Vagus Nerve 101: How to Calm Your Body, Heal Inflammation, and Stop Living in Survival Mode

In this episode, Dr. Lauren DeCicco, Doctor of Physical Therapy and holistic practitioner, breaks down one of the most misunderstood systems in the body: the nervous system.

She explains why so many people live chronically in survival mode, how stress shows up as pain, inflammation, gut issues, autoimmune conditions, anxiety, and burnout, and why traditional treatment often misses the root cause.

You’ll learn:
-what nervous system dysregulation looks and feels like
-how trauma and chronic stress get stored in the body
-why moms and high achievers are especially vulnerable
-the role of the vagus nerve and how to stimulate it
-how hormones, menopause, and stress interact
-practical tools you can use daily to regulate and heal

Dr. Lauren also shares her personal story of divorce, illness, and rebuilding her health by learning to shift her system from survival to safety.

If you struggle with anxiety, chronic pain, autoimmune issues, burnout, or you simply feel “wired and tired,” this conversation will make so many things click.

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00:00 – Introduction
02:45 – Dr. Lauren’s story: divorce, illness, and waking up to nervous system health
06:30 – How chronic stress shows up physically in the body
09:50 – Do you need big trauma to have a dysregulated nervous system?
12:30 – Childhood, attachment, and how regulation is (or isn’t) learned
15:00 – What it actually means to be “stuck in survival mode”
16:30 – Physical symptoms: tension, jaw clenching, inflammation, gut issues
19:30 – Parenting stress and living dysregulated for years
21:00 – The vagus nerve explained in simple terms
22:30 – What vagus nerve stimulation does in the body
24:30 – Practical ways to stimulate the vagus nerve at home
28:20 – Triggers, reactivity, and retraining your response patterns
33:00 – How stress contributes to autoimmune disease and illness
35:30 – Morning and nighttime routines to regulate your nervous system
38:30 – Using regulation tools before stressful situations
41:00 – Hormones, menopause, and shrinking stress tolerance windows
45:00 – How safety in the body unlocks deeper trauma healing
47:30 – Where to find Dr. Lauren and how to work with her