The Vagus Nerve Reset describes a three phase program to reset vagus nerve. I was very interested in Anna Ferguson's person story and would have like to hear how the phases of the program help her recovery. The program is structured, simple to follow and able to be performed at an individual pace. I think diagrams and pictures would have improved the format of the book. The author does a good job describing steps to work on somatic healing.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. in return for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

I majored in psychology in undergrad, and the first 30% of this book is a basic primer in understanding the nervous system. Most of this I remembered from Psych 101 classes or just living life (I'm in my late 30-s at the time of reading this). It was a good reminder but nothing new. Then the second half of the book is supposed to give you exercises or walkthroughs on "resetting" your vagus nervous system. However, if you have a mind-body connection or are in tune with your emotions, there is nothing new here.

The book is very repetitive, lots of "once you start doing these things you'll see a difference, but you can't rush, and we'll talk about that later." I think this is a tool many self help books use to hit a certain page number. I found it tedious and off-putting. I think the majority of this book could have been better served by a series of YouTube videos on connecting to your body, or guided breath work exercises. I also acknowledge I was aware of the Vagus nerve before reading this, so there wasn't much novel information for me. I give it two stars because I think if a reader wasn't familiar with the subject matter, this could be an accessible way to learn more about it.

“In order to truly process the ills that arise when we are stuck in our heads, we need to turn inwards and listen to our bodies”

4.5 ⭐️

Working as a mental health professional, I am no stranger to the field of trauma. I have also read many books about the subject, however I really connected with this book. Anna has created a resource that is engaging and insightful, evidence based and highlights the strengths and importance of holistic psychology approaches.

The program is based on neuroscience and Anna does well to explain the mechanisms in simple language that makes this content accessible to most people. One of my qualms with most self-help books is the beginning drag of hyping up the content of the book. Anna balanced this well through personal anecdote, she leaves the reader motivated to learn more and hopeful, without wasting too much time trying to sell the program. The program is structured, easy to follow and at your own pace. The exercises are more detailed than I have seen in other resources, but may be better supported with visual cues and demonstrations. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to start their journey learning about somatic and holistic healing methods of trauma, however it may not be new content for those who are already familiar with this topic.

Thank you NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this eARC.

"The Vagus Nerve Reset" is a great handbook for anyone interested in learning more about health and resiliency. It was my introduction to the subject and I'll admit I am intrigued and eager to try the suggested strategies and ideas for implementation. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A great introductory resource to mind body syndrome through the lens of the vagus nerve. Great, immediate daily practices to put into practice to bring down stress, anxiety, depression and possibly pain.

I am presently working on learning more about the vagus nerve. The nervous system controls so much of what goes on in our body. I was really pleased with the way this book presented the facts about the vagus nerve, and went on to present help for resetting it.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Quite an interesting book . I read through quickly and will go back to do the exercises to see if I see any affect .

"The Vagus Nerve Reset" is a program designed to help with nervous system dysregulation. It's for someone who has experienced some trauma that left their nervous system stuck in flight/flight or in freeze. This leads to being physically out of whack and feeling overwhelmed when even little things go wrong.

I was interested in the science and was disappointed that the author only described the nervous system and Polyvagal Theory in very simple, general terms. Back when my body was really out of whack, I learned about the vagus nerve and ways to help positively stimulate the vagus by watching and reading free information online. I didn't learn much new from this book.

The first third of the book was about the nervous system, the last third was glossary, index, and recommended resources, and the rest was her program. She recommends being aware of your body and moving it as a way to get well. The first step was to help you become more aware of your body, then she described some simple exercises and stretches to help reset the nervous system. Much of this section was encouraging the reader to really do each step and not get impatient with the process. There were no illustrations or diagrams, but most of the suggested activities sound simple enough to do just from written descriptions. Since my body got fired up (so I felt every little thing) rather than numbed sensation, which was her problem, I'm not really sure her journaling step would have even helped me. Her program may be helpful for some, though.

I was quite interested by the title of this book, due to personal health issues. I have vagal-stimulated atrial fibrillation, so I knew what the vagal nerve was, but that there was a theory about a nerve reset was news to me.

Unfortunately, the information in this book is considered a pseudoscience, as I have now come to understand. It sort of gives the impression that it is a medical truth, but it's just a trendy theory.

I found the author's story quite compelling, and her enthusiasm is contagious, but since the underlying theory is not scientifically proven, I can't really recommend this book in the way it's presented. The daily practices seem to be quite positive and I'm sure could help many people, however.

A wonderful book about the vagus nerve. I learned about this nerve when I was recovering from an injury last year. Who would've thought that this nerve does so many things. I liked the ease of the understanding of this book; an easy to read. One thing missing was more photos/illustrations. But all in all a wonderful informative book - a must read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

"The Vagus Nerve Reset" by Anna Ferguson provides immediate and practical methods to forge a mindful connection with our bodies, unveiling the transformative potential of our innate capacity to process and return to a state of safety. Addressing signs of anxiety and disconnection as indicators of a misaligned nervous system, Ferguson offers accessible tools grounded in the science of Polyvagal Theory. By understanding the power of somatic therapy, readers can reshape their responses to stressors, fostering resilience, improved sleep, digestion, and relief from anxiety. The book introduces a comprehensive program that assesses and positively changes mood and behavior through practices such as breath, touch, movement, and intention, facilitating a profound connection to the body. Through an easy-to-grasp exploration of Polyvagal Theory, readers gain insights into how the nervous system regulates feelings of safety and responses to life experiences. "The Vagus Nerve Reset" is an essential read, empowering individuals to navigate day-to-day challenges with calm and resilience.

Thank you NetGalley and Zeitgeist for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have dysautonomia as well as complex PTSD, so I guess you can tell just how screwed up my autonomic nervous system is.

Part one went over some basics about the ANS (none of this was new to me) with some pseudo-science sprinkled in between.

The second part is the author's actual "vagus nerve reset" program. Let me say, the length of this book could have been slashed in half if the author didn't spend just as much time trying to sell you the program as they did actually fleshing out the program. But, I digress.

The exercises were all quite basic and some, I would go as far as to say, were vague. Needless to say, neither the journaling nor practical/physical exercises did much of anything for me. That being said, images would have been helpful for the many physical exercises suggested in the book.

There are much better books on the nervous system and on trauma to read that would be much more helpful if you are looking for dysautonomia management or information on healing trauma. This just wasn't it.

This book is part informational, part workbook. The goal is to teach us about our nervous system and why/how some of us get stuck in an overactive state that leaves us in a bad place mentally and unable to regulate our emotions. This book was super informative and though I have discussed a lot of these things with my therapist, I also learned a lot. I found the concept of the reset program being in steps very interesting and it makes a lot of sense to me to start small and perfect the basics before moving up the “pyramid”. I appreciated the amount of prompts there were, making this book way more interactive than I initially thought it would be. I think this book would be incredibly helpful to anyone who has experienced trauma in their life and has found the impact of that trauma is making things hard for them in their day to day life. I will definitely continue to reference this book as needed to remind myself how I can reset when I am feeling over activated.

Highly recommended: A step-by-step guide to work with your body to regulate your nervous system
This book was a wonderful revelation for me. And I recommend it for everyone struggling e.g. with anxiety, PTSD, depression or Longcovid / PEM, ME/CFS.
When I got the ARC I was already working with my body for some weeks to regulate my longcovid symptoms, esp. the crash/fatigue-pattern (PEM). I can wholeheartedly endorse the step-by-step approach Ferguson describes in The Vagus Nerv Reset to come into touch with your body and regulate your nervous system. She really nails it.
Her book was a great validation for what I cooked up for myself (mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises, Qui Gong among others). And she is right that phase 1 (the foundation) takes time - usually weeks. I got more pointers for my next steps from her book (I am currently at phase 3). BTW: If you start phase 3 download the free app Visible Covid on your mobile phone - do the morning check-in as described and you get a reliable HRV and HR - no need to take your pulse and it tracks your improvements (the evening check-in is for Longcovid symptoms/pacing).
The book is written in an engaging style. It starts with some sciencey stuff which this laid-back Australian author describes so easily with many practical, daily life references that I felt right at home. I loved that she sprinkled into the story her personal experience with trauma - it made everything very relatable and I felt encouraged to try her suggestions out. I got the feeling that she has been in my shoes. The practical part is down to earth with easy to do suggestions. I especially liked that Ferguson encourages the reader to take it slow, build a good foundation and find their own pace.
There is one thing I missed: some pictures e.g. of the vagus nerv or sketches of some of the exercises.
To sum it up: Kudos to the author for an important book for all of us who want a reliable, easy guide to help us connect with the body and regulate its amazing nervous system.

I received an ARC via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.