THE NEURO MENTORSHIP LONG-COVID RECOVERY BLOG ABOUT US LOGIN

Next Level Neuro 
News & Education

Chronic Lower Back Pain

5 Practical Methods to Improve Interoceptive Accuracy and Vagal Tone

Calming or Activating? How do we choose? 

Your nervous system isn’t a vibe. It’s a physiological system. And the vagus nerve is its command line.


I know you are thinking, "Why does the vagus nerve deserve more attention?"

Because when it’s dysregulated, everything else breaks down.

Therapists and coaches spend countless hours mastering techniques—from movement protocols to mindset shifts—but many clients still feel stuck.

They tell their clients over and over that they need more sleep, they need to be less stressed.

They push hard but crash harder.

They show up but burn out.

They meditate, breathe, journal… and yet they can’t feel safe in their own bodies

I can hear your clients screaming in their heads these exact words.

Heck, I was screaming in my head before I learned applied neurology. 

"I KNOW, I KNOW I NEED TO STRESS LESS..."

"BUT HOW....."

"I TRY AND I'M STILL STRESSED OUT."

Everyone knows they need less stressed systems, but we have never been taught how. The very thing the health professionals push never works the way it's intended because of that missing link in their education. 

That missing link?

Brain science and the understanding of the disorganized brain-body communication loop—specifically between the interoceptive system and the vagus nerve.

As Matt Bush shares in our Next Level Neuro Mentorship for coaches and therapists:
“You can’t change a brain that’s dysregulated, and you can’t regulate a system that isn’t listening. The vagus nerve is the signal carrier that tells the brain what’s going on inside the body—and whether it’s safe to heal.”

This isn’t woo woo.
It’s not “just” trauma work.
And it’s definitely not another round of breathing drills.

It’s the foundational operating system your clients need to process pain, regulate emotion, and achieve real transformation—whether they're recovering from trauma or optimizing performance.

This piece is a pick-your-own-adventure style. 

Instead of choosing your outcome, choose what your client needs, and choose the framework you want to implement. If you are unsure of how we do this, click this link to our FREE masterclass on this very subject. 

It is exactly how we teach our coaches, but also how we help our own private clients. 

This guide is designed for therapists, coaches, and rehab professionals who want actionable, neuroscience-backed tools to improve outcomes.


You’ll learn:

✅ How the vagus nerve acts as the main communication line between body and brain
✅ The difference between interoceptive awareness and accuracy, and why both matter
✅ 5 Tools for CALMING

✅ 4 Tools for ACTIVATING
✅ Tailoring each for clients
✅ Real-world session examples, use-case guidance, and progress tracking tips

**YES, that's 9 evidence-based strategies + a BONUS.  But who counts when you over-deliver:-)

This is about building bottom-up regulation, using the tools your client’s body actually understands—touch, breath, pressure, vibration, and posture.

Because if the vagus nerve isn’t listening, no top-down strategy will work for long.

 

 

Quick Overview: Vagus Nerve Role in Interoception & Autonomic Regulation

Think of the vagus nerve as the main communication superhighway between your body and brain. It connects to vital organs like your heart, lungs, and digestive tract, and plays a critical role in regulating things like breathing, blood pressure, and digestion—without you ever thinking about it.

Here’s what’s wild: About 80% of the vagus nerve's traffic is afferent—meaning it's sending messages upward from your body to your brain.

Only about 20% of it carries commands from the brain back down.

That makes the vagus your body's internal news feed, constantly reporting on your internal state and influencing how your brain responds.

This is where interoception comes in—the ability to feel and make sense of internal body signals like your heartbeat, gut sensations, or the urge to take a breath. These signals travel through the vagus to areas of the brain like the insula, where they’re integrated into your awareness (or sometimes, your overwhelm).

When this system is working well, your brain and body collaborate to maintain balance.

You feel full when you eat.

You slow your breathing when calm.

You can track subtle shifts like "I’m tired" or "My chest is tight," and respond in helpful ways.

But when vagal tone is low or disrupted, those signals get garbled.

You may feel numb, anxious, dysregulated, inflamed, or emotionally reactive—because your body and brain aren’t synced up.

High vagal tone is associated with the “rest-and-digest” state—your body’s ability to slow down, recover, and reset.

Low vagal tone, on the other hand, shows up in stress-related disorders, inflammation, gut dysfunction, and emotional instability.

So when we talk about improving vagal tone, we’re not just helping the body regulate heart rate and digestion—we’re giving it the tools to feel safer, build better brain-body communication, and regain the capacity to self-regulate in real time.

 

 

Practical Methods to CALM

Here are five practical, evidence-informed strategies (and a bonus) that therapists and coaches can use immediately to improve vagal tone and interoceptive accuracy in clients, whether they’re recovering from trauma or pushing peak performance.

  

1. C-Fiber Stimulation (Gentle Somatosensory Input)

The Science: C-tactile fibers are unmyelinated, slow-conducting sensory fibers found in the skin. These are tuned to gentle, slow stroking (around 3–5 cm/sec), and signal pleasant, affiliative touch.

They project to the posterior insular cortex and connect with parasympathetic brainstem centers, influencing vagal tone.

Clinical Applications:

  • Use soft brushes or hands to gently stroke along the arms, chest, or abdomen
  • Include in trauma-informed bodywork or manual therapy
  • Combine with breathwork or grounding

Results: Research shows activation of these fibers reduces cortisol, increases oxytocin, and improves HRV (heart rate variability).

 

2. Abdominal Kinesio Taping

The Science: Kinesio tape applies a light, elastic stimulus to the skin, stimulating interoceptive and mechanoreceptive nerve endings. Applied over the abdomen, it may engage vagal sensory feedback loops through C-fiber activation and stretch-sensitive mechanoreceptors.

Clinical Applications:

  • Apply in an “X” pattern over the abdomen
  • Use during movement, postural work, or even daily activity
  • Combine with proprioceptive drills or diaphragmatic breathing

Results: Anecdotally, clients report improved body awareness, abdominal regulation, and reduced anxiety.

 

3. Auricular Vibration (Ear-Based Vagus Nerve Stimulation)

The Science: The auricular branch of the vagus nerve (ABVN) innervates parts of the outer ear. Gentle vibration here has been shown in studies to influence brainstem parasympathetic centers and increase HRV.

Clinical Applications:

  • Use a Z-Vibe or similar on the cymba concha (especially left ear)
  • 15–30 seconds per session
  • Stack with calming breathwork or humming

Results: Increased vagal tone, reduced sympathetic arousal, and improved emotional regulation.

 

4. Passive Deep Pressure Tools (Compression Belts, Weights, Wraps)

The Science: Deep pressure activates tactile and proprioceptive afferents that downregulate the sympathetic nervous system and upregulate vagal tone.

Clinical Applications:

  • Use abdominal compression belts or weighted lap pads
  • Integrate into cooldowns, therapy sessions, or as at-home strategies
  • Particularly effective in children, sensory-sensitive clients, or those in freeze states

Results: Deep pressure increases parasympathetic activity, especially when used consistently with breath awareness.

 

5. Breathwork

The Science: Vagal control of the heart is responsive to baroreceptor activation during slow, paced breathing. Biofeedback enhances awareness of physiological shifts and promotes top-down regulation.

Clinical Applications:

  • Use a breath pace of 5–6 breaths/minute (inhalation ~4s, exhalation ~6s)
  • Practice daily for stress management, recovery, or trauma recovery

Results: Increases HRV, decreases anxiety, and improves self-awareness of internal states.

 

"BONUS" --> Laughter & Social Engagement

  •  Mechanism: Activates diaphragm, voice, and oxytocin systems
  •  Effect: Natural parasympathetic activation via social safety
  •  Use: Group therapy, team dynamics, or social threat recovery

 

 

Practical Methods to ACTIVATE

 

Not every nervous system needs to be calmed—some need to be activated.

That’s where these techniques come in.

  • Activating Vagal Techniques are methods that boost alertness or energy. They temporarily reduce parasympathetic “rest-and-digest” dominance to help wake up the system.

  • Sympathetic Challenge refers to the brief, controlled stress response these tools create—like an increase in heart rate or adrenaline.

  • Rebound is what often follows: the nervous system shifts back into a calmer, more regulated state. It’s like tapping the gas to get the engine running, then watching it settle into a smooth idle.

These techniques are especially helpful for clients stuck in freeze, fatigue, or shutdown—when calming tools alone won’t land.

 

1. Rapid or Panting Breaths

  •  Mechanism: Quick, shallow breathing (20+ breaths/min)
  •  Effect: Temporarily decreases vagal tone, increases alertness
  •  Use: Pre-performance arousal (use sparingly; can cause dizziness) 

 

2. Auricular Vibration (Right Ear)

  •  Mechanism: Stimulates right-side vagal branches (reported activation)
  •  Effect: Mild sympathetic lift
  •  Use: For hypoaroused or low-energy clients needing alertness

 

3. Whole-Body Cold Shower

  •  Mechanism: Cold shock initially activates sympathetic system
  •  Effect: Activating acutely, calming afterward (parasympathetic rebound)
  •  Use: Resilience training, recovery, or state shifts

 

4. Aerobic Exercise

  •  Mechanism: Increases heart rate, CO2, and sympathetic activity
  •  Effect: Activating during; improves resting vagal tone over time
  •  Use: General health, energy boost, nervous system flexibility

 

 

Implementation for Therapists and Coaches

If you're a therapist or coach looking to go deeper with these concepts, the Next Level Neuro Mentorship is where we explore these methods in depth—step by step, with live guidance, real case studies, and client-ready assessments.

A second area you can find more information on implementation for applied neurology and clients will be our FREE Transformation Ladder workshop, found here.

 

We cover everything from vagus nerve stimulation to trauma-informed application strategies, and how to adapt these tools across populations—from high-performing athletes to dysregulated nervous systems.

 

Enrollment is currently open for our June 2025 mentorship, and spots are limited.

If this post sparked curiosity, the mentorship will give you the confidence and clarity to use these tools at the highest level—with every client.

 

 

Putting It All Together: Tailoring for Client States

  •  For anxious clients: Start with calming tools (deep breathing, ear stim, compression) to build safety.
  •  For shutdown or freeze: Layer gentle activation (right-ear stim, cold shower rebound, aerobic movement).
  •  For performance clients: Use activating techniques pre-event, calming ones post-event to support recovery.

 

Here is a chart we put together for ease of use. It gives you method, stimulus, effect, and use case. 

 

 

INTEGRATION with Clients

To integrate these tools into practice:

  1. Start with one tool that fits your client’s current nervous system state.
  2. Observe client responses and ask reflective questions (e.g. “What did you feel?”).
  3. Use stacking: pair multiple inputs (e.g., taping + breathwork) for a compounding effect.
  4. Focus on frequency over intensity—the nervous system learns through repetition.
  5. Track progress using subjective reports, HRV, or session-based regulation markers.
  6. Assess and Reassess Always

 

Whether your client needs to feel their body more or feel it less, these tools help bridge the gap between internal state and brain interpretation.

In other words—they bring the body back online.

And when that happens? Recovery, growth, regulation, and resilience all become possible.

 

Want More?

If you're ready to go deeper into pain reprocessing, client regulation, and brain-based rehab strategies, join us inside the Next Level Neuro Mentorship.

We’ll show you how to:

  • Assess for nervous system threat
  • Choose the right tools for each brain
  • Integrate these strategies into your daily sessions 
  • Weekly group education calls
  • Continuing Education community
  • Quarterly hands-on Live Events.
  • Full Database of Neurology Drills, assessments, and tools. 
  • and so much more. 

Watch our latest free Masterclass replay on our Frameworks for clients.

Want more information on our mentorship? Click here. 

 

 

NEURONEWS HOMEPAGE

Contact Us For More Information Our Mentorship.