Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Vagus Nerve Stimulation & Polyvagal Exercises for Nervous System Healing

A Trauma-Informed Guide to Support Emotional Regulation, Connection, and Safety

Understanding the Vagus Nerve and Its Importance

The vagus nerve is one of the most important nerves in the body. It’s the longest cranial nerve, connecting the brain to the heart, lungs, digestive system, and many other vital organs. It plays a key role in helping the body rest, recover, digest, and feel calm after stress. This nerve is a central part of your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the system responsible for slowing down and soothing the body after a stress response.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) refers to any method—natural or medical—that activates the vagus nerve. This can help reduce anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and trauma-related symptoms. Some methods are medical (such as implanted devices for epilepsy or treatment-resistant depression), but many are gentle, natural techniques like deep breathing, humming, and mindful movement. These practices are used in both therapy and wellness routines to support emotional balance and healing.

What Is Polyvagal Theory?

Polyvagal Theory, developed by neuroscientist Dr. Stephen Porges, helps us understand how the nervous system responds to safety and danger. Rather than seeing our nervous system as having just two modes (fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest), Polyvagal Theory reveals that we have three different nervous system states that influence how we feel, behave, and connect with others:

Ventral Vagal State (safe and connected): This is the state we’re in when we feel calm, grounded, and socially engaged. The body is relaxed, breathing is slow, and we feel open to connection.
Sympathetic State (mobilized for danger): This is the fight-or-flight state. We may feel anxious, angry, panicked, or overwhelmed. The heart races, breathing becomes shallow, and the body prepares to defend or escape.
Dorsal Vagal State (immobilized or shut down): When the nervous system feels that a threat is too overwhelming to fight or flee, it may enter a freeze or collapse state. We may feel numb, disconnected, or hopeless. In this state, people often feel isolated or like they’re “not really here.”

The good news is that we can learn to support our nervous system in gently moving from survival states (sympathetic or dorsal) back into a ventral vagal state of safety, self-regulation, and connection. This is where Vagus nerve exercises come in.

Why This Matters in Therapy and Healing

When someone has experienced trauma, chronic stress, or emotional pain, their nervous system may become “stuck” in patterns of survival. This can lead to symptoms like anxiety, depression, fatigue, hypervigilance, dissociation, or difficulty trusting others.

Trauma-informed vagus nerve exercises, when practiced regularly and gently, can help the nervous system relearn how to feel safe again. These exercises are designed to be supportive, adaptable, and empowering. They can help regulate emotions, improve relationships, increase resilience, and foster a deeper connection to one’s body and inner experience.

Trauma-Informed, Polyvagal-Aligned Vagus Nerve Exercises

Each of the following practices is grounded in compassion, choice, and nervous system awareness. You’re encouraged to try them at your own pace, and always check in with yourself. If anything doesn’t feel right, it’s okay to pause, modify, or stop. The goal is not to push through discomfort, but to explore safety and regulation with kindness.

1. Orientation and Glimmers

What it is: Gently looking around your environment to notice safety cues.

How to do it:
Turn your head slowly and let your eyes land on objects or scenes that feel calming or pleasant. This could be light coming through a window, a piece of art, or a color you enjoy. Pause to notice any moment of relief, peace, or curiosity. These small sparks of safety are called “glimmers.”

Why it helps: This supports your nervous system in recognizing that the present moment is safe. It stimulates the ventral vagus, helping shift out of anxiety or collapse and into a more regulated state.

2. Humming, Toning, or Gentle Chanting

What it is: Using your voice to create vibration in the throat and chest.

How to do it:
Take a breath and hum a sound like “mmm,” “ooo,” or “ommm.” Let the vibration move through your chest, neck, and face. You can do this silently in your head if needed, or use soft volume aloud. Sing a soothing song if that feels right.

Why it helps: Vocalization stimulates the vagus nerve through the vocal cords and can increase feelings of calm, grounding, and connection.

3. Deep, Slow Belly Breathing

What it is: Breathing in a way that activates the calming part of the nervous system.

How to do it:
Place one hand on your belly. Inhale gently through your nose for 4 seconds, allowing your belly to rise. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 6–8 seconds. Repeat for a few minutes if comfortable.

Why it helps: Slow, deep exhalation stimulates the ventral vagus nerve, signaling to the body that it’s safe to relax.

4. Butterfly Hug or Soothing Touch

What it is: Using your hands to offer comfort and regulation to your body.

How to do it:
Cross your arms over your chest like a butterfly and gently tap one hand and then the other. You can also place one hand on your heart and one on your belly, or cradle your face gently in your palms.

Why it helps: Safe, self-directed touch calms the body, increases oxytocin (a bonding hormone), and supports the social engagement system.

5. Gargling or Cold Water Splash

What it is: Activating vagal pathways through reflexes and temperature.

How to do it:
Try gargling water in the back of your throat for 30 seconds. Alternatively, splash cool water on your face or press a cool cloth to your cheeks. Avoid if cold exposure feels triggering or unpleasant.

Why it helps: These actions stimulate the vagus nerve and can help lower stress responses and heart rate.

6. Eye Contact or Mirror Gaze (If Safe)

What it is: Soft, intentional eye contact with yourself or another person.

How to do it:
Look into a mirror and make gentle eye contact with your reflection. Offer yourself a soft smile or kind words. If safe and comfortable, practice eye contact with a trusted person for a few moments.

Why it helps: Eye contact activates the ventral vagus and deepens connection, presence, and self-compassion.

7. Pendulation and Resourcing

What it is: Moving gently between stress and safety within the body.

How to do it:
Notice a place in your body that feels activated, tense, or uncomfortable. Then, shift attention to a place that feels calm, strong, or neutral. Go back and forth slowly. End by resting in the more grounded sensation.

Why it helps: This builds autonomic flexibility—the ability to move between states without being stuck. It increases your nervous system’s capacity to regulate.

8. Gentle, Mindful Movement (Yoga, Stretching, or Tai Chi)

What it is: Using your body in slow, rhythmical movements to feel more grounded.

How to do it:
Engage in a few gentle yoga stretches, slow walking, or movements like Tai Chi. Focus on your breath and how your body feels. Let the movement be nourishing rather than performative.

Why it helps: Rhythmic movement helps regulate the nervous system and reconnects you to the present moment through embodied safety.

Final Thoughts

These vagus nerve and Polyvagal-informed exercises can become powerful tools in your healing journey. Practicing even one of these a few times a week can strengthen your nervous system’s resilience, improve emotional regulation, and help you feel more connected—to your body, to others, and to your own inner sense of self-leadership.

Everyone’s nervous system is different. It’s okay if some exercises feel strange or challenging at first. The process of learning regulation is not about perfection—it’s about curiosity, compassion, and care.

Please talk with your therapist if you want to explore these exercises more deeply or tailor them to your unique needs and history.

Resources & Further Reading

Stephen Porges, The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory (2017)
Deb Dana, The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy (2018)
Peter Levine, In an Unspoken Voice (2010)
Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score (2014)
Pat Ogden, Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach (2006)

For additional guidance, you are welcome to reach out to me, my contact information is on the contact page.