The vagus nerve is the nerve of compassion

The word vagus is from the Latin word for wandering (related to vagabond, for example). It was so named because this amazing 10th cranial nerve wanders all over our body, from our brain (cerebellum and brainstem) to the lowest viscera of our abdomen, touching our heart and most major organs along the way, including some major connections with our digestive system.

The vagus nerve is constantly sending sensory information about the state of the body’s organs ‘upstream’ to our brain. In fact, 80-90% of the nerve fibres in the vagus nerve are dedicated to communicating the state of our viscera up to your brain. When people say ‘trust your gut.’ they are in many ways saying, ‘trust your vagus nerve.’ Visceral feelings and gut-instincts are literally emotional intuitions transferred up to our brain via the vagus nerve.

With Wisdom Healing Qigong (WHQ), we focus on bringing our minds into our bodies. In the Sound Healing practice, we chant healing vibrational sounds for the five organ systems. In Awakening Vitality and Lift Chi Up Pour Chi Down practices, we slowly move our bodies and visualize opening, expanding, and gathering energy throughout our bodies and organ systems. We focus on, get in touch with and profess gratitude for the incredible, intricate workings of our organs and cells. We send energy to where we perceive blockages and expand out to share our free flow of energy with others and with the universe. By focusing our attention and intention, we are, according to research, stimulating the vagus nerve. The nerve responds to positive energy, positive thinking. That is why visualization works, that is why positive affirmation works.

The Inner Smile is one of the Six Golden Keys of WHQ. It seems so simple. Think positive thoughts, smile into your brain, into your heart, into your organs. Simple. Inner Smile is taught by many 氣功 Qìgōng grandmasters and has been a part of ancient Dàoist practices for centuries. Why has this been promoted as a healthy practice for so long? Research in France indicates that facial muscles used to convey emotion trigger specific brain neurotransmitters. …Smile therapy has been shown to lower the stress hormones cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenaline. It can produce hormones which stabilize blood pressure, relax muscles, improve respiration, reduce pain, accelerate healing and stabilize the mood.

The vagus nerve, through its vast network of fibres and its major role in the parasympathetic nervous system, responds to these practices and stimulates the systems that produce healing hormones.  …the vagus responds to our thoughts, both positive and negative, and due to its connection to the major organs, its responses can have far-reaching effects on our physical and mental health.

Part of healing is cultivating compassion for ourselves, others and the world. The Dalai Lama said that the seat of compassion is actually biological and — necessary for survival. Professor Stephen Porges of the University of Illinois at Chicago calls the vagus nerve the nerve of compassion. It is sometimes called the Buddha nerve or God's nerve. The vagus nerve is thought to stimulate certain muscles in the vocal chamber, enabling communication. It reduces heart rate. Very new science suggests that it may be closely connected to receptor networks for oxytocin, a neurotransmitter involved in trust and maternal bonding.  

Éiriú Eolas (Eiriu-Eolas, On Vagus Nerve, Meditation, and Health)

So, the processor of positive thoughts inside our bodies is the vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve. In Latin, ‘vagus’ means ‘wandering’, and again, the nerve was so named due to its meandering and multi-branched route through the body; it originates at the brain stem and travels through the chest where it spreads out in multiple directions to innervate organs in the neck, thorax and abdomen, effectively connecting our brain to our lungs, digestive tract and, most notably, our liver & our heart.

As a major player in the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), it comes as no surprise to learn that the vagus responds to our thoughts, both positive and negative, and due to its connection to the major organs, its responses can have far-reaching effects on our physical and mental health. Scientists have found that the vagus assists the adrenal glands during ‘fight or flight’ situations by stimulating the release of epinephrine (adrenaline) in the brain. It is the vagus nerve which activates the PNS to calm the body after the perceived danger has passed, slowing the heart rate so that normal bodily functions, such as digestion, can resume. The vagus is also involved in sexual arousal and satisfaction, speech and swallowing, controlling the larynx, regulating heart rate and digestive processes, and modulating inflammation. It also relays information to the brain from what is known as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). The ENS is known as our "second brain" and controls the digestive process; it comprises over 500 million neurons surrounding the digestive tract. It is called a second brain because it can function independently from the brain if the vagus nerve is severed.

Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson and Nancy Havill, a research associate working on the North Carolina vagal nerve study, have uncovered an unexpected link between meditating or thinking ‘good thoughts’ and improvements in vagal tone. This sounds incredible, but the concept that physical health and psychological well-being are inextricably linked has also been noted in other related studies: "We all know these two are intricately connected, and in fact are integrated parts of one system," says Elissa Epel at the University of California, San Francisco.

Vagal tone is essentially measured by tracking our heart-rate alongside our breathing rate. "Your heart rate speeds up a bit when you inhale and slows down a bit when you exhale," says Fredrickson, "allowing freshly oxygenated blood to circulate more rapidly when you breath in and putting a brake on the heart’s tendency to race when you breathe out".

This simple action is controlled by the vagus nerve, but its effectiveness can vary significantly as each person has a different level of vagal tone. The variation is thought to be caused by a genetic predisposition in approximately 65% of cases, but factors such as obesity and sedentary lifestyles people have been found to be associated with low vagal tone. An associate of Fredrickson, Bethany Kok, who is a social neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, commented that vagal tone was" about as variable as height".

Vagal tone peaks early in life, during childhood, possibly explaining why children are so much more emotionally connected, and why traumatic childhoods are thought to adversely affect its efficacy later in life. There is a steady decline in its performance through adolescence and then it stabilises in adulthood.

It is almost possible to pick out those individuals who are lucky enough to possess high vagal tone, as they are generally found to be happier, less stressed and less likely to suffer from depression than those with a lower tone. They also have good memories, are better able to focus their attention, and have increased brain-power. They are usually healthier too, as the vagus nerve is involved in insulin production, cardiovascular health and immune responses.

Conversely, therefore, those with low vagal tone have been shown to suffer more from inflammatory conditions, strokes and cardiovascular problems, depression, diabetes, cognitive impairment and chronic fatigue syndrome. They may also be over-emotional and less sociable, confident and empathetic.

The results of the North Carolina study and other similar research programmes has led to different approaches in the treatment of depression, where vagal nerve stimulation has been used in cases where medication has failed.

During her research, Fredrickson attempted to improve vagal tone using loving-kindness meditation, and she found that this increased feelings of social connectedness and emotional well-being in volunteers. This then began to create an ‘upward spiral’ as volunteers felt better, so their vagal tone improved, which in turn caused them to experience improved mental and physical health.

Though there is still more work to be done in the field, other scientists are intrigued by Fredrickson’s findings. Gary Berntson at Ohio State University in Columbus, who researches brain mechanisms underlying behaviour and emotions, would like to see more research on the causal pathways and mechanisms but commented: "It’s clearly speculative but she does have some neat data that support the speculations." Elissa Epel, a health psychologist focusing on stress pathways, was also impressed: "The vagus nerve is such an important connection between the brain and the heart, and also related to the immune system, and responsive to what we are doing and feeling."

So, what can I do to improve my vagal tone? Well, we have seen that thinking good thoughts has been shown to improve vagal efficiency, though the evidence suggests that, for those with a low vagal tone, it can be tough to break the cycle initially. Regular meditation appears to be helpful and almost essential. Exercise has also been shown to be very beneficial and could be the easiest first step for those who are depressed and who find ‘positive thinking’ difficult. Due to the constant interplay between the brain and the gut, diet can also be a very important aid in vagal nerve activity; for example, omega-3 fatty acid intake can boost mood and vagal tone, and the presence of symbiotic gut bacteria can positively affect the action of the nerve, though the mechanism for this is not yet fully understood. Any dietary measures which improve overall health and well-being and lower weight, however, will have the potential to improve vagal tone, as will activities to reduce stress, which we have seen has negative effects on vagal performance and also adversely affects digestion.

Andy Martens at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, found that hearing positive feedback about ourself can increase vagal tone, so this indicates that anything which enhances our self-esteem is also key.