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clear search termsThe Parasympathetic Nervous System and the Vagus Nerve: For Practitioners
Hi!
Although you may already be a savvy practitioner, I am certain you will learn something new in this video about The Parasympathetic Nervous System and the Vagus Nerve: For Practitioners. You’ll walk away with pages of notes and practical pearls you can use in your practice right away.
Here are some of the things we’ll be discussing:
- The X-factor for sympathetic/parasympathetic balance – and why it’s unfortunately almost always overlooked!
- Why the PNS and Vagus are even More important for practitioners embrace during the pandemic (and its aftermath). This one is key.
- The What and Why of Vagal Tone. Any why you Really need to Know! Plus the fun, simple hacks anyone can do to improve it.
- Parasympathetic good; Sympathetic bad. Right? Not really. You need to remember this important devil-in-the-detail.
- Surprising measures that can shed light on autonomic nervous system health.
- Easy but oh-so effective hacks for improving autonomic balance.
- How and why this area of physiology is intimately tied to digestion, detoxification, and immunity. Do You know the mechanisms?
- The Biggest practitioner mistakes when talking to patients about stress.
Done-for-you patient handouts that can be helpful in encouraging your patients to explore the effects of stress and making tangible steps in reducing its impact can be found here and here.
Thank you very much for joining in the fun and learning! Please share your thoughts (please be thorough) in the “Ask a Question” area below about what inspired you in this presentation! Include what type of practitioner you are, so that we can all see your unique perspective.
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The need to fully enter into the parasympathetic mode to effectively heal during eight hours of sleep is paramount. Dr. Stasha Gominak has developed a hypothesis that Vitamin D and Vitamin B5 are necessary in proper proportions to successfully paralysis the bodies musculature to enable healing to take place. What do you think of her hypothesis?
Gargling? Who knew??? So many of your stress de-regulators have worked with me over the years – especially breathing – when I was in a super-stressed position care-taking my mother, I would go outside, sit on a bench and BREATHE – I was ready to go back in with her after five minutes and move on with the day… The only technique I have had trouble with over the years (which actually is a tremendous idea) is the gratitude journal. Journaling, in particular, is something I will do for weeks or even months and then just quit and not miss it at all. I meditate, listen to guided meditation and inspirational podcasts and talks, do a daily yoga class, and get outside and nature bathe three times a day walking my dog. I have tried the gratitude journaling “in my head” and when I lay my head down on the pillow at night and think of all the wonderful experiences I encountered that day, I am (usually) instantly asleep! I have tried gratitude journaling “in my head” also in the morning and it works fine, too. I think (as you can see here), I can be very verbose and it’s… Read more »
Great and hot topic. So important to be conscious about our own boundaries and to learn how to say stop and to respect it. As a FM health coach… I see in my practice so many people with chronic disease and their common triggers is very often stresses! Education, inspiration and empowerment about the importance to keep an healthy and balanced nervous system is key to start any healing journey…
Thank you Tracy for this another great podcast!
Sophie
Terrific reminder of how easy it is activate our parasympathetic nervous system with breathing exercises alone. The handout should be useful with my health coaching clients.
Thank you!
Another great discussion. I apprescite how grounded and relevant the information is. Every client of mine can benefit from this. Thank you!
What do you advise people who want to wear their apple watch or fitbit to bed in order to track their sleep? I am concerned regarding the EMF exposure all night long.
Thanks Tracy!!
Indeed, individuals can have widely varying sensitivity to this type of dynamic, so certainly one solution won’t fit all. And the exposure is very mild compared to what one typically faces in day-to-day waking environments. Generally, though, I would recommend a person wear this type of device for a short time as needed to assess sleep and identify focus areas for improvementand then set it aside, not wearing it at night, until they are ready for another assessment. Wearable devices in general can be so helpful! But they can also spawn a bit of an obsessiveness with constant assessment of one’s behaviors.
I absolutely love these videos! They are so informative!
The ANTS and using box breathing to train the brain to help switch them off is a method I will definitely add to my own life as well as my coaching ..
Thank you so much for this talk. Such a great reminder to take a moment for self care to activate our parasympathetic system. So important.
Fantastic informative video and really useful. I loved the ANTs idea, automatic negative thoughts! Irritating little critters!
Taurine or magnesium taurate promote gaba production , an inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Your video was inspirational. I have an Acupuncture Clinic in the UK. I take away from the session all your thoughts about stress, how we can feed into the thought process as well as useful techniques for stress reduction. I will definitely be listening out for your next event!!
Wow the power of the mind! My question is about the vagus nerve. I’m an RN, I’ve worked in ore post surgery and office setting for quite some time. What does it mean when a vagus nerve is accidentally cut during surgery? Does it mean that person will no longer have that efferent afterwards pathway and be able to use the vagus nerve as we should? How can we educate the patient after this happens!
Thank you very much
There is good evidence of some degree of vagal nerve bundle regeneration. You may find these to be of interest: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0165183883901303 , https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-65889-1_25 , and https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044/full .
THe VAGUS nerve! Something that is not talked about enough. 80% afferent! How much the SNS mode is damaging. Its amazing how much Americans live in this mode. Definitely inspired to have more of these conversations and desire to share the breathing handout. Thank you!
Totally enjoyed this live. My main take away has been the reinforcement of embrassing my weirdo and let it shine. Teaching clients how to embrace their unicorn abilities through breathing, singing etc. Just love all your Lives Tracy you have so much passion
Thank you so much for another jam-packed live, Tracy! The gut-brain connection is one of my favorite topics! Absolutely love your analogy of how the body shows up on the battlefield – pure gold! The main takeaway, yet again, that there is so much we can do to improve things – i.e. strengthen the vagal tone and change how we perceive our reality.
I loved the tool given to activate parasympathetic response, particularly the gratitude journal. Most people cringe at the idea because it’s seen as a chore, just write a few things down with no emotions. I love how you chose one event and expanded beautifully.
Great topic. This has really highlighted for me that I need to work on myself with regards to parasympathetic stimulation as well as providing great practical strategies for me to share with clients. I love the descriptions and analogies you use, I will be using some of these with clients.
Hi Tracy, thanks for the great reminders!
“We are constantly exposed to our thoughts” : I never thought about it from this perspective! What a trigger for the sympathetic nervous system…
I love the pearl about stimulating the vagus nerve through gargling (I have just learnt the cute concept of gargling “loud and proud” – the louder the gargle the more stimulation to the posterious muscles of the throat, which will send signals to the vagus nerve and help to relax). And I will definitely try out singing and recommend it to clients! This last one may appeal to many and bring some fun in the daily routine. Thanks
New information for me is that Magnesium glycinate helos in calming the nervous system and that Magnedium taurate potentiates gaba effects and that for people with muscle rigifity due to stress, Magnesiun threonate is helpful
Thank you for the great video. I am from Hungary. Your teachings help me a lot. Stress management technics arr very important. Breathing excercise is wonderfool tool.