Leczenie poprzez nerw błędny. Pokonaj lęk, depresję, stres i traumę poprzez regulację układu nerwowego

by Amanda Armstrong, Marcin Masłowski (Translator)

Leczenie poprzez nerw błędny to kompleksowy przewodnik, który pomoże ci poprawić reakcję na stres dzięki optymalizacja funkcjonowania nerwu błędnego i układu nerwowego. Dowiedz się, jak współpracować ze swoim układem nerwowym, zamiast działać wbrew niemu.

Nerw błędny to główna „autostrada” układu nerwowego, która biegnie przez całe ciało i wpływa na wszystkie główne układy organizmu. Działanie na ten nerw może pomóc ciału w reagowaniu na stres, depresję, traumę i być kluczem do lepszej jakości życia.

W książce znajdziesz:
- praktyczne, szybko przynoszące efekty i oparte na badaniach narzędzia, które pomogą ci działać i rozpocząć proces uzdrawiania;
- inspirujące historie osób oraz doświadczenia autorki, które zmotywują cię i pokażą, że zmiana samopoczucia jest możliwa;
- ćwiczenia i wskazówki, które pozwolą ci zastosować zdobytą wiedzę w praktyce, pomogą ci zintegrować ją z życiem i uczynić ją naprawdę użyteczną.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Mental Health, Audiobook, Personal Development

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2025

About the author

I'm a neuroscience & trauma-informed coach and the founder of Rise As We, a mental health coaching space. I know first-hand that healing has no one size fits all. Like most healers I have my own history of mental health struggles and trauma. What really turned the page in my healing journey was learning to understand my nervous system and the tangible ways I could work with my physiology to powerfully influence and heal my psychology. This education and awareness shifted my lens from constantly feeling at war with myself to realizing that my brain is and always was fighting FOR me, I just didn't know how to listen. What you'll find here are the programs I wish I would have had in my healing journey.

I also have a MA in Kinesiology | Exercise Psychology — my research looked at the bidirectional relationship between depression, movement, and social support. This was my introduction to the world of behavior change and lifestyle healing. After graduation I worked as a Health & Fitness Specialist at Google HQ for 5 years where I had the opportunity to run some really awesome mental/physical health pilot studies. I left in 2018 to run Rise As We full time and have never looked back.

Reviews

[Josephine Jarman · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a pots sufferer I was intrigued to read this. The book is relatively short and spends a great deal of time setting the scene explaining the basis and then a couple of chapters on hiw you csn improve. The title implied more. I found the explanation too much and too clinical. This may be aimed st health care professionals rather than your average every da person. It needed to be longer with more indepth exercises to justify the title. If the market is the professionals it's spot on bit or every day people like myself who might be looking for help it needs adaption.
It reads textbook and lacks enough exercises that is the only reasons for the low rating.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I unlocked basic knowledge I should have just known my whole life.

[Elizabeth Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource for anyone curious about the vagus nerve or how to think about nervous system response but isn't sure where to start.

Armstrong covers a wide range of foundational vagus nerve topics and practices, all of which are offered in accessible and thoughtful ways!

As a trauma focused wellness practitioner, I will be recommending this book to clients who want to dig a bit deeper into the stress response and easy ways to begin forming habits to support beneficial vagal responses.

I was given a digital ARC to review

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library. I had to wait a long time for it. I have been cold plunging for three years now, and I would hear how getting your shoulders in the cold water stimulates your vagus nerve. Um, okay. Why does that need stimulating? So this was my first intro to the vagus nerve. And through this book I learned about the largest nerve in our body going from the brain to the colon, winding through our lungs, heart and gut. Getting this nerve under control helps with nervous system regulation and managing stress. But I really wanted to read the insight on cold plunging.

It was short and to the point: psychologically, with cold exposure you are constantly choosing to immerse yourself in something uncomfortable. You are resisting the urge to jump out or avoid it and instead you’re staying in with it and regulating through it. Thus, you are building you capacity for stress by being in a state where adrenaline levels are high but your intentionally working to keep your mind calm.

The book goes with recommendations I’ve seen before… 11 minutes a week from two to four times a week and getting your body to warm up naturally, without hot showers or a sauna immediately afterwards. And If you practice hot and cold therapy, they want you to end on cold.

I was also surprised to find I was already doing things to help my vagus nerve. I do yoga. Also, I put my legs up the wall. It helps with swelling, but add vagus nerve activation to my list of benefits. Also diaphragm breathing.

This book recommends finding a routine for self-care of your vagus nerve. Which also include eye exercises. In our tunnel vision world of looking at screens, the book urges us to exercise our eyes by looking side to side or focusing on far away objects or views.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

I didn’t much care for the voice of this book, or the excess of gym/exercise metaphors, but the content here is detailed and understandable.

This is a highly informative (first) read on understanding concepts related to somatic healing, the nervous system, and polyvagal theory. There are many practical tips regarding ways to access somatic practices (body based and breath work) and how to integrate them slowly and easily into a daily practice to support and access nervous system regulation.

[ness]

skimmed thru chapters applicable to me. knew most of this already but i do think the way this book is written can help someone who isn't as familiar with biology/anatomy. the tl;dr is: reduce stress by engaging in stress relief activities which helps ease anxiety, depression, etc.

[Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed through the book: solid material but I didn't learn anything new.

[Justyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ksiazka, ktora KAZDY bez wyjatku powinien przeczytac.

[Lore BonMD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was easy to read a very thorough. It initially gave an introduction to the autonomic system which involves the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The author then provided the reader with various techniques to engage the vagus nerve. It provides self-help techniques, including breathing exercises such as diaphragmatic breathing, physiological sigh,massage techniques like ear, neck, abdomen, visual techniques that includes lateral eye stretches, gaze opening and physical techniques with cold exposure, yoga. It’s the kind of book that encourages people to adopt one technique at a time until it becomes a habit and then build on it. I will likely have to read the section of self help techniques to try to incorporate some.

[Molly Dunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in return for review

I have been doing vagus nerve and nervous system regulation work for a while and this book was a great addition to this. It was a fantastic refresher in what I’d already learned with some great new practices I’ll definitely be adding into my routine.

Amanda Armstrong explains the neuroscience behind vagal toning in an accessible way. The illustrations are beautiful and the book is packed with great information and exercises. Would definitely recommended to those with nervous system disregulation!

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several years ago I attended a training for those who worked with people who had endured various types of trauma, and begin hearing about the role of the Vague Nerve in how trauma is stored and communicated within the human body. This book expounds on that, with great explanations and illustrations as well. Since most of us in this modern world deal personally with stress and various kinds of anxieties, I think this book would be a great resource for many.

[Booksanddreamz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review van de Nederlandstalige versie - uitgeverij Standaard

De Amerikaanse Amanda Armstrong studeerde een masteropleiding kinesiologie. Ze werkte vijf jaar als gezondheidscoach voor Google, waar ze pilootstudies heeft opgezet rond geestelijke gezondheid. Nadien is ze haar eigen praktijk Rise as we begonnen, waar ze
werkt als neurowetenschappelijke coach rond de behandeling van angst en depressie.

Je nervus watte? De nervus vagus is het belangrijkste deel van je zenuwstelsel. Dit boek leert je hoe je zenuwstelsel en dus de nervus vagus werkt. Door dit inzicht leer je je eigen functioneren beter te begrijpen en ontdek je wat je kan doen om lichamelijk én geestelijk weer meer de balans te vinden. In eenvoudige taal en met duidelijke illustraties neemt Amanda Armstrong de lezer stap voor stap mee in een behandelingsproces aan de hand van psycho-educatie en oefeningen.

De kracht van je nervus vagus is heel logisch opgebouwd en de auteur beschrijft de wetenschappelijke inzichten in een begrijpbare taal. Ze start met uitleg over het autonome zenuwstelsel met de tegengestelde werking van het parasympathisch en sympathisch systeem. Ze gaat in op hoe stress zich in het lichaam manifesteert.
In het tweede hoofdstuk gaat ze dieper in op de invloed van de nervus vagus en legt ze het verband met lichamelijke klachten en psychische klachten zoals angst en depressie. Ook ADHD krijgt aandacht in een apart rubriekje.
Vervolgens wordt deze informatie vertaald naar je eigen lichaam en functioneren en kaart Amanda Armstrong de noodzaak van interoceptie aan: het vermogen om meer inzicht in je eigen lichamelijke en geestelijke processen te krijgen. Een zeer belangrijk onderdeel in dit boek!
Hoofdstuk vier behandelt het meten van de vagale tonus, met andere woorden: nagaan bij jezelf in welke situatie je lichaam en geest zich bevinden. Zo kan je voor jezelf uitzoeken welke oefeningen je kan benutten.
In het volgende onderdeel wordt dan de stap gezet naar heling: je nervus vagus opnieuw beter in balans brengen. Er wordt een aanzet gegeven tot de verschillende soorten helingstechnieken.
In het zesde hoofdstuk komen dan de eigenlijke oefeningen aan bod. Vergis je echter niet. Het is niet de bedoeling om de vorige hoofdstukken over te slaan en onmiddellijk te beginnen aan de toepassingen. Zonder inzicht in je eigen functioneren, weet je niet welke oefening je specifiek nodig hebt en dan zullen ze ook niet werken.
Het laatste hoofdstuk benadrukt het belang om de oefeningen te implementeren in je dagdagelijkse leven. Dat is de enige manier om een meer gebalanceerde nervus vagus te bereiken en dus ook een meer evenwichtig leven te realiseren.

De kracht van je nervus vagus is een totaalpakket van wetenschappelijke informatie, jezelf beter leren kennen én de weg naar een meer evenwichtig leven aan de hand van een meer uitgebalanceerde nervus vagus. De uitleg wordt op een eenvoudige manier gebracht en is voor iedereen toepasbaar, mits de juiste motivatie en aanpak.
Het is een van de betere zelfhulpboeken.
Dit boek is daarom een aanrader voor iedereen die minder stress en meer balans in zijn leven wil. Met duidelijke informatie, meer zelfinzicht en bruikbare technieken kan je zelf aan de slag om een mentaal en fysiek gezonder leven te bereiken.
Overweeg je om professionele hulp te zoeken voor je psychisch lijden, maar vind je de stap nog te groot of voel je je er nog niet volledig klaar voor? Lees dan eerst dit boek. De inzichten en oefeningen helpen je alvast op weg.
Hartelijk dank aan uitgeverij Standaard voor dit waardevolle recensieboek.

[Laurie Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape of form.

Healing through the Vagus Nerve, by Amanda Armstrong, is a self-help book that a details the biology of how our body deals with short term and long term stressors in our lives. Armstrong gives a brief description of the polyvagal theory, which discusses how we can tap into our body’s nervous system to help limit the use of maladaptive coping strategies, and provides different reasonings as to why common mental health illnesses affect us the way they do, including anxiety and depression. 

I found the first few chapters of the book extremely helpful, especially with how Armstrong breaks down the human nervous system. I used to be pre-med before transitioning to counseling, so this was a welcome review for me. Moreover, Armstrong’s approach to mental healing reminds me of books such as The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk and My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem with how often it focuses on the body. The therapy I’m currently learning and training in now, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, has a mindfulness component that I feel connects well with the neuropsychological aspects of stress and trauma. The questions are nice, and it gives people pause as to how they can improve their lives from a “scientific” standpoint.

That being said, I don’t think I’ll use this book aside from with a few clients. Many of the clients I see are homeless and are more focused on getting stable housing and food rather than learning about their brain. And for those who are wanting to learn more about their trauma and why they “can’t get over it”, I can see them getting turned off by the jargon Armstrong uses. If the book could be broken down even further I could see myself practicing these coping skills with them. But for right now, I’ll stick with other supplemental materials. 

Aside from that, I do like how Armstrong positively rephrases common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. For all the stigma these two phrases carry, its nice that someone is seeing and incorporating them into our survival instincts. It reminds me of an idea about PTSD, where the symptoms you experience have helped you survive at one point, but now are maladaptive and costing you precious moments in the present.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

On the one hand, this book has reasonable, actionable suggestions and insight that a majority of people would find helpful. People experiencing low-support-needs anxiety, depression, or similar challenges will find helpful info. People experiencing non-organic stressors (trouble at work, difficult meeting at school, etc.) can absolutely use the tools to recognize their mental state and use techniques to help bring themselves back into balance.

In other ways, this wasn't what I was looking for. I have a chronic illness, and the vagus nerve comes up occasionally in other books/research/context, so I was hoping to get a better handle on how it interacts with whatever else I've got going on on any given day. The information was fairly general, and more intro-level. While that's great for many readers, it wasn't what I was hoping for. It also seems like everything about the vagus nerve + other body systems are in a chicken-or-egg space: science doesn't know if the nerve is causing the gut symptoms, or the digestive system is messing up the nerve. Without knowing which is causing which, spending time and resources on support the nerve when it may very well be being constantly unbalanced by other parts of the body feels a bit like trying to fill a barrel with a hole in the bottom.

The author shares early in the book that she no longer medicates her ADHD and anxiety, as she's able to control her symptoms through these practices and general lifestyle. She doesn't necessarily advocate that that's the right path for everyone but... it still left a bad taste. I wonder how much of her ADHD "management" can truly be attributed to cold showers and belly breathing, and how much of it is because she's fortunate enough to manager her own business, thus setting her own goals and working within her natural energy cycles.

originally received as an eARC through NetGalley. The format was difficult to read on my phone, so thanks to my local public library for providing a print copy for me to finish reading.

[Rachael A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does a great job of laying out the foundation of education toward healing one's unique nervous system. It starts with understanding the role of our nervous system, vagus nerve, and how they support physical and mental health. Then you learn to explore how to personalize this knowledge for your own nervous system, complete with exercises and creating a blueprint for healing. The focus of this book is to get to the root of the problem, rather than just symptom management. This book features helpful diagrams and graphics to help the reader further their understanding of the concepts. It also does an excellent job of detailing how our vagus nerve physically can affect different regions of our bodies. I loved the Nervous System Mapping that provides the bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with each state of being (regulation, activation, shutdown). This is so helpful for those learning how to notice states of regulation and could be used to help children and clients in a therapeutic capacity. I also love the concept of "oh of course" to reshape your language around why we act or feel the way we do.
The tone of this book is welcoming and accessible. It meets people where they're at, taking a non-judgmental approach. This book would be a wonderful resource for anyone looking to improve their capacity for emotional regulation or those working in the field of supporting others on this journey.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley through Quarto Publishing. Thank you to Amanda Armstrong for the opportunity to review her book.

[Lorena · Rating 5 out of 5]

With easy to understand text and graphics, trauma-informed coach and kinesiologist Amanda Armstrong teaches readers about the nervous system, and specifically the vagus nerve. She helps you learn to identify when your nervous system is regulated (calm and connected), activated (anxious), or shut down (depressed or overwhelmed). She then provides a menu of proactive practices to help you tone the vagus nerve to increase your resilience and reactive techniques to help you shift out of activation or shutdown.

Even though I’ve already read quite a few books on stress, resilience, and the polyvagal theory, I learned some new tips. I also really appreciated Ms. Armstrong’s gentle, encouraging teaching style. I loved her coaching on how to shift from feeling like there is something wrong with you to understanding why you are reacting a certain way and feeling empowered to shift that. I loved the variety of practices she explains, including breathing exercises, massage techniques, vision exercises, practitioner- and device-supported techniques, and others. She also provides great coaching and examples of how to develop a healing routine that works for you based on stacking tiny habits.

The back matter includes recommended books and other resources, a bibliography, and an index.

I think most people could benefit from reading this book, and I highly recommend it for anyone who suffers from stress-related physical or mental health problems.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a student of life, I've read a lot about adult children of alcoholics, complex PTSD, and other concerns of modern life and childhood trauma. Amanda Armstrong has offered a quality primer for those who want to break this down to its fundamental: nervous system regulation. She breaks human nervous system reactions into three simple and digestible components: the parasympathetic ventral "safe and secure" state, the sympathetic "fight or flight" state, and the shut down dorsal state with green, yellow, and red zones, respectively. The details "why" are not the issue; the goal is to work on regulation of our reactions so that if we get into "fight or flight" we don't stay there, and we have tools to take us from yellow to green instead of yellow to red. The tools and tips are helpful for someone to get started, though they certainly could have gone into more depth. The reading list was good. This was a primer-level work: I didn't learn anything new per se (except some helpful self-massage tips) but learned to approach my own reactions in a practical way. Routine suggestions are straightforward and accessible for anyone, and those who are depressed or shut down can find skills that may help them. This would be a great book for late teens and 20-somethings who might be struggling with mental self-regulation as it will give them tools to look further. Ms. Armstrong has an online free course to go with the book, which is very helpful and kind.

[Henriette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent practical guide
Recently it has become clearer and clearer that healing on a physical and mental level is so much easier and at times only possible if you integrate your nervous system esp. the Vagus Nerv. If you think about it and the author makes a very good point: the stressful living in a modern world is not what the human body was made for. And to balance our nervous system in a way that supports a natural state of health you have to work with the system and its most important nerve, the Vagus nerv.
There are quite a few good books around this one excels because it is easy to read and very practical. As a Covid longhauler I can attest that Armstrong‘s explanations and practical exercises are excellent.
The author puts all the important information out there. The good thing: The information is in a nutshell and easy to understand. She does not skimp but nails the important points. Armstrong makes it totally clear why you need the foundations: depending on the state of your nervous the interventions may differ. And the exercises she proposes are easy as well. I loved how she encourages to start very small and gives lots of practical advice how to implement the change. I very much recommend this book.

received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.

[Marna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I am, in theory, a lover of self-help and wellness books. I'm also a believer that the vast majority of these books always have at least one helpful theory, practice, or idea. I've read about the vagus nerve in a number of other books, so I was pretty excited to read an entire book about it. Unfortunately, I didn't find it very helpful. I found that the major focus of the book was background information, and the practical information and exercises came at the very end. I did find the information about zones of regulation and ways to respond to each very informative (it makes perfect sense that it would help to move your body when you are filled with nervous energy rather than trying to force yourself to stay still - thank you for this!), but there just wasn't enough of this kind of information in the book.

I also found some of the claims dubious. I don't doubt the science about the importance of the vagus nerve, but it did stretch credibility for me to believe that honing the vagus nerve could help prevent or treat a number of complex conditions. Overall, I think if you're looking for a detailed overview of the vagus nerve and a little bit of practical exercises, this is the book for you.

[Jojolee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook, but the content functions better as a physical book or even in an ebook format, as many of the tools provided toward the end of the book will require referring back to if the reader wants to build new habits and create permanent changes.

Overall this was informative and helpful to think of anxiety/depression in relation to how our nervous system functions, and how we can identify what state our bodies are in, so that we can use tools that regulate our nervous systems and in turn our emotions when we become dysregulated. I appreciated the in-depth anatomical and biological info (despite its considerable length) as it helped to build a baseline of knowledge on how the vagus nerve works and what it impacts. It helps you understand why meditation, deep belly breathing, exercise etc are so helpful because ultimately it is bringing your nervous system back to a state of calm.

While repetitive in some parts, this was overall a very good book providing a clear understanding on how/why we get dysregulated, and also providing many tangible tools that we can implement to get back to regulation.

[TayTay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The vagus nerve, a sensory superhighway connecting the brain to vital organs, regulates functions from digestion to heart rate. Its intricate structure, consisting of approximately 160,000 nerve fibers, is being mapped to understand its wide-ranging impacts better, including mood regulation, immune response, and inflammation control. I see more of this popping up on social media to educate and help us understand how vital the vagus nerve plays in our day-to-day lives. This book captured so much complex background information into a digestible format to allow a reader to know how it works, what it can impact, and what you can do to cope. Kudos to the author for a fantastic job along with the wonderful illustrations. Wellness is such an important aspect that hopefully becomes easier to keep in the forefront of our minds.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds, Fair Winds Press, and of course the author, Amanda Armstrong for this wonderful ARC.

[Kira K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I am so glad I picked up this book, from my previous books and studies I knew the importance of the Vagus Nerve in regulation and tackling trauma but this is my first in depth look into it. I appreciated how the book started off with explaining all about the nerve and its importance to give a more holistic view before looking into healing it and the illustrations for things such as the phases of healing and the zones makes it easier to visualise these theories. I was also pleasantly surprised with the representation in the illustrations with a mix of genders and races being depicted and even people like long hair and stubble together or wearing a headscarf which can easily be overlooked when making less image dense books like this. I also appreciated the end having recommendations for rise as we are and wearable tech recommendations as well as further reading and the references.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve (Improve Your Body’s Response to Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Trauma Through Nervous System Regulation) by Amanda Armstrong
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds, Fair Winds Press
Genre: Health, Mind & Body, Science, Self-Help
Expected Publication Date: May 7, 2024
Date Finished: 2/12/2024

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve by Amanda Armstrong is a fascinating resource. I took so many notes and I know I will be reading this again!

The author provided practical suggestions on how to feel better and better deal with stressors. I look forward to implementing some of the ideas in my own life.

If you are looking for a resource to feel better, you may want to check this one out!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alexandria Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The vagus nerve is like this major highway linking your brain to your vital organs, handling everything from how your heart beats to how you digest food. It's made up of around 160,000 nerve fibers, and scientists are busy mapping it all out to get a better grip on how it affects stuff like our mood, immune system, and inflammation. I've been seeing a lot more about it on social media, showing just how crucial it is in our everyday life.

This book does an awesome job of breaking down all that complex info into something you can actually understand. It covers how the vagus nerve functions, its effects, and what you can do to support it. Big props to the author for making it so accessible and throwing in some great illustrations too. Wellness is super important, and this book makes it a bit easier to keep it on our radar.

[Jodell · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book verified what I've been trying to tell my doctor for years. It was like I was a dehydrated lizard in the dessert You know like it the movie "RANGO", The character "Bean's". She's searching for water; I believe that to mean "the answer". She is searching for an answer.

Well reading this finally gave me a long cold glass, no make that 8 glasses of water. I'm rehydrated and happy I always knew that was a mind body connection. And that Vagas Nerve well it slimes its way all around your body in-between your nerves, your heart, veins, gut, everything. It just grows like wild and if you can't find a way to calm this vagus nerve you will walk around like "Bean's", in Rango.

Searching, looking, trying to confirm what you believe to your doctor, or specialist. I of course didn't know it had a name. But I do now.

[Berkeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very informational and I’m sure that it would help others who are new to the topic of the vagus nerve. It was laid out very well with tangible skills. One tip I took away and use daily: plan your goals to be achievable on your worst days.

It was a very basic overview, so if you are already knowledgeable in this subject, it might feel lacking. Also, it was too much of the author’s personal experience for me. In my academic brain, that renders the research less credible, even though I logically know that’s not the case. I also don’t know how I feel about a life coach giving this information (versus a licensed social worker or psychologist who studied it for years). But again, I know that this book can and will help many.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and Fair Winds Press for access to this book via NetGalley!

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley*

This is a fantastic, down-to-Earth summary of neurobiology and the basics of the nervous system. As a clinical counselor, I would personally feel uncomfortable recommending some of these exercises or interventions to my clients because they seem more medical than I am qualified to attempt, but at the same time these things are so needed and so useful. I do wonder if it might be a little much for a layperson; but someone who is deeply committed to healing would be able to digest this. The illustrations are beautiful, the information is presented in a cohesive manner, and it could certainly be helpful for a person who has the tools to digest the comprehensive material.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great in-depth book about helping yourself heal through the vagus nerve. I appreciate all the research that must have gone into this in order to offer so many different modalities to use. While I have read a couple of other vagus nerve books they were written with a lot of scientific wording. This book however is easy to understand, the options are well explained with detailed directions and illustrations to show you what parts of the body are affected. I especially like that each chapter ends with a summary just in case you missed something.
If you are stressed, experiencing issues with your body or have a dysregulated system this book holds a lot of great options for you to try.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

[Stephy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book introduces the basics of how the vagus nerve and the nervous system work, focusing on the idea that most mind-body communication begins in the body. It explains concepts like vagal tone in simple terms and includes illustrations, client stories, and pieces of the author’s own healing journey. The second half of the book walks through different techniques such as breathing exercises, ear and neck massage, visual practices, cold exposure, and gentle movement.

Overall, it was just okay for me. The information felt somewhat introductory and didn’t offer much depth beyond what I’ve already seen in other somatic or nervous-system resources. Still, I did take away a few techniques that I might try when I’m feeling really overwhelmed or stressed.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the vagus nerve and the role that it plays in managing our physical wellbeing. The book does a good job of explaining the critical importance of this element of our nervous system and how it all works.

It will take some time to absorb all the material included therein, but I liked the summaries at the end of each chapter. They provided an easy set of points to take away from that part/chapter of the book. And I also liked the practical strategies offered to improve vagal tone and functionality.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review