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Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism
The best-selling book on the topic—now in 15 languages. This practical guide to understanding the cranial nerves as the key to our psychological and physical well-being builds on Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory—one of the most important recent developments in human neurobiology. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience as a craniosacral therapist and Rolfer, Stanley Rosenberg explores the crucial role that the vagus nerve plays in determining our psychological and emotional states and explains that a myriad of common psychological and physical symptoms—from anxiety and depression to migraines and back pain—indicates a lack of proper functioning in the vagus nerve. Through a series of easy self-help exercises, the book illustrates the simple ways we can regulate the vagus nerve in order to initiate deep relaxation, improve sleep, and recover from injury and trauma. Additionally, by exploring the link between a well-regulated vagus nerve and social functioning, Rosenberg’s findings and methods offer new hope that by improving social behavior it is possible to alleviate some of the symptoms at the core of many cases of autism spectrum disorders. Useful for psychotherapists, doctors, bodyworkers, and caregivers, as well as anyone who experiences the symptoms of chronic stress and depression, this book shows how we can optimize autonomic functioning in ourselves and others, and bring the body into the state of safety that activates its innate capacity to heal.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2017
1495 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
June 25, 2022
His background in bodywork is steeped in intuition that, while may sounding repetitive within certain chapters, starts to show deep insight by the end. You could skip straight to the exercises he provides, but then you wouldn't understand the mechanics, which he goes into painstaking detail. As much as I've read in this field (10+ books), his book is the first to translate all the theoretical understandings around trauma and the vagus nerve into direct, hands-on practices for everyday people to use to ground themselves. His generosity, in this regard, and his each-one-teach-one philosophy truly shines through his book. Given the often highly proprietary practices within the trauma field right now where many innovators require interested parties to shell out hundreds of dollars to learn their techniques, Rosenberg's book is a refreshingly distinct departure as he freely shares his from his own professed desire to get this information out to as many people as possible. This book is great for everyone, but especially therapists, bodyworkers, and other healers. I gave it a 5 because of what he does, even though I do think his writing could have been better condensed in certain chapters.
UPDATE: I don’t think this book is selling itself as a panacea to trauma and/or other issues. His ideas are simple: these techniques are for gently guiding your body to another state of regulation, and these techniques work best, if they work at all, if they are practiced often and mindfully. I know this author is getting a lot of negative reviews for his thoughts on autism that he shares. I think many of the critiques have important points. The rub is we are still learning about autism, including if autism comes with particular physiological issues. I identify personally and believe deeply in the framework of neurodiversity and neurodivergence. The fascinating thing about being human is how we can have mostly the same parts and be different from each other. To me, it makes sense that we can have the same hardware of a brain and a nervous system, and that our unique software means we experience sensations differently. For a less controversial aspect of being human, like extroversion/introversion, there’s a ton of science that shows extroverts and introverts respond to the same stimuli radically differently in their nervous systems. Sound is a good example. I think as autism becomes less stigmatized and pathologized, we can more fully and openly discuss what people with autism experience and whether techniques such as what is offered in this book support them in regulating their nervous system.
UPDATE: I don’t think this book is selling itself as a panacea to trauma and/or other issues. His ideas are simple: these techniques are for gently guiding your body to another state of regulation, and these techniques work best, if they work at all, if they are practiced often and mindfully. I know this author is getting a lot of negative reviews for his thoughts on autism that he shares. I think many of the critiques have important points. The rub is we are still learning about autism, including if autism comes with particular physiological issues. I identify personally and believe deeply in the framework of neurodiversity and neurodivergence. The fascinating thing about being human is how we can have mostly the same parts and be different from each other. To me, it makes sense that we can have the same hardware of a brain and a nervous system, and that our unique software means we experience sensations differently. For a less controversial aspect of being human, like extroversion/introversion, there’s a ton of science that shows extroverts and introverts respond to the same stimuli radically differently in their nervous systems. Sound is a good example. I think as autism becomes less stigmatized and pathologized, we can more fully and openly discuss what people with autism experience and whether techniques such as what is offered in this book support them in regulating their nervous system.
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July 5, 2020I 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
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
June 26, 2020
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.
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.
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August 17, 2022Benim için devrim niteliğinde bir kitap oldu. Hepimiz sinir sistemimizi deneyimliyoruz derlerdi de, o kadar olduğunu bilmezdim. O yüzden savruk zihnimi güzelce toplayıp, tane tane anlatmak istiyorum. Ve sizlere, benim anlatmamdaki beceri ya da beceriksizliğimden etkilenmeden migren, depresyon, uyku problemi, panik atak, fibromiyaljii dikkat eksikliği gibi kronik ya da düzensiz aralıklarla tekrar eden semptomlardan muzdaripseniz kitabı elde edip okumanızı tavsiye ediyorum.
Ben kitabı aldım alalı öğrettiği temel egzersizi hem kendim yapıyor hem de iyi geleceğini düşündüğüm kişilere öğretiyorum ve hepsi olumlu etkilerini gördüklerini söylüyor. (migreni olan bir arkadaşım bir haftadır aşırı rahat hissettiğini ve boyun ağrılarından kurtulduğunu söyledi)
Bu şüpheli görünen durumu kendimce biraz açmayı deneyeyim. Kitapta ismi geçen Vagus, kendisi kafatası sinirlerimizden onuncusu olur ve gezmeyi biraz(fazlasıyla)seven bir sinirdir. Kafatasından gözlerimize, yüz kaslarımıza, yutağa ulaşır ve oradan aşağı inerek tüm iç organları gezer. Fakat uzuunca bir süre Vagus'un bu rotası insanlar tarafından biraz yanlış anlaşılmış ve Vagus'un sadece yemek bulma, yeme, sindirim gibi süreçlerden sorumlu olduğuna inanılmış. Ta kiii Stephen Porges (aydede yüzlü bir nörobilimci) Polivegal Teorisini sunana kadar... Polivegal Teorinin getirdiği yenilik, Vagusun sadece iç organların işleyişinden sorumlu olmakla kalmayıp, sosyal etkileşimimizi düzenleyen bir dalı daha olduğunu keşfetmek olmuş. Porges'in bulgusuna göre Vagus'un Dorsal dalı (ilkel vagus da deniyor) doğada tehlikeli anlarda kapanma, donma tepkisinden sorumluyken(avcısından kaçarken donup kalan memeliler örnek veriliyor), daha sonra evrimleşen Ventral Dalı da güvende olduğumuz anlarda kurduğumuz sağlıklı sosyal etkileşimi düzenliyor. (Yüz kaslarımızı kullanmamız, ses tonumuzu ayarlamamız, duyduğumuz seslerin güvenli ya da tehlike işareti olduklarını anlamamız gibi...)
Mesele derin, uzadıkça uzuyor, kısaca özetlemeye çalışacağım: sinir sistemimizde önemli bir rolü olan Vagus'a dair bu bulgu, sosyal travmalarımızın da sinir sistemimize kazındığına ve psikolojik olarak adlandırılan pek çok sıkıntının aslında travmatize sinir sistemi ile ilişkili olduğu bilgisine kadar uzanmış. Yani hem iç organların işleyişinden hem de sosyal etkileşimden sorumlu Vagus teorisi, yaşadığımız kronik fizyolojik rahatsızlıklar ve yazarın psikolojik demeyi tercih etmediği sıkıntılardan iyileşmek için öncelikle sinir sistemini travmatize olmadan önceki haline getirmemiz gerektiği bilgisini sunuyor bize. Kitabın güzel yanı, bu egzersizleri okurla paylaşması oluyor. Belirli göz egzersizleriyle Vagus'un Ventral dalını uyararak zaman içinde daha dengeli işleyen bir sinir sistemi elde edeceğimizi öğretiyor. Yani temelde, tehlike ve güvendelik hissini sağlıklı hissedebilmemizi sağlayacak sinir sistemi işleyişine kavuşuyoruz zamanla. Mesela ben göz göze gelmekte zorluk çeken birisi olmuşudur hep, son zamanlarda bunu biraz daha rahat ve doğal yaptığımı hissediyorum, olumsuz iç seslerim azaldı ve konuşurken daha doğal hissediyorum. (tabii bu hızlı sonuçta benim bir süredir düzenli yoga yapmam, beden ve nefes farkındalığım üzerine çalışmam da etkili olmuştur diye düşünüyorum. çünkü ilk yaptığı anda hiçbir şey hissetmediğini söyleyip, zamanla uykusunun düzeldiğini fark eden de oldu.)
Benim için bu kitabın en çarpıcı yanı, yıllardır ''ben'' sandığım şeylerin, aslında travmatize bir sinir sisteminin sonuçları olduğunu görmek oldu. Şimdi yayınevlerinin kitap pazarlamakta kullandığı tekniği kullanarak bitireceğim bu yorumu, hazır olun :)
siz de kendinizi güçsüz, çaresiz, etkisiz mi hissediyorsunuz? bir oda dolusu insanın içinde 'benim burada ne işim var? gibi sorgulara girmeden duramıyor musunuz? sosyal etkileşim durumunda sık sık kendinizi ortamdan soyutlanmış, üçüncü bir göz gibi mi hissediyorsunuz? ya da uzun süren tepkisizilik anlarından sonra ani patlamalar mı yaşıyorsunuz? harekete geçecek gücü ve motivasyonu bulmakta sıklıkla zorlanıyor musunuz? otomatik tepkilerinizi dönüştürmekte etkisiz mi kalıyorsunuz? kısacası bir şeyler sizin kontrolünüzde hissettirmiyor mu, bu kitap tam size göre :)
NOT: egzersizleri yapan olursa bana geri dönüş yapmasını çok isterim çünkü biraz anlamak istiyorum kimde nasıl bir etki yarattı diye. paylaşmak isterseniz açığım. ventral dalım çok mu aktive oldu ne, hoşçakalın :))
edit: kitapta sunduğu bakış açısını oldukça yenilikçi bulduğumdan olsa gerek yazarın fazlasıyla tekrara düştüğüne değinmemişim hiç. yazar yazdığı konuda coşkuya kapılıyor yer yer, bu üslubu polivegal teoriyi tanımayan biri için fazla iddialı gelebilir. ben başlarda epey etkilendim, bi yerden sonra ya bu temel egzersizi deneyince ya anlattığı gibi çıkmazsa diye bi endişelendim, sonra deneyimlerimle faydasını görünce sanırım nötrlendim o üsluba karşı. tarafsız gözlemci aslı yanım bu editi yapmadan duramadı.
Ben kitabı aldım alalı öğrettiği temel egzersizi hem kendim yapıyor hem de iyi geleceğini düşündüğüm kişilere öğretiyorum ve hepsi olumlu etkilerini gördüklerini söylüyor. (migreni olan bir arkadaşım bir haftadır aşırı rahat hissettiğini ve boyun ağrılarından kurtulduğunu söyledi)
Bu şüpheli görünen durumu kendimce biraz açmayı deneyeyim. Kitapta ismi geçen Vagus, kendisi kafatası sinirlerimizden onuncusu olur ve gezmeyi biraz(fazlasıyla)seven bir sinirdir. Kafatasından gözlerimize, yüz kaslarımıza, yutağa ulaşır ve oradan aşağı inerek tüm iç organları gezer. Fakat uzuunca bir süre Vagus'un bu rotası insanlar tarafından biraz yanlış anlaşılmış ve Vagus'un sadece yemek bulma, yeme, sindirim gibi süreçlerden sorumlu olduğuna inanılmış. Ta kiii Stephen Porges (aydede yüzlü bir nörobilimci) Polivegal Teorisini sunana kadar... Polivegal Teorinin getirdiği yenilik, Vagusun sadece iç organların işleyişinden sorumlu olmakla kalmayıp, sosyal etkileşimimizi düzenleyen bir dalı daha olduğunu keşfetmek olmuş. Porges'in bulgusuna göre Vagus'un Dorsal dalı (ilkel vagus da deniyor) doğada tehlikeli anlarda kapanma, donma tepkisinden sorumluyken(avcısından kaçarken donup kalan memeliler örnek veriliyor), daha sonra evrimleşen Ventral Dalı da güvende olduğumuz anlarda kurduğumuz sağlıklı sosyal etkileşimi düzenliyor. (Yüz kaslarımızı kullanmamız, ses tonumuzu ayarlamamız, duyduğumuz seslerin güvenli ya da tehlike işareti olduklarını anlamamız gibi...)
Mesele derin, uzadıkça uzuyor, kısaca özetlemeye çalışacağım: sinir sistemimizde önemli bir rolü olan Vagus'a dair bu bulgu, sosyal travmalarımızın da sinir sistemimize kazındığına ve psikolojik olarak adlandırılan pek çok sıkıntının aslında travmatize sinir sistemi ile ilişkili olduğu bilgisine kadar uzanmış. Yani hem iç organların işleyişinden hem de sosyal etkileşimden sorumlu Vagus teorisi, yaşadığımız kronik fizyolojik rahatsızlıklar ve yazarın psikolojik demeyi tercih etmediği sıkıntılardan iyileşmek için öncelikle sinir sistemini travmatize olmadan önceki haline getirmemiz gerektiği bilgisini sunuyor bize. Kitabın güzel yanı, bu egzersizleri okurla paylaşması oluyor. Belirli göz egzersizleriyle Vagus'un Ventral dalını uyararak zaman içinde daha dengeli işleyen bir sinir sistemi elde edeceğimizi öğretiyor. Yani temelde, tehlike ve güvendelik hissini sağlıklı hissedebilmemizi sağlayacak sinir sistemi işleyişine kavuşuyoruz zamanla. Mesela ben göz göze gelmekte zorluk çeken birisi olmuşudur hep, son zamanlarda bunu biraz daha rahat ve doğal yaptığımı hissediyorum, olumsuz iç seslerim azaldı ve konuşurken daha doğal hissediyorum. (tabii bu hızlı sonuçta benim bir süredir düzenli yoga yapmam, beden ve nefes farkındalığım üzerine çalışmam da etkili olmuştur diye düşünüyorum. çünkü ilk yaptığı anda hiçbir şey hissetmediğini söyleyip, zamanla uykusunun düzeldiğini fark eden de oldu.)
Benim için bu kitabın en çarpıcı yanı, yıllardır ''ben'' sandığım şeylerin, aslında travmatize bir sinir sisteminin sonuçları olduğunu görmek oldu. Şimdi yayınevlerinin kitap pazarlamakta kullandığı tekniği kullanarak bitireceğim bu yorumu, hazır olun :)
siz de kendinizi güçsüz, çaresiz, etkisiz mi hissediyorsunuz? bir oda dolusu insanın içinde 'benim burada ne işim var? gibi sorgulara girmeden duramıyor musunuz? sosyal etkileşim durumunda sık sık kendinizi ortamdan soyutlanmış, üçüncü bir göz gibi mi hissediyorsunuz? ya da uzun süren tepkisizilik anlarından sonra ani patlamalar mı yaşıyorsunuz? harekete geçecek gücü ve motivasyonu bulmakta sıklıkla zorlanıyor musunuz? otomatik tepkilerinizi dönüştürmekte etkisiz mi kalıyorsunuz? kısacası bir şeyler sizin kontrolünüzde hissettirmiyor mu, bu kitap tam size göre :)
NOT: egzersizleri yapan olursa bana geri dönüş yapmasını çok isterim çünkü biraz anlamak istiyorum kimde nasıl bir etki yarattı diye. paylaşmak isterseniz açığım. ventral dalım çok mu aktive oldu ne, hoşçakalın :))
edit: kitapta sunduğu bakış açısını oldukça yenilikçi bulduğumdan olsa gerek yazarın fazlasıyla tekrara düştüğüne değinmemişim hiç. yazar yazdığı konuda coşkuya kapılıyor yer yer, bu üslubu polivegal teoriyi tanımayan biri için fazla iddialı gelebilir. ben başlarda epey etkilendim, bi yerden sonra ya bu temel egzersizi deneyince ya anlattığı gibi çıkmazsa diye bi endişelendim, sonra deneyimlerimle faydasını görünce sanırım nötrlendim o üsluba karşı. tarafsız gözlemci aslı yanım bu editi yapmadan duramadı.
January 3, 2026
Juuh tämäpä oli sen verran ummehtunut opus että varmaan kiristi vagushermoani enemmän kuin rentoutti sitä.
August 9, 2020
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.
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.
February 24, 2021
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.
February 14, 2022
DNF - This book is deeply ableist. Rosenberg has years of experience in the field of bodywork but no qualifications in mental health care. He makes very bold claims about conditions such as depression and autism without nuance or consideration of the social stigmas that affect them.
The chapter on autism was offensive--a perfect example of how ableism harms our community.
The only thing I would recommend are the exercises to relieve pressure on cranial nerves. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting on a book that discusses the vagus nerve in a way that is intersectional and inclusive to marginalized peoples.
The chapter on autism was offensive--a perfect example of how ableism harms our community.
The only thing I would recommend are the exercises to relieve pressure on cranial nerves. Meanwhile, I'll be waiting on a book that discusses the vagus nerve in a way that is intersectional and inclusive to marginalized peoples.
April 15, 2019
A nice example of an alternative health practitioner cherry picking bits of science they feel add credibility to their pre-existing beliefs.
Fails to show any link between Porges' excellent research and his own practices. Makes unjustifiable generalisations about the functions of the vagus nerve that are oversimplifications of the actual research.
Fails to show any link between Porges' excellent research and his own practices. Makes unjustifiable generalisations about the functions of the vagus nerve that are oversimplifications of the actual research.
December 2, 2023
It's not written very well, but the information is GOLD.
December 31, 2017
Fascinating practical application of Porges' Polyvagal theory and how regulation of the cranial nerves can impact us in surprising ways.
A very useful update of the understanding of the stress response and related states. Stress & relaxation are insufficient descriptors on their own and the polyvagal theory offers a much more rounded understanding: adding mobilised with and without fear, and immobilised with and without fear - allowing for greater understanding and potential treatment of these states.
Rosenberg's self-help exercises and treatment techniques are adapted from craniosacral therapy and osteopathy and surprisingly effective for being so minimal - proving in and of themselves that the point is to activate the body to fix itself rather than apply a fix to it.
A very useful update of the understanding of the stress response and related states. Stress & relaxation are insufficient descriptors on their own and the polyvagal theory offers a much more rounded understanding: adding mobilised with and without fear, and immobilised with and without fear - allowing for greater understanding and potential treatment of these states.
Rosenberg's self-help exercises and treatment techniques are adapted from craniosacral therapy and osteopathy and surprisingly effective for being so minimal - proving in and of themselves that the point is to activate the body to fix itself rather than apply a fix to it.
November 15, 2018
circuitous and repetitive, ableist language around ASD, but valuable physical exercises for ANS regulation
December 7, 2020
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.
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.
March 19, 2025
The first thing I will say is that the author is not a doctor. He mentions this, but I think it's important to keep in mind. I picked this up because my doctor diagnosed me with high cortisol due to chronic stress, and told me I needed to activate my 'rest & digest' mechanism. This book has some helpful exercises at the end, but the rest of it was pretty dry and didn't give me much information. I did skip the autism section due to other reader's notes on that chapter. I recommend reading a short medical article on the vagus nerve and then the exercise portion, but the first half of the book was not worth reading.
January 24, 2023
Most helpful book I have read on this topic so far. The first part gets a little technical but it's well written and not hard to follow. The second part has great diagrams and descriptions of exercises that can be done at home to help address all manner of issues from migraines to social engagement. Excellent resource.
October 15, 2021
I read this to see if I could gain valuable information about managing my chronic pain and fatigue and I did gain a lot but it was hard to listen to and try figure out how the exercises were meant to look so ended up watching Stanley's YouTube videos instead.
August 20, 2019
This book helped me a lot; the writing isn't great but the exercises are, and they are really easy to do.
didn-t-finish
July 7, 2025i wanted to get help for my symptoms and problems but oversimplifying everything and suggesting almost every disease and symptom can be taken care of on your own is just not true. some fascinating information i will seek to further understand from other sources.
Read
August 17, 2022Extremely clinical with a lot of info/research that I wanted to learn about! Very helpful
February 16, 2023
Interesting topic, but this book was boring and I learned more from a 10 minute YT video
November 4, 2024
really unfortunate that this book had a lot of ableist perspective, primarily on ASD. i think there’s better books about this topic out there and would recommend those over this
gave-up-on
August 21, 2022"Ehkä yksi odottamattomimmista havainnoistani kehoterapiassa on ollut se, että olen löytänyt jännitystä oikeassa päännyökkääjälihaksessa - ja sen mukana kallon epämuodostuman, lättänän takaraivon tai plagiokefalian - jokaisella ADHD- tai autismikirjon diagnoosin saaneella asiakkaalla. [...] tämä kallon epämuodostuma ei rajoitu lapsiin. Näen sitä myös monilla aikuisilla, joilla on ollut vaikeuksia sosiaalisessa liittymisessä. [...] Monet vanhemmat tulevat luokseni, koska tietävät jo, että heidän lapsensa takaraivo on lättänä. Jos vanhemmat eivät vielä tiedä, näytän heille, miten tunnustella lapsen pään muotoa ja huomata asymmetria, ennen kuin aloittamme hoidon. Toisen puolen päännyökkääjälihaksen rentouttaminen johtaa yleensä selvään parannukseen lapsen pään muodossa vain muutamassa minuutissa." (s. 250)
"[...]hän oli hoitanut 17-vuotiasta pikkuveljeään Williamia, jolla oli diagnosoitu lapsuusiän autismi. [...] Hän ei puhunut eikä ottanut katsekontaktia kehenkään. [...] Kun Thor teki veljelleen neurofaskiatekniikan, William nojautui taaksepäin ja katsoi Thoria silmiin, mitä ei ollut ennen tehnyt. Sitten William nousi seisomaan ja tasapainotteli toisella jalalla. Sitten William siirsi painonsa toiselle jalalle ja seisoi sillä. Tuo yksi ainoa tekniikka riitti tuomaan Williamin sosiaalisen liittymisen tilaan. William alkoi kommunikoida perheensä ja koulunsa muiden oppilaiden kanssa, ja hän alkoi saada ystäviä." (s.252)
Eli siis autismi johtuu kallon epämuodostumasta, jonka voi parantaa parissa minuutissa hieronnalla. Joo-o. Kivaa 2000-luvun frenologiaa taikuudella höystettynä. Ylläoleva kohta tuli ensimmäisellä pläräilyllä vastaan ja on kyllä niin käsittämätöntä soopaa, että kärsivällisyys ei riitä kirjan lähempään tutkimiseen.
"[...]hän oli hoitanut 17-vuotiasta pikkuveljeään Williamia, jolla oli diagnosoitu lapsuusiän autismi. [...] Hän ei puhunut eikä ottanut katsekontaktia kehenkään. [...] Kun Thor teki veljelleen neurofaskiatekniikan, William nojautui taaksepäin ja katsoi Thoria silmiin, mitä ei ollut ennen tehnyt. Sitten William nousi seisomaan ja tasapainotteli toisella jalalla. Sitten William siirsi painonsa toiselle jalalle ja seisoi sillä. Tuo yksi ainoa tekniikka riitti tuomaan Williamin sosiaalisen liittymisen tilaan. William alkoi kommunikoida perheensä ja koulunsa muiden oppilaiden kanssa, ja hän alkoi saada ystäviä." (s.252)
Eli siis autismi johtuu kallon epämuodostumasta, jonka voi parantaa parissa minuutissa hieronnalla. Joo-o. Kivaa 2000-luvun frenologiaa taikuudella höystettynä. Ylläoleva kohta tuli ensimmäisellä pläräilyllä vastaan ja on kyllä niin käsittämätöntä soopaa, että kärsivällisyys ei riitä kirjan lähempään tutkimiseen.
October 15, 2021
Find the exercises, skip the book
February 12, 2020
I found the activities and exercises in this book to be helpful and was able to easily grasp the logic of why they helped as they did. What wasn’t easy to grasp was the painstaking detail of ailments across a very broad spectrum that would better suit other academics rather than laypersons. As such, I could only maintain focus by reading this in very short spurts...hence the time it took to finally finish it.
February 16, 2022
I purchased this book after following some online tutorials for exercises to reset the vagus nerve and calm the nervous system. Each video I saw credited their exercises to this book and it's author. It offers an accessible, detailed explanation of understanding cranial nerves as key to our psychological and physical well-being. It also provides easy to follow simple exercises to help yourself at home. The instructions are clear and concise, with detailed diagrams and photographs for support. I have been very pleased with the positive effects I have noticed from following them. I find the theory fascinating. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to explore how the vagus nerve regulates our bodies and wants to learn quick, effective means to reset it.
August 7, 2020
This book is great for understanding the anatomical and physiological aspects of the vagus nerve. It helped me grasp the differences between the dorsal and ventral vagus in ways that I could explain to my patients. It also provided some details that were not discussed by other books. For example, the hybrid forms that integrate both dorsal and ventral and definitely impact our behavior/emotions.
The author is not a psychologist. He is a bodyworker who does craniosacral massage and his expertise is the body, not the mind. He presents a number of physical exercises that are probably useful but it seems that he makes exaggerated claims for their psychological effects.
The author is not a psychologist. He is a bodyworker who does craniosacral massage and his expertise is the body, not the mind. He presents a number of physical exercises that are probably useful but it seems that he makes exaggerated claims for their psychological effects.
July 25, 2022
Much of this was deeply repetitive and often times felt like the author was continuously mansplaining and intentionally making it more technical in order to add validity to his claims.
Whether or not this is pseudoscience or not remains to be seen. Much of the literature out there shows that from the small test groups that it has promise, but they're so small we don't know how helpful it truly is (think placebo effect).
All I know is that if this does half of what Rosenberg preaches it could really change some lives. I will be researching much of the exercises and at least giving them a go.
Whether or not this is pseudoscience or not remains to be seen. Much of the literature out there shows that from the small test groups that it has promise, but they're so small we don't know how helpful it truly is (think placebo effect).
All I know is that if this does half of what Rosenberg preaches it could really change some lives. I will be researching much of the exercises and at least giving them a go.
April 13, 2021
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.
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.
August 3, 2021
Probably very informative if you’re a bodywork practitioner, but if you’re looking for practical tips to help your own health, just skip to the exercises at the end.
September 10, 2022
The author doesn't understand what autism is, and yet frankly writes a long embarrassing chaper about it. He alludes to being able to cure it. Awful.
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