I read this book over a period of time that I also began therapy and wow was it amazing.
There is a physical component into mental health and I believe this book helps tackle that.

I really like how physiotherapist Jessica Maguire explains the autonomic nervous system and the function of the vagus nerve. She has a gift for using memorable metaphors to help readers understand technical information. Although I have already read numerous books on polyvagal theory, I loved her metaphor of a nervous system thermostat that can be turned up too hot or down too cold. I also appreciated her explanation of blended states such as playfulness or stillness. In Part 2, she provides a few practices to help you upregulate or downregulate your nervous system. The back matter includes endnotes citing many peer-reviewed journals.

I feel like the author overpromised and underdelivered as far as the regulation techniques. The techniques are fine, but not cutting edge, and she didn’t adequately address how to establish safety. This isn’t my favorite book on nervous system regulation, but I do feel like it was worth reading, especially for the author’s helpful metaphors.

The author refers to several additional resources available from her website with newsletter signup.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

It’s ⭐️⭐️⭐️!!
When I first saw this book on NetGalley I wanted to request it because I got one training and one masterclass from the author and I truly resonate with her work! I was so curious to read her book.

I was provided eARC by publisher through NetGalley and this review is purely my own opinion.

It wasn’t a bad book although it wasn’t deep enough to be providing the title’s promise. I think that’s why self help books get bad reputation because the information is surface level but great promise of the result is not realistically achievable, then readers get frustrated and think they’re the problem in most cases they’re not.

First of all, people may ask who are you and why would we listen to you? I just wanna give quick background info about myself. I am a trauma trained practitioner and I have studied and trained independently from various professionals and institutions especially in somatic therapy,nervous system healing, sensorimotor art therapy, internal family systems aka somatic parts work and breathwork. So I have certifications and trainings from these fields.

This book isn’t trauma informed even if author gives various warnings about the importance of it. You can’t just “RESET” your nervous system. The book talks about specifically vagus nerve but vagus nerve is just one nerve and changing brain functionality and resetting whole nervous system isn’t easily achievable as book suggests. Even if I love what author presented but it can cause more harm than good and put readers’ in shame spiral.

The thing I love about book is that first part of the book was incredibly scientific and abundantly detailed information. I have gained new perspectives and insights around neuroplasticity. My favorite part was how author uses colors and nervous system states in a way that very playful and easily understandable (It was fascinating to me especially as an artist) I also love that author has very compassionate approach to healing. But the thing I dislike is that she never ever talks about how to build safety and capacity for nervous system. Without safety and capacity, regulation is just a wishful thinking.

I like part 2 exercises and especially the mapping your nervous system exercises were pretty good. I love the guided tools as well. I am already familiar with tools but I have learned new ones and definitely gonna use it.

Overall book was okay my main problem is just over promising something takes years upon years conscious and dedicated work.

Ps: In my humble opinion, regulation ain’t the goal. Creating safety and capacity is!!!

Jessica Maguire's The Nervous System Reset was very interesting! I could be very a very useful book for some readers. I absolutely learned a lot.

I’ve followed Jessica Maguire on social media for some time, so I’m very familiar with her work. I’ve always wanted to take one of her courses, but in my current season of life, they’ve been a little out of my reach. I was so excited when I found out she was writing a book, in the hopes that maybe I could gain some of her wisdom at a more accessible cost.

This book is worth the cost a million times over! It’s a huge wealth of information and covers everything so in depth, it would be difficult to even cover it all in this review. Jessica not only gets into the various subsystems of the nervous system, but she also gets into the Why. She covers why different nervous system reactions happen and the symptoms they cause in the body, which is extremely helpful. I find that it’s hard to understand how to help yourself if you don’t know why these things happen in the first place, so this is a very important component of this book!

I also loved that she highlights various people and their nervous system challenges throughout. The Nervous System can be an overwhelming part of the body to understand because there’s just SO much to sift through and learn. I really felt like this made parts of the book easier to understand.

With all the in-depth education, as well as the tools given to help work through the various issues one might experience with their own Nervous System, I can see this book becoming my Body Bible of sorts. I was diagnosed with POTS Syndrome as well as with general Dysautonomia symptoms last year, and so much of what I’ve read in this book has been so helpful to me already.

If you’ve been struggling with nervous system related issues or even if you just want to understand different issues going on within your body, I highly recommend this book. I promise that it will become a hugely valuable resource for you!

As someone who just stays stressed and is on antidepressants but still struggling some, I was really excited to jump into this book. The first half of the book introduces you to your nervous system and how it functions, which is super interesting (and kind of overwhelming too). The last bit of the book covers tools to help you regulate from different states into your middle-ground. A lot of this was helpful and I will continue to use. However, if you are the kind of person who has tried everything, you may find this one not as helpful as some would. I would defend recommend it for those struggling with stress!

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central/Balance Publishing for the E-ARC!

Jessica does a great job sharing some of the basics of the vagus nerve and how important the bottom-up approach is to healing from trauma. I love that she mentions "too hot" and "too cold" in relation to the sympathetic and dorsal vagal states. I'm also a big proponent of the Mediterranean diet and rarely hear someone talk about it in this context.

However, I felt there was room to expand into more groundbreaking techniques. A lot of the exercises covered are the same as those you learn from polyvagal theory and other similar programs. I wish there was more in the way of the fascia and movement techniques - things that you wouldn't get from a yoga therapist or an SEP.

I was actually really interested in reading this book, and I was pleasantly surprised that this was very close to what a Dr had told me recently about chronic pain, anxiety and depression and how you can reset your brain. If you struggle with any of these issues this is a definite read especially if you’ve never heard of this before! Basically it’s about your brain being stuck in flight or flight and it creating havoc on your body and creating inflammation and pain that would not have been there if your brain wasn’t stuck in this pattern! Super interesting and definitely worth the read! Sadly, I was really hoping this logic would help me but I have quite a few conditions/syndromes/diseases that actually cause pain, anxiety, inflammation, fatigue etc so this did not help me as much with pain but it can definitely teach you how to find your calm and not feel the anxiety or “danger” that your brain believes it’s in.

This was an interesting read! Focused on the nervous system and vagus nerve the first half is about the science behind it and the second half of the book being about tips to manage it better. It focused a lot on mindfulness which i found really interesting.

I’m glad i picked this one up!

Well thought out and concisely delivered information but the exercises provided were nothing new. Most of these things are covered and outlined in every other book or podcast about these bad body states. One of the bits seemed stolen directly from a mindfulness podcast. But there’s nothing groundbreaking in this department really is there? All we (the author included) can try to do is give the information to new readers in an easy to digest way. And I believe the author has done that here. It’s much easier to think of these states as too hot, just right, too cold. While I didn’t learn much in the way of how to deal with these states (see above) there was some new information on how to identify these states, which it’s important. And the author does include a lot of decent links to worksheets and self guided learning which is helpful.

If you’re suffering from these mystery ailments or just feeling wrong, it wouldn’t hurt to start here. I hope it helps us all.

I actually had really high hopes for this one. Essentially this book is about the Vagus nerve and how it’s responsible for maintaining balance in our physical and mental health. The book is split into two parts - the science behind it and then strategies for resetting your nervous system. In the beginning she talks about how positive self talk and mindset strategies alone cannot change your physiology or emotional reactions (which initially I loved this outlook) but then ended up giving mindset strategies and breathing exercises. Don’t get me wrong - these are super helpful! However I just feel like there was a lot of build up in part one for these life changing exercises that just ended up being the same ones that are usually provided. I did enjoy learning the science behind the vagus nerve and how it relates to our physical and mental health; this was super interesting to learn about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Pub for this eARC!

A good book full of practical information about the human body and the mind body connection. There is a lot of detailed information in the first several chapters that while good information, took a bit of time to process and understand. The analogies used were very helpful and provides good, actionable steps to take for getting your body into a more balanced state. The hands on, whole body tools she describes should be helpful to those looking for balance. I am excited to continue to use this book and it's content to further my goals of a healthier, more settled lifestyle. Many thanks to the Author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book specifically instructs the reader to wade through the several chapters describing the body processes mentioned before getting to the promises of the book. Unfortunately, I was lost before I got to the science. And after several chapters, completely lost interest.

I was hit by a speeding drunk driver as a pedestrian many years ago. That led to numerous surgeries (14), early onset arthritis, nerve damage, loss of range of movement, and complex PTSD (along with other not-so-fun losses). A couple of years after this, I was diagnosed with IBS and wondered if it was connected. Once I reached 29/30, I had developed gastroparesis on top of the IBS. I’m 51 now and I’ve not had a flare-up of IBS in a few years, but the gastroparesis strikes more frequently.

I didn’t grow up in a home where mind-body connection was ever alluded to - it’s only as I’ve gotten older, lived more, and read more that such a connection has been known to me, and I’ve taken some steps to honoring that - meditation, breath work, and EMDR therapy. I’ve also only recently learned of the vagus nerve, and the possibilities now seem even more hopeful.

With this new awareness, I was very pleased when Balance reached out, inviting me to read an early copy of this book - I actually downloaded this and began reading during a flare-up of the gastroparesis, and read this eagerly hoping to find some suggestions to implement.

This is an extremely comprehensive guide, written in an educational and compassionate style that is both informative and engaging. The author provides comprehensive scientific information, exercises for the reader to partake of, and case studies. There is so much positive information within these pages and I personally found it an extremely worthwhile read; this is one I will definitely buy for my own bookshelf.

While reading and trying some of the exercises, I look forward to incorporating even more of the suggestions in this book.

Very strong recommendation from me.




Thank you to Balance and NetGalley for the DRC

"The Nervous System Reset" by Jessica Maguire is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to understand and improve their overall wellbeing. Maguire expertly combines her knowledge in neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and modern pain science to offer readers practical tools to regulate their nervous systems. Her clear and compassionate writing makes complex scientific concepts accessible and engaging, making this book both educational and enjoyable to read. Each chapter is filled with actionable advice and exercises that empower readers to take control of their health and emotional state. Maguire's holistic approach, which integrates mind-body practices and modern neuroscience, provides a comprehensive guide to achieving balance and resilience. The book's emphasis on the vagus nerve and its role in emotional and physical health is particularly enlightening. Through relatable anecdotes and case studies, readers can see firsthand the transformative power of these techniques. "The Nervous System Reset" is not just a book, but a guide to reclaiming your health and achieving a state of calm and equilibrium. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to enhance their quality of life through better nervous system regulation.

I was finding myself a bit dysregulated and searching for solutions to my feelings of being out of balance. I was intrigued by the title of TEDX speaker, Jessica Maguire's book, The Nervous System Reset. I was certainly in need of a reset. I found her book to be a whole body approach to balancing one's mind and body.

Her approach reminded me at times of Ayurvedic medicine because she positions that a person state is in balance, hot, or cold. Once you have mapped your state, she moves on to helping the reader find the right tools for that state. This is where the whole body approach comes into play. She provides a toolkit for each state which include breathing, posture, diet, movement, and more. I look forward to becoming more in tuned with my nervous system and recognizing what tools serve me best to bring me back into balance.

Great information. I learned a lot of useful things. It is full of practical tips to implement immediately.