Calming or Activating? Which one do we choose?

🎯 .....chart provided 

Calm or Activate? How to Match Vagal Tools to Your Client’s State

When it comes to nervous system work, the real skill isn’t just knowing what to do—it’s knowing when to do it.

Whether you're helping a client recover from trauma, shift out of freeze, or optimize performance, the question is always the same:

Calm or activate?

This quick-reference PDF breaks down the most effective vagal tone techniques—what they do, how they work, and when to use them based on your client’s presentation.

Here’s a sample of how to think through it:

• For anxious clients: Use calming tools like slow breathing, left-ear stimulation, or gentle compression to help them feel safe.

• For shutdown or freeze states: Introduce gentle activation—like right-ear vibration, cold exposure, or movement—to bring them back online.

• For performance clients: Layer activation tools before a challenge, then use calming ones after to support recovery.

✅ Method
✅ Stimulus
✅ Vagal effect (calming or activating)
✅ Clinical use case

From C-tactile touch to cold showers to laughter and HRV, this tool helps you tailor the intervention to the client’s current state—so they get the most benefit, without overwhelm or mismatch.

This table isn’t just information—it’s a framework.

It gives you a way to:

• Observe with more clarity

• Intervene with more precision

• And track with more confidence

When used intentionally, these tools do more than stimulate the vagus—they teach the nervous system how to regulate, adapt, and heal.

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