The Vagus Nerve and Trauma
Vagus Nerve and Trauma: How the Nervous System Shapes Healing
When people think of trauma, they typically think of a traumatic event and then how they impacts someone psychologically — flashbacks, negative thoughts, avoidance. However, trauma at its core lives in the body. Trauma activates the sympathetic nervous system or the "fight or flight” response which leaves the body feeling on edge constantly.
One way that we work towards healing trauma stored in the body is through activating the vagus nerve which is part of the parasympathetic nervous system or the “rest and digest” response. Understanding the connection between the vagus nerve and trauma can be powerful step towards healing.
What is the Vagus Nerve?
Before being able to understand the connection between the vagus nerve and trauma, it is helpful to first understand what the vagus nerve is.
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, it runs all the way from the brainstem through the neck, into the chest and abdomen, connecting the brain to the heart, lungs, and digestive system.
The primary role of the vagus nerve is to regulate the autonomic nervous system which is responsible for rest, digestion, and overall recovery. The vagus nerve helps the body to feel safe enough to relax.
Trauma and the Nervous System
Trauma occurs when the nervous system becomes overwhelmed and struggles to return to feeling safe and grounded. When trauma is present the nervous system becomes stuck in:
Fight or flight (sympathetic activation)
Freeze or shutdown (dorsal vagal response)
This is where the relationship between the vagus nerve and trauma becomes important. It can be helpful to think of a feral cat that is always scared of everything around it. They are typically hypervigilant and always on the run.
The Vagus Nerve and Trauma
According to Polyvagal Theory, the vagus nerve has two main areas that influence how we respond to stress and perceived danger:
Dorsal Vagal Pathway (Fawn or Freeze)
Activates when a threat feels overwhelming
Leads to numbness, dissociation, or fatigue
Ventral Vagal Pathway (Safety and Connection)
Supports with regulated social engagement and connection with others
Allows emotional regulation
Trauma weakens the nervous system and its ability to move between states, which leads people to feel stuck or constantly on edge.
Signs the Vagus Nerve and Trauma and Impacted
People who experience vagus nerve dysregulation due to trauma may notice:
Hypervigilance
High anxiety
Numbness or dissociation
Digestive issues
Nausea
Chronic fatigue
Low motivation
Difficulty feeling calm after stressful events
These symptoms are signs of the nervous system trying to do its job but just getting stuck due to trauma.
The Vagus Nerve and Trauma — Healing and Regulation
Since trauma is stored in the body and the nervous system in particular, healing often requires what is known as “bottom-up” approaches. These types of approaches work both with the body and the mind and often incorporate supporting the vagus nerve to help restore a sense of safety in the body.
Trauma-Informed Approaches The Support the Vagus Nerve:
Trauma-informed yoga
Breathwork
Safe, attuned therapeutic relationships
Mindfulness and grounding
These approaches all help the nervous system to learn that the treat has passed and it is now safe again.
Ways to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve
Humming. Humming vibrates the vocal cords with stimulate the vagus nerve.
Sudden exposure to cold water. Think cold water plunge, cold wash cloth, or splashing cold water on our face. This stimulates our “dive” reflex which in return can stimulate our vagus nerve.
Moving your eyes back and forth slowly. Keep your head center and solely move your eyes slowly back and forth. This mimics the calm scan that we often do once danger has passes.
Deep breathing. Taking some slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm can support with stimulating your vagus nerve.
Why Understanding the Vagus Nerve and Trauma Matters
When we understand the connection between the vagus nerve and trauma, we often understand ourselves and responses better. Trauma symptoms are not individuals making things up or overexaggerating, but rather physiological adaptations in response to an overwhelming, stressful event.
Healing requires teaching the nervous system that the threat has passed and safety and regulation are now possible.
Healing from trauma is a process and the body and vagus nerve in particular play an important role in that journey. By addressing the vagus nerve and nervous sytem overall, therapy can move beyond symptoms management and into deep, long-lasting change.
If you have tried talk therapy and find yourself still feeling stuck and craving that deep kind of change, it is worth exploring trauma-informed, nervous system based approaches such as the ones listed aboce.
We provide online trauma therapy such as online EMDR therapy and online Brainspotting therapy in Minnesota, Colorado, California, Vermont, Wisconsin, Delaware, South Carolina, and Florida. Reach out to us today to schedule your free 15-minute consultation and learn how trauma-informed care can support your healing journey!
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