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Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism

Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-02 10:55:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stanley Rosenberg
  • ISBN：1623170249
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Summary

Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve is a practical guide to understanding the cranial nerves as the key to our psychological and physical wellbeing。 Drawing from the polyvagal theory of Steven Porges--one of the biggest new developments in human neurobiology--Rosenberg explains in easy-to-understand terms how the vagus nerve， in particular， has a strong role in determining our psychological and emotional state， especially when it comes to how we relate and react to other people。 By understanding the physiology of the autonomic nervous system and practicing simple exercises to restore proper vagal functioning， we can learn how to improve our emotional state within minutes。 Those suffering from anxiety， depression， panic， and trauma will find much that is useful here， as well as those with physical ailments such as chronic pain and digestive problems。 Additionally， because the vagus nerve is a key regulator of social interaction， therapy for proper vagal functioning has great potential for helping those with autism spectrum disorders。
 
Following a detailed explanation of the cranial nerves， the polyvagal theory， and how craniosacral therapy can assist with restoring proper neuroception， Rosenberg provides self-help exercises to test ventral vagal function and to improve the function of the cranial nerves。 A separate chapter addresses how we might rethink common psychological problems via vagal theory， including anxiety， panic， phobias， obsessive-compulsive disorder， bipolar disorder， and post-traumatic stress disorder， as well as autism， ADHD， and more。 Rosenberg also includes case studies throughout from his twenty years of experience as a craniosacral therapist。
 
When we change our emotional state from one of pain and confusion to one of wellbeing and feeling safe， we feel better， think more clearly， and have better interactions with others。 The healing power of the vagus nerve removes negative feelings blocking our true potential; by restoring vagal functioning， we can naturally shift our behavior to get the most out of life。

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Reviews

Marko Zyznewsky ，

Vagal af

Erin Dennis ，

This book was extremely beneficial for me， especially since I've stumbled into a road block with my neurologist。 I find the exercises extremely useful and the science behind them that is explained gave me such relief to know I'm not making this up。 These symptoms are really happening to me after decades of medical trauma。 As for the autism claims， I am not familiar enough nor do I work with children/adults on the spectrum， so I can't speak to the validity。 However， for anxiety and trauma， I high This book was extremely beneficial for me， especially since I've stumbled into a road block with my neurologist。 I find the exercises extremely useful and the science behind them that is explained gave me such relief to know I'm not making this up。 These symptoms are really happening to me after decades of medical trauma。 As for the autism claims， I am not familiar enough nor do I work with children/adults on the spectrum， so I can't speak to the validity。 However， for anxiety and trauma， I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Suzanne Henwood ，

I love this book。It is jam packed full of great stuff; from neuroscience， research， application to guided practical tools to try out。 This is one of my essential reads in the world of coaching to the vagus nerve

Jordan ，

I like the theory more than I like the book。

Denim ，

Some interesting exercises， but he's definitely trying to say he's developed a miracle cure for all things ANS and it's just not real。 Also early on in the book， he brings up a dubious anecdote about pillow fights as a foreplay ritual in Japan which felt so racist and exoticising and unresearched。 Lost at least one star for that。 Some interesting exercises， but he's definitely trying to say he's developed a miracle cure for all things ANS and it's just not real。 Also early on in the book， he brings up a dubious anecdote about pillow fights as a foreplay ritual in Japan which felt so racist and exoticising and unresearched。 Lost at least one star for that。 。。。more

Broccoli ，

Exercises from this book are great！ They are so easy and simple that you'd think it's a BS， but actually they work。 After doing them I felt very relaxed and my mood changed to better， also movement in neck was much better。Everything before exercises part is kinda boring and is not needed to read it all。 You can just skim through it what interests you and jump in to exercises。 Exercises from this book are great！ They are so easy and simple that you'd think it's a BS， but actually they work。 After doing them I felt very relaxed and my mood changed to better， also movement in neck was much better。Everything before exercises part is kinda boring and is not needed to read it all。 You can just skim through it what interests you and jump in to exercises。 。。。more

Natalie ，

So disappointing。 75% of the book is endlessly repeating the same things。 The whole first part could have been much shorter。 It's boring and dry， and I usually love theory but this was just too much。 He just keeps saying the same things over and over again。 At least Mr Stanley seems very pleased with his own work， he loves to mention how well he does everything。2 stars because the actual theory about the poly vagus nerve is interesting。 I am not sure about the exercises。 They were supposed to br So disappointing。 75% of the book is endlessly repeating the same things。 The whole first part could have been much shorter。 It's boring and dry， and I usually love theory but this was just too much。 He just keeps saying the same things over and over again。 At least Mr Stanley seems very pleased with his own work， he loves to mention how well he does everything。2 stars because the actual theory about the poly vagus nerve is interesting。 I am not sure about the exercises。 They were supposed to bring me into a whole new state of social engagement （a term that is used so often in this book I can not stand it anymore） but I don't feel any different or notice any improvement。 It has only been a couple of days so maybe it's not fair to judge them right now。 。。。more

Dr。 Tobias Christian Fischer ，

Ein gutes Buch um die Psyche und gesundheitliche Zusammenhänge in Einklang zu betrachten。 Gut geschrieben und einfach verständlich。 Vagus Nerv ist der Schlüssel hier。 Was am Besten hilft: Sport。

Carina ，

The book had great potential。 I enjoyed the interesting techniques mentioned， however the writing itself was too technical to be easily understood。

Patrycja ，

Do yourself a favour and read it - it won't hurt。 Even reading it half-heartedly should proof beneficial for most of the society nowadays Do yourself a favour and read it - it won't hurt。 Even reading it half-heartedly should proof beneficial for most of the society nowadays 。。。more

Cat ，

I found this rather unhelpful and very ableist。 Autistic people aren't defective， as this book seems to imply。 Autism and ADHD aren't behavioural problems。 I cannot recommend this to other autistic people。 I found this rather unhelpful and very ableist。 Autistic people aren't defective， as this book seems to imply。 Autism and ADHD aren't behavioural problems。 I cannot recommend this to other autistic people。 。。。more

Heather！ ，

Too much woo。

Heidi Abramyk ，

I felt like the first few chapters took me a bit to get into/warm up to。 Once I did， I quite enjoyed the book and level of information。 It is put in terms that are accessible and the exercises are easy to understand and do。 This book gave me more than I expected！

Naomi Kilbreth ，

Ever since reading this book， the concepts related to polyvagal theory keep popping up！ I just finished another， completely unrelated book where it was spoken of in some depth as well。 Before I had finished reading this one， I taught a client to use a couple of the techniques， and a couple of days later she woke up and found her Lyme symptoms had temporarily ceased！ I have taught the exercises to my kids and will continue to work from this new paradigm。 Excellent work！

Nat ，

Some really interesting nuggets of information scattered over a repetitive landscape。 Rosenberg makes many generalisations， and some spurious conjecture。 For example， whilst listing symptoms of depression， “people with a diagnosis of depression。。。 are often plagued by the aches and pains of fibromyalgia”。 Are they though？ 🧐 People with fibromyalgia often have depression， yes， and depression can deepen a fibromyalgia patient’s experience of pain， but I think it’s inaccurate to say that fibromyalg Some really interesting nuggets of information scattered over a repetitive landscape。 Rosenberg makes many generalisations， and some spurious conjecture。 For example， whilst listing symptoms of depression， “people with a diagnosis of depression。。。 are often plagued by the aches and pains of fibromyalgia”。 Are they though？ 🧐 People with fibromyalgia often have depression， yes， and depression can deepen a fibromyalgia patient’s experience of pain， but I think it’s inaccurate to say that fibromyalgia is a symptom of depression。 Depression can cause aches and pains， but it’s not at all the same as fibromyalgia。It’s also unfortunate that the way he talks about autism is problematic。 That it’s a tragedy。 That people with autism need to be cured。 I’m not well enough to do the exercises for ANS regulation， so I can’t attest to those， although I know many have benefited from them。 I have no doubt over Rosenberg’s skills as a body therapist or osteopath， however this book could have been much more carefully written。 。。。more

Iman Shabani ，

While I can't comment on the whole book at this moment， I can say it helped me， and the main advice of the book actually works， give it a shot！ While I can't comment on the whole book at this moment， I can say it helped me， and the main advice of the book actually works， give it a shot！ 。。。more

Jessica Keppy ，

Wonderful information but poorly written

Zhivko Kabaivanov ，

Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve （2017） is a best-selling guide to understanding the role the cranial nerves – and in particular the vagus nerve – play in our physical and psychological well-being。 In addition to explaining the function of the cranial nerves， it offers simple techniques for treating common medical symptoms without pharmacological or surgical intervention。

Kirt ，

I read the Blinkist abridgment。

Synthia Salomon ，

I wish I took more notes with this book。 I want to learn more。

QUINNS ，

Most of us experience stress， anxiety， and pain in our daily lives， some even without noticing it。 Whereby many people would treat these symptoms with pharmaceuticals or surgery。 The author， a Craniosacral therapist argues that simple therapies that activate the ventral vagus nerve could alleviate these symptoms without medical intervention。 One of these therapies is a two-minute exercise called the Basic Exercise。 Immediately after the exercise， I felt something was shifting in the brain or the Most of us experience stress， anxiety， and pain in our daily lives， some even without noticing it。 Whereby many people would treat these symptoms with pharmaceuticals or surgery。 The author， a Craniosacral therapist argues that simple therapies that activate the ventral vagus nerve could alleviate these symptoms without medical intervention。 One of these therapies is a two-minute exercise called the Basic Exercise。 Immediately after the exercise， I felt something was shifting in the brain or the nerve， at ease and breathing more fully。 。。。more

Sarah ，

A couple years ago I went to the most enlightening 3 day workshop with Kim Barthel。 This book expands upon what I learned from her about the vagus nerve and provides specific practical information。

Jess Cifizzari ，

I picked this book up because I was recently diagnosed with POTS。 Using the basic exercise in this book （the only one I have tried so far）， I have experienced a relief from symptoms that I did not expect。 The information was informative and accessible。

Samantha ，

I was drawn to this book based on the idea of dealing with the physical toll of stress。 I actually didn’t seek this out in regards to autism， despite having autism myself。 I shudder at the thought of parents of autistic children reading this book and getting it in their head that they can cure their child’s disorder。 A fair warning to all people with autism who may stumble across this book as I did - This entire book is based on fixing a persons ability to interact socially and you will not feel I was drawn to this book based on the idea of dealing with the physical toll of stress。 I actually didn’t seek this out in regards to autism， despite having autism myself。 I shudder at the thought of parents of autistic children reading this book and getting it in their head that they can cure their child’s disorder。 A fair warning to all people with autism who may stumble across this book as I did - This entire book is based on fixing a persons ability to interact socially and you will not feel very good after hearing about your “defective” genes。In terms of the other points of the book; Listening to this book at double speed did nothing to help how much it droned on and repeated itself。 The entire first part of this book （which is about 90% of it） could easily be cut in half。 There is a distinct feeling the author is trying to sound as credible and scientifically sound as possible to the average person reading or listening。 If anyone is interested in the polyvagal theory I would recommend seeking out the mind behind it， Stephen W。 Porges。 。。。more

Bogi Takács ，

I read this book a few months ago， but apparently Goodreads ate my review and the book doesn't even show up on my "Read" list， so I'll try to just summarize my comments from memory （they weren't very long）。 The neuroscience in the book is a mess。 The statements about autism are ignorant and possibly dangerous。 （Changing the shape of the head to treat autism？？？） The actual physical exercises are reasonably nice and have helped me decrease tension in my neck and shoulders， though the text portrays I read this book a few months ago， but apparently Goodreads ate my review and the book doesn't even show up on my "Read" list， so I'll try to just summarize my comments from memory （they weren't very long）。 The neuroscience in the book is a mess。 The statements about autism are ignorant and possibly dangerous。 （Changing the shape of the head to treat autism？？？） The actual physical exercises are reasonably nice and have helped me decrease tension in my neck and shoulders， though the text portrays them as a panacea， which they most certainly aren't。If you're interested in picking this up， I'd recommend just trying the exercises and ignoring the rest。_______Source of the book: Lawrence Public Library 。。。more

Alexander Broses ，

This one got me excited。 Very informative。

Jennie Chantal ，

As other reviewers have stated， this book was dry， boring， deeply ableist， and made many oversimplifications and generalizations。 It is painfully， and I mean painfully repetitive。 The first 50% of the book could have easily been cut in half。 It often seemed as if each chapter was written to stand alone， often full sentences were repeated from one chapter to the next。I don't think Rosenberg knew what audience he was writing for as it alternates between technical， academic and layperson language。 As other reviewers have stated， this book was dry， boring， deeply ableist， and made many oversimplifications and generalizations。 It is painfully， and I mean painfully repetitive。 The first 50% of the book could have easily been cut in half。 It often seemed as if each chapter was written to stand alone， often full sentences were repeated from one chapter to the next。I don't think Rosenberg knew what audience he was writing for as it alternates between technical， academic and layperson language。 It lacked examples to help the reader understand the anatomy and physiology aspects and when examples were included it was near always a 100% cure in one session。 Bullshit。 Basically， it was a mess。For the most part， the way he talks about autism and autistic people was offensive， patronizing and full of stigma。 "Defective"， in need of "cure"， "a challenge"， "the emotional toll"， "the cost of autism。" He also talked about ensuring autistic children feel safe and respected which frankly can't be done when you believe they are also defective。 I really liked the separation of post-traumatic stress from post-traumatic shutdown and think this could be incredibly useful for treatment and understanding of how PTSD functions。 I also really like the idea of an assessment of nervous system function becoming a routine part of doctor's appointments and medical practice。 That would be amazing！ I'm also curious about the exercises presented at the end and will be trying them out。I will be reading Stephen Porges next as I'm still very curious to learn more about Polyvagal theory which this book totally failed at teaching me。 。。。more

Gregp ，

7 out of 10

Sally ，

Excellent therapy for necks - skip the text and go to the exercises at the end。 Simple and effective

nora beales ，

I liked the simplicity of this author’s writing。 In layman’s terms she covered a very complex system of the human body and how to and why to keep it healthy。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0