Whenever we’re asked to recommend just one book for someone to start learning about the vagus nerve and nervous system regulation, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve by Amanda Armstrong, MA, is still our go-to.

Here's the full title for best context:

Healing Through the Vagus Nerve: Improve Your Body's Response to Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Trauma Through Nervous System Regulation

And here's the thing about that… To our understanding, learning about the nervous system on a good, well-regulated day is a tall task, let alone if you’re already feeling anxious, depressed, stressed, or overcome with a trauma response, and in need of the information.

Which is quite often the case, y’know… When many find themselves searching for a book to learn about the nervous system!

This is why Amanda’s book is still our most reached-for and pointed-to; it remains, without question, one of the best, most accessible and easy-to-digest books on the subject we've come across.

No matter your familiarity with the nervous system and its importance around mental, emotional, and physical well-being support, Healing Through the Vague Nerve delivers clarity and simplicity without sacrificing depth.

As a neuroscience and trauma-informed mental health coach, the Founder of Regulated Living, and host of Regulate and Rewire: An Anxiety and Depression Podcast, Amanda helps make these complex physiological concepts not just understandable, but genuinely graspable and directly applicable.

Part of the reason we recommend this book so highly is because it feels inviting to read through. Amanda’s research-backed approach gently walks you through how the nervous system and vagus nerve function using clear, non-academic language paired with helpful (and lovely) illustrations that clarify, not further confuse.

Not only is the language and pace approachable, but the layout is exceptionally well-designed, making the content with a flow that supports both a first read and returning to reference again in the future. (Yes, we have found, in our layman experience, that layout matters way more than you think it might when reading a book around nervous system regulation!)

The book includes several breathing, massage, visual, and physical techniques, and the examples are tangible and helpful. The recommendations range from familiar go-to practices to new discoveries (the visual exercises and self-massage techniques are particularly valuable) — making the reading experience feel calm-inducing rather than overwhelming.

Whether you're dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, or trauma, or simply want to understand how to work with your nervous system instead of against it, this book provides both the why and the how in equal measure. For anyone who's heard about nervous system regulation and wants a reliable, all-encompassing book to get started with — or for those already in this work who want a comprehensive reference — we can’t recommend this book enough!

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Healing Through the Vagus Nerve: Improve Your Body's Response to Anxiety, Depression, Stress, and Trauma Through Nervous System Regulation

by Amanda Armstrong, MA

Published May 2024

via Quarto Publishing Group - Fair Winds Press