The Science Behind the Mind-Body Relationship
Have you ever noticed how your body sometimes can react to a situation before your mind even has a chance to catch up - like feeling your heart racing during a stressful conversation, or feeling completely drained after a tough day? That’s your nervous system in action, communicating a feeling or a need to you. Understanding it more deeply can help you learn how to better support yourself and your wellbeing.
From the moment we’re born, our nervous system is feeding us information about our internal and external experiences, with the main goal of determining how safe we are in a situation. So even as pre-verbal babies, our brains and bodies are scanning the world, constantly assessing: “Am I safe?”
The reason we do this from such a young age is that we literally cannot survive without having a safe caregiver and environment. We rely on those around us to keep us fed, protected, and cared for. As we become more independent, feeling safe and secure sets a strong foundation for not only surviving, but thriving - especially when it comes to our emotional and physical well-being. Our sense of safety can impact our relationships, our creativity, and our overall levels of fulfillment. However, when we feel like we are constantly under threat and safety is out of reach, our nervous system goes on high alert, and feeling connected to others, or even to ourselves, can feel impossible.
“Trauma is a chronic disruption of connectedness.”
Polyvagal Theory and the Autonomic Nervous System
Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory offers an interesting perspective on how our nervous system, and our perception of safety, shapes our overall health and wellbeing.
At its core, the theory highlights the role of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which is the part of our body that keeps our heart beating, our lungs breathing, and our digestion running smoothly, all without any conscious effort on our part.
The ANS is made up of three key parts that respond to our perception of safety or danger:
Sympathetic Nervous System: This is our “fight or flight” response, kicking in when we sense danger.
Parasympathetic Nervous System: This is our “rest and digest” system, activated when we feel safe.
Vagus Nerve: The body’s longest nerve, running from the brain all the way to the gut, and affecting each organ along the way. It is like the “highway” of our ANS, transferring information about our safety from our brain to body and vice versa. Because of this, it plays a key role in how we respond to safety and danger.
The Polyvagal Ladder: Understanding Our States
The Polyvagal Ladder is a metaphor that is used to explain how our nervous system moves through three hierarchical states, depending on whether we feel safe or threatened. Imagine each state represents a step of the ladder. Being hierarchical, you can move up or down the steps and states in a linear fashion, but you can’t actually skip any along the way. When you feel safe, you start at the top of the ladder, and as you perceive more threats, you start to move down the steps of the ladder.
Let’s take a closer look at each state:
Ventral Vagal (Social Engagement State): Feeling safe and calm. In this state, we can play, socialize, show empathy, think clearly, digest well, and have strong immunity.
Sympathetic (Mobilization State): Feeling threatened. Once we perceive a threat, our body goes into fight or flight. Our heart races, breathing quickens, muscles tense up, and digestion slows.
Dorsal Vagal (Shut Down State): Feeling helpless. We may feel numb, disconnected, exhausted, or stuck. Energy drops, digestion slows, and emotions become harder to feel and express.
Why This Matters for Mental Health
For people experiencing depression, anxiety, chronic stress, or PTSD, the nervous system often becomes hyper-vigilant. Even in safe environments, it can sense threats and trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses. This constant state of alertness affects both mind and body: immune systems weaken, digestion slows, muscles tense, emotions may feel muted, relationships can become strained, and there may be an overall lack of fulfillment due to all of these concerns.
The good news is that stimulating the vagus nerve through breathing exercises, gentle movement, mindfulness, or other techniques can help the ventral vagal system kick in, creating a sense of safety, connection, and calm. Over time, these practices teach your nervous system to more accurately assess safety, which supports emotional, mental, and physical health. That’s why therapies that combine somatic work and mindfulness with traditional talk therapy can be especially effective for people with a hyper-vigilant nervous system.
How to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve
Here are some simple, practical ways to engage your vagus nerve:
Deep, Slow Breathing: Focus on slow breaths, exhaling longer than you inhale, to signal your body it’s safe to relax.
Gentle Movement: Yoga, walking, or stretching with mindful awareness can support vagal activation.
Cold Exposure: Briefly splashing your face with cold water or taking a cool shower can stimulate the vagus nerve and lower stress.
Singing, Humming, or Chanting: These activities engage your vocal cords, which are connected to the vagus nerve, helping to calm the body and mind.
Mindful Social Connection: Eye contact, warm smiles, and compassionate conversation cue your body that it’s safe.
Massage and Self-Soothing Touch: Gentle neck, shoulder, or foot massage, or placing a hand on your heart can cue safety signals.
Meditation and Mindfulness: Focusing on your breath, body awareness, and the present moment supports vagal tone and reduces stress.
Moving Forward
Our nervous system is constantly guiding how we feel, think, and connect. By understanding these states and actively engaging practices that stimulate the vagus nerve, we can cultivate a greater sense of safety, resilience, and emotional balance. It’s a reminder that healing and mental well-being aren’t just about the mind. Healing is about the whole body working in harmony.
In therapy, I can work with you to understand how your nervous system responds to stress, identify patterns that keep you stuck in fight, flight, or freeze, and guide you through exercises that safely engage your ventral vagal system. Together, we can co-regulate to help your body and mind feel calmer, more connected, and better equipped to navigate life’s challenges.
Please reach out if you have any thoughts or questions about this. I’d love to chat more!
With warmth,
Alessia Manzoli
Registered Psychotherapist