The Role of the Vagus Nerve in Healing

There's a nerve in your body that most people have never heard of, and it may be one of the most important ones when it comes to recovering from trauma. It's called the vagus nerve, and at The Resiliency Co. we talk about it a lot.

The vagus nerve is extraordinarily long. It originates in the brainstem and winds its way through the neck, chest, and abdomen, connecting the brain to the heart, the lungs, the gut, and several other organs along the way. It's a primary communication highway between the brain and the body, and it plays a central role in how the body responds to and recovers from stress.

Researchers measure something called vagal tone to describe how well this nerve is functioning. High vagal tone is associated with better emotional regulation, stronger social connection, faster recovery from stress, and overall resilience. Low vagal tone shows up as difficulty calming down, heightened reactivity, digestive issues, and a general sense of being stuck in a stressed or shut-down state.

Trauma consistently affects vagal tone in a negative direction. The good news is that the vagus nerve responds to targeted support. Slow, controlled breathing is one of the most accessible ways to activate it. So are humming, gargling, singing, cold water on the face or neck, and safe relational connection. Each of these sends a signal directly through the vagal pathway that tells the body it's allowed to downshift.

At The Resiliency Co., we also use the Pulsetto device in our Lab. Pulsetto delivers gentle, non-invasive electrical stimulation to the vagus nerve through the skin of the neck, producing a calming effect that many clients describe as immediate and significant.

Understanding this nerve changes how you relate to your own recovery. We'd love to show you what that means in practice.