About fifteen years ago I saw a wonderful therapist who is also a child of a holocaust survivor and a neuroscientist. She helped enormously to get me through a dark period. Dr. Orli Peter.
After the Hamas attack of October 7, she went to Israel to help relieve trauma sufferers from both sides, with the Israel Healing Initiative, working in the Arab territories and with some of the returned hostages.
When she returned she made a video about her work, and during the video she pulled back her hair to reveal a small device attached to her ear – not a cell phone speaker but, it turned out, a Vagus nerve stimulator.
Besides using it herself, the device was being used by acute trauma survivors to deal with their symptoms.
According to the Vagus.net company website, the device promises to “significantly enhance mental health, offering relief for conditions like depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. By modulating the neural pathways, it helps in stabilizing mood and emotional responses.”
In the six years since my brain injury, having tried innumerable supplements and herbal remedies as well as all kinds of other techniques to calm down when I became agitated, I had basically given up on finding a “miracle cure.” I was committed to just “feeling my sensations” and getting through episodes. But because of my therapist, I was intrigued.
Here is a bit more from the website about what the device affects:
Key Functions of the Vagus Nerve:
“Autonomic Nervous System: As a major component of the parasympathetic nervous system, it regulates critical involuntary functions including digestion, heart rate, and immune response.
Sensory and Motor Roles: It facilitates various involuntary sensory and motor functions like mood regulation, mucus and saliva production, skin and muscle sensations, speech, and taste.
Involuntary Control: The nerve plays a pivotal role in controlling automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion, acting as a vital link between the mind and body.
Extensive Distribution: Branching extensively, it influences areas such as the neck, heart, lungs, and the entire digestive tract, from the oesophagus to the small intestine, impacting peristalsis and gastrointestinal secretions.”
Recently, I was still struggling with anxiety, especially upon waking up; I had tried other vagus nerve stimulation exercises but found them exhausting. I also still had a lot of fatigue from my brain injury and was just learning to live with all of this when the really hot weather hit where I live, Las Vegas, with consistent temperatures in the 100s expected for the coming weeks. There was no relief in sight.
The political situation in America was also causing me anxiety despite my self-talk that I could do nothing about it but vote in November.
I Decided to Try It
I got the information from my therapist, and even though the expense was somewhat daunting (it’s $300) I decided to try it for 45 days, which the company offered as the return period.
They suggested a two week trial which I did and wasn’t really sure it was doing anything. The company directions tell you that during a session you may not feel much but suggest it is working.
I considered returning the product and got the necessary information, but it would have taken a trip to Mailboxes etc. to send back the unit, and by the time the office opened at 8 am it was already over 100 degrees.
I Realized It Was Helping
I decided to keep using it and it became clear to me that in fact I had very little anxiety. I still had a lot of fatigue from being in air conditioning and the outside heat was affecting me, but I had stopped having fight or flight episodes in the morning and when I checked in I sensed that I was quite calm in the midst of all of the issues with which I was dealing.
It occurred to me that activating the nervous system in this way was enabling some of the embodied sensemaking that Joe Martino writes about and was keeping my anxiety at bay. Thinking of the nervous system as an awareness system suggested that the stimulation allowed me to feel my sensations deeply and not let my mind run amok.
It turns out that there are other VNS (vagus nerve stimulation) devices available along with many videos on other techniques and products that perform similar functions. I had only tried this particular device because of my connection and admiration for my therapist.
I recognized that in my current situation, if it was calming me down, I might as well keep using the device.
I knew that some of my symptoms of anxiety and fatigue were also gut-related, and the device also promised to be instrumental in “aiding in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. It contributes to the regulation of digestive processes, enhancing overall gut health.”
I noticed that I also slept better at night while using the product.
When I wrote the Claude AI about what I was facing, and added that I was now using vagus nerve stimulation, “It” confirmed that “Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can indeed be helpful for various conditions, particularly in managing stress and anxiety. It’s good to hear that it’s helping you stay calm. However, as you’ve noticed, it may not directly address fatigue, especially fatigue related to heat and your current circumstances.”
The other interesting thing is that as I write this on 7/11 I have not been able to concentrate enough on my work to submit anything to The Pulse for about two weeks.
My purpose here is not to proselytize or promote sales of the device, although I will disclose at this point that I have signed on as an affiliate, and if it is ordered through the link above, I will be compensated by the company.
When I first mentioned the product to Joe Martino he expressed an interest in hearing about my experience with it, and now after using it for about 3 weeks and noticing that while I am quite tired and need a lot of rest, inside my organism I seem to be quite calm most of the time.
We’re All Up Against It These Days
I don’t have to tell you that these are very stressful times; Joe and I have both written extensively about the many factors contributing to the heightened states of both awareness and anxiety as the world seems to be burning up in some areas, drowning in others, and the political situation remains so emotionally charged.
Besides of course promoting the product, the company website also provides a lot of information about the vagus nerve, and how stimulating it can overcome some of the automatic responses of the limbic system – mainly the activation of fight or flight responses.
I can only try to imagine the trauma of those caught up in the Gaza conflict, and seeing my therapist use this product, and seeing it apparently helping her patients in her videos, I thought I would put this out there for anyone who may be interested.
So, I just wanted to share my personal experience with a product that will surely be more widely used as the pressures of the current environmental and political climate cause so much suffering throughout the planet.
This has been no panacea. After writing this I will go back and rest some more but the sense of peace and calm that I do have, despite continuing brain fog in this insane heat, has been quite noticeable. In the midst of so many troubling stimuli I have felt relatively safe and secure.
I believe that growing awareness of the body-mind and the autonomic nervous system would be of use to many people, and this is a way of exploring the effects of vagus nerve stimulation for oneself.
