2023-10-23
1 小时 1 分钟If you actually want to activate the Vegas in a way that is conducive to making us feel safe, that is conducive to positive health, it is conducive to happiness, is actually really simple.
It is positive social interaction.
Being around and having conversations, face to face talks with people who make you feel safe is the single most effective and best way of activating the vagus.
And the reason for this is because the part of the vagus responsible for feelings of safety, the ventral vagus branch, it plugs into a part of the brainstem called the ventral vagal cortex.
It's kind of a control hub where the vagus plugs into it, as well as the cranial nerves that are directly responsible for social interaction.
The cranial nerves that allow us to move our face, to adjust the intonation of our voice, to shrug our shoulders, to actually be an expressive social being, they are kind of commingled in the brainstem with the branch of the vagus that is associated with safety.
So when we feel safe, ability for us to be expressive, social creatures turns on.
And when we act as expressive, social creatures, it activates the part of our Vegas that makes us feel safe, creating a feedback loop.
So have you ever wondered why we sometimes feel unsafe or anxious for no apparent reason?
Or maybe struggle to pinpoint what helps you feel truly secure?
When we feel this, nearly every part of us wants to retreat, to shut down, to isolate.
And the effects on not just our mental health, but also physical health are potentially devastating.
Yet feeling unsafe, insecure, vulnerable, is the state so many of us unwittingly live in and suffer the consequences without realizing what's really happening or understanding.
There's actually a lot we can do to reverse it, to feel safe, secure, at peace, connected and alive.
The key is understanding a critical part of our nervous system known as the vagus nerve, how it affects us, and what we can do to harness its power for good.
So what if understanding the hidden workings of our nervous system could reveal why we feel unsafe when there's no objective threat?
Then let us rewire our responses for good.
Todays guests may have the answer.
Distinguished scientist Stephen Porges shares how his journey led him to develop the groundbreaking polyvagal theory.
And his son Seth, an acclaimed journalist who has explored social connection, brings these complex ideas to life in their new book, our Polyvagal World.