NEWS

Trauma and the Vagus Nerve: When Mindfulness is Not Enough

By Craig Lewis | | Buddhistdoor Global

While the far-reaching benefits of mindfulness meditation and related practices for improving mental and physical well-being are becoming more widely acknowledged among Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, what is perhaps not as well understood is that mindfulness alone can be ineffective and can even cause discomfort for the practitioner in cases of deep psychological or emotional trauma. Past traumatic experiences often leave long-lasting imprints on our minds and bodies, coloring our sensory experiences of the present, and are often accompanied by unpleasant physical manifestations that mirror one’s reaction to past traumas. The reasons are only lately being recognized by science, but largely center around our understanding of the vagus nerve, which is central to a multitude of physiological functions that underpin everything from mental and physical well-being to maintaining relationships and general happiness. Dutch psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, who has studied posttraumatic stress since the 1970s, emphasizes the importance of the vagus as “the critical nerve in the expression and management of emotions in both humans and animals.” (healing from the freeze) The vagus nerve is one of 12 (or 13, depending on how they are defined) cranial nerves that emerge directly from the brain to relay information between it and other parts of the body—primarily in the head and neck. The vagus nerve, however, which is the longest nerve of the automatic nervous system, provides sensory and autonomic (parasympathetic) motor innervation to most of the organs in the chest and abdomen as well as to the neck, including the digestive system, liver, spleen, pancreas, heart, and lungs.



From selfhacked.com