I speak to in all of my bodywork sessions.
The Vagus Nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body that is responsible for the regulation of your internal organs AND your parasympathetic nervous system. It is in charge of restoring your mind and body back to homeostasis and relaxation after a traumatic or stressful event.
If you...
~have had trauma of any kind. And there are several types of trauma, including:
Chronic trauma: This results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events. Examples include cases of child abuse, bullying, or domestic violence.
Complex trauma: This results from exposure to multiple traumatic events.~source: Medical News Today
~have PTSD
~live with anxiety and/or depression
~live in a constant state of stress and hustle
~live with chronic pain {migraines, fibromyalgia, MS, neuromuscular injuries that don't clear up, just to name a few}
....then it is most likely that you are living in what is referred to as a chronic sympathetic nervous system state. Meaning, you are almost always in a state of fight or flight.
After a time of being in a constant state of Sympathetic fight or flight mode, the Vagus Nerve becomes weak resulting in low Vagal Tone. This presents itself as poor emotional regulation,
anxiety, lowered attention span, depression, increased inflammation.
"The vagus nerve works tirelessly to control inflammation. It alerts the brain to release neurotransmitters when inflammatory proteins called cytokines are present. These neurotransmitters help the body repair then reduce inflammation." ~Dr.Nicole LePera
The Good News!
You can absolutely change and strengthen your Vagal Tone. It's kind of like going to the gym and strengthening your muscles by lifting weights. You have to slowly and gently work with this nerve. But with time and patience it is possible to heal it.
How to strengthen your Vagal Tone and help manage the trauma responses.
Receive gentle bodywork from a Trauma Informed Bodyworker, such as myself. In my practice I use Bowen Therapy, Vibrational Sound Therapy {VST}, and Reiki. These modalities have been proven to help with the symptoms of trauma, chronic pain, PTDS, and inflammation.
Meditate
Breathwork and Deep Breathing Exercises. I recommend is Melita Mollohan at Zen from Within. She can work with you virtually over Zoom as well as in person.
Aromatherapy :: lavender and bergamot have been shown to increase heart rate variability which improves vagal tone.
Yoga
Laughter