The Nervous System Reset by Jessica Maguire is more than a scientific textbook on how the nervous system is supposed to work - it is a manual for learning how to listen to your body.
The book focuses on chronic stress and trauma of the body and how our responses to these traumas affect our physical and emotional well-being. “The nervous system isn’t broken, it is trying to protect you,” writes Maguire.
She notes that a dysregulated nervous system is amplified when we feel powerless. To help overcome this Maguire encourages practical exercises, such as mindful walking, yoga, breathing exercises, and creative outlets like drawing or journaling.
Another essential part to having a regulated nervous system is the vagus nerve, the “wandering nerve that listens”, as Maguire poetically calls it. According to Maguire, engaging the vagus nerve is a skill that can be taught and honed over time.
The book also dives into the polyvagal theory, which is described by Maguire in three core states that felt eerily familiar to me:
- Ventral Vagal: This is where we feel safe and socially connected, that warm, grounded feeling we get when surrounded by people we trust or doing something we love.
- Sympathetic: The fight-or-flight mode, activated when we sense danger or high stress.
- Dorsal Vagal: Is more like a shut-down mode, where we feel numb or disconnected, and a defensive response our bodies use when the stress is too overwhelming.
I recognised patterns in myself while reading about these states. This perspective is powerful in a world where stress is a part of our everyday lives. Applying some of the exercises and tools myself, I noticed subtle but real shifts in my body’s response to stress and began to understand my body-and-mind relationship better.
Jessica Maguire is a Physiotherapist and neurophysiology expert offering valuable insights with illustrations and real-life stories to help the reader understand the importance of a regulated nervous system.
The nervous system reset by Jessica Maguire is available on Loot.co.za