This book was jam packed full content! There is so much information in here.
I loved the diagrams, as they weren't just there to 'look pretty' - but they really added to my understanding on the topic. They also helped to break up the big blocks of writing, that on the face of it could look quite daunting.

Despite the sheer amount of info - it never felt overwhelming.
Great book for beginners to the topic, as well as those wanting to expand their existing knowledge!

Definitely recommend.

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape of form.

Healing through the Vagus Nerve, by Amanda Armstrong, is a self-help book that a details the biology of how our body deals with short term and long term stressors in our lives. Armstrong gives a brief description of the polyvagal theory, which discusses how we can tap into our body’s nervous system to help limit the use of maladaptive coping strategies, and provides different reasonings as to why common mental health illnesses affect us the way they do, including anxiety and depression.

I found the first few chapters of the book extremely helpful, especially with how Armstrong breaks down the human nervous system. I used to be pre-med before transitioning to counseling, so this was a welcome review for me. Moreover, Armstrong’s approach to mental healing reminds me of books such as The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk and My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem with how often it focuses on the body. The therapy I’m currently learning and training in now, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, has a mindfulness component that I feel connects well with the neuropsychological aspects of stress and trauma. The questions are nice, and it gives people pause as to how they can improve their lives from a “scientific” standpoint.

That being said, I don’t think I’ll use this book aside from with a few clients. Many of the clients I see are homeless and are more focused on getting stable housing and food rather than learning about their brain. And for those who are wanting to learn more about their trauma and why they “can’t get over it”, I can see them getting turned off by the jargon Armstrong uses. If the book could be broken down even further I could see myself practicing these coping skills with them. But for right now, I’ll stick with other supplemental materials.

Aside from that, I do like how Armstrong positively rephrases common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. For all the stigma these two phrases carry, its nice that someone is seeing and incorporating them into our survival instincts. It reminds me of an idea about PTSD, where the symptoms you experience have helped you survive at one point, but now are maladaptive and costing you precious moments in the present.

This was an interesting read. I found it very easy to digest and informative on the subject. I liked the visuals that break up the text. I also liked the format of being informative in the beginning and then transitioning to learning the various tools and how to incorporate them into our routine. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a way to manage their stress.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for giving me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts:
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I am so glad I picked up this book, from my previous books and studies I knew the importance of the Vagus Nerve in regulation and tackling trauma but this is my first in depth look into it. I appreciated how the book started off with explaining all about the nerve and its importance to give a more holistic view before looking into healing it and the illustrations for things such as the phases of healing and the zones makes it easier to visualise these theories. I was also pleasantly surprised with the representation in the illustrations with a mix of genders and races being depicted and even people like long hair and stubble together or wearing a headscarf which can easily be overlooked when making less image dense books like this. I also appreciated the end having recommendations for rise as we are and wearable tech recommendations as well as further reading and the references.

Favourite Quote:
"It's also important to note that trauma isn't universal; it isn't what happened but instead how you experienced it."

Very informative read! Great education on the nervous system and how to heal. The book includes many exercises readers can engage in to find healing.

I wasn't too sure what to expect when I read this book, but thought I would give it a go with having a form of autonomic dysfunction. While there are obviously some parts of this book that cannot apply to me due to my health condition, there is plenty of information that is very helpful. I feel I have a better understanding of the Vagus nerve and what it is supposed to do. As said before, while some aspects clearly cannot be applied to myself, it has provided me with invaluable information and knowledge to better understand my own disability and ways to look after myself on a bad day. I truly believe anyone with autonomic dysfunction should read this book. It won't prove a miracle cure, but it will provide knowledge and understanding. As for people without a disability or damaged vagus nerve, I can only assume this book would be like a bible to good health! It's refreshing seeing a book on the vagus nerve, and as it says in the book, seeing that someone else identifies the vagus nerve and its not 'all in my head'!
Thank you for this wonderful experience of being seen!
I

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve by Amanda Armstrong. An excellent educational guide that is user-friendly, with clear instructions and helpful visuals. Recommended for individuals with anxiety and stress, offering helpful exercises that stimulate the vagus nerve, including laughing, gargling, and cold conditions. The blueprint portion is a really useful place to start. I plan on purchasing the hardcover copy for future reference once it is published.

Thank you to the author, ‎ Fair Winds Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

With this being something I was unfamiliar in, I appreciated the soft illustrations and easier understanding.

I plan to revisit this one to get an even better grasp!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher...

I found this to be the most thorough and well explained approach to vagal toning that I have read. The importance of good vagal tone for good health and recovery is now widely recognised. For me it was a very important part of my recovery from Long Covid. This book explains the structure and function of the vagus nerves in a very easy to understand way before going through the various techniques for improving vagal tone and suggesting routines to build it into your day. What made this book stand out from others was the range of interventions it covers, the easy to follow explanations and ways of fitting in short practices in your day that are easy to achieve. I wish this book had been around when I was ill - I think it would have been invaluable.

This book has a relaxing shade pattern for the colors. The art uses a variety of people for a nice diversity. The author explains things in detail but in ways you can understand. The best part of the book is the exercises to help you with the Vagus Nerve.

Learned a lot reading this book. I loved it. Definitely a lot of info but all important and useful. I’ve already recommended it to a lot of people: I will be referring back to this book again and again.

I have been hearing about the role of the vagus nerve in regard to the mind and body connection and was interested in learning more. When I was given the opportunity to read and review Amanda Armstrong's book, Healing Through The Vagus Nerve, I was delighted.

I found this book to be a valuable source of information and tools to improve the mind and body connection. The author provides the groundwork education about the nervous system and the role of the vagus nerve. I appreciated that at the end of each chapter she provides a summary of the key takeaways.

I found the tools to tone the vagal nerve to be easy to understand, accessible, and effective. As an educator in an elementary school I foresee using many of these tools to help children assess how they are feeling and address feelings of stress. I also foresee using many of these techniques on myself when I am feeling dysregulated.

The final chapter guides the reader to develop a daily plan to incorporate tiny habits into the day to heal the vagal nerve. I appreciated the sample day schedule provided as well as progressively adding habits to the daily schedule. I look forward to adding many of these habits to my day and am optimistic about improved ability to handle stress.

The vagus nerve has always been something that interested me as a person who works in mental health, but I had not read a ton on it. This book was a great way to learn more about the vagus nerve and how it affects us! The book was easy to read and follow, and is a great informational resource! Absolutely loved it and plan to share with some colleagues.

This is a topic I am becoming increasingly interested in, and I love that I have had the opportunity to read this book. The vagus nerve affects so much and I don't think people truly realize its impact. This is a great introductory guide that is very informative and helpful. If someone is struggling with their nervous system and how to improve mental health and physical health, then this is the book for them. It's revolutionary and can answer so many questions and help a person begin to find answers and help themselves so that they can be happy and healthy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Armstrong, and Fair Winds Press for the eARC of this book.

The vagus nerve, a sensory superhighway connecting the brain to vital organs, regulates functions from digestion to heart rate. Its intricate structure, consisting of approximately 160,000 nerve fibers, is being mapped to understand its wide-ranging impacts better, including mood regulation, immune response, and inflammation control. I see more of this popping up on social media to educate and help us understand how vital the vagus nerve plays in our day-to-day lives. This book captured so much complex background information into a digestible format to allow a reader to know how it works, what it can impact, and what you can do to cope. Kudos to the author for a fantastic job along with the wonderful illustrations. Wellness is such an important aspect that hopefully becomes easier to keep in the forefront of our minds.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds, Fair Winds Press, and of course the author, Amanda Armstrong for this wonderful ARC.

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve was a great read. This book was very informative and easy to understand. I learned a lot about regulating the nervous system. Thank you to Amanda Armstrong, Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds, Fair Wind Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book prior to publishing.

I have heard how the Vagus nerve can affect you before but I didn’t realise in how many ways. It was great to read about it in more detail and get some context.

I liked the lay out of the book and found it easy to read. I also found the activities very useful, particularly the Fight or Flight page. In summary I learned a lot of interesting information and practices from this book that I will continue to use.

Thinking “Of course, this makes sense instead” of “what’s wrong with me?” is revolutionary! Understanding and changing your perspective makes all the difference. I found this book exceedingly helpful. While I can’t say I enjoyed the information on the sympathetic and parasympathetic ?? It definitely was important to have this background. The exercises for vagus nerve stimulation are amazing. They range from things like gargling to legs up the wall to cold exposure to laughter! I did find the blueprint section was a great starting point and very helpful. A very useful, comforting and helpful book. I totally recommend adding this to your library.

This book does a great job of laying out the foundation of education toward healing one's unique nervous system. It starts with understanding the role of our nervous system, vagus nerve, and how they support physical and mental health. Then you learn to explore how to personalize this knowledge for your own nervous system, complete with exercises and creating a blueprint for healing. The focus of this book is to get to the root of the problem, rather than just symptom management. This book features helpful diagrams and graphics to help the reader further their understanding of the concepts. It also does an excellent job of detailing how our vagus nerve physically can affect different regions of our bodies. I loved the Nervous System Mapping that provides the bodily sensations, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors associated with each state of being (regulation, activation, shutdown). This is so helpful for those learning how to notice states of regulation and could be used to help children and clients in a therapeutic capacity. I also love the concept of "oh of course" to reshape your language around why we act or feel the way we do.
The tone of this book is welcoming and accessible. It meets people where they're at, taking a non-judgmental approach. This book would be a wonderful resource for anyone looking to improve their capacity for emotional regulation or those working in the field of supporting others on this journey.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley through Quarto Publishing. Thank you to Amanda Armstrong for the opportunity to review her book.

I have read a few things about the Vagus nerve before but they were quite theoretical and I wasn’t really sure where to go with the information.
This book was great for setting the scene, putting things in context and then setting out some areas and suggestions to make changes.
I actually didn’t realise it could be so easy and that there were so many things that can affect the vagus nerve. I have been left feeling that it will be really easy to make changes in this area.