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On this website, I love to revisit the major neurobollocks flourishing in the psychotherapy and self\u2011help worlds. I call out ideas that misuse the language of neuroscience to bolster practices that lack solid evidence. Today, let\u2019s talk about one\u2014arguably the<\/em> biggest\u2014lurking under the guise of science in our fields: the vagus nerve hacks and Polyvagal Theory (PVT)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t your standard \u201clizard\u2011brain\u201d myth\u2014it\u2019s more insidious. Many neuroscientists barely know PVT exists, which means there\u2019s surprisingly little mainstream scientific pushback. Let\u2019s pause there: the more a concept spreads unopposed<\/em>, the more critical our scrutiny must become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I won\u2019t fully debunk Polyvagal Theory today\u2014that day is coming. But it\u2019s worth flagging that I\u2019ve spoken directly with neuroscientists and autonomic regulation experts. They tell me PVT takes a nerve that is<\/em> important, detaches it from empirical grounding, then dresses it up in narrative storytelling. That\u2019s never a good look for any therapy claiming scientific credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, today: I\u2019ll lean into what feels safer and more practical\u2014examining a narrow, specific case of vagus nerve marketing and how the literature doesn\u2019t support it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vagus nerve\u2014the body\u2019s 10th cranial nerve\u2014is undeniably vital. It swings from the brainstem down to organs like the heart, lungs, and gut, playing a crucial role in parasympathetic regulation and supporting interoception (how we sense our internal state). And yes\u2014vagus nerve stimulation via electrical implants or transcutaneous devices<\/em> is a real, scientifically studied approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, there\u2019s a proliferation of wellness claims\u2014\u201cvagus nerve massage\u201d, \u201cvagal toning\u201d, \u201cactivate your inner peace\u201d\u2014tossed around without evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take one example from a \u201chormone expert and thought leader in women\u2019s medicine.\u201d She writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVagus nerve stimulation (or VNS) refers to any technique that stimulates the vagus nerve, including manual techniques such as massages\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n And she references three studies. On closer inspection\u2014all three only involve electrical stimulation (implants or electrodes). None involve massage. One even promotes implanted devices. Yet the author then claims massage-based VNS improves \u201cvagal tone\u201d and builds stress resilience\u2014without any citations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s textbook mis\u2011cit\u00ading: stringing together terms like \u201cvagal tone,\u201d \u201cstress resilience,\u201d and \u201cvagus nerve stimulation\u201d to imply support where none exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Measuring vagal tone is complicated.<\/strong> 2. Polyvagal Theory\u2019s anatomical claims fall short.<\/strong> 3. Evolutionary foundations crumble.<\/strong> 4. Experts question the theory\u2019s overall validity.<\/strong> Doody, J. S., Burghardt, G., & Dinets, V. (2023). The evolution of sociality and the Polyvagal Theory<\/em>. arXiv preprint. https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2304.09238<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grossman, P. (2023). Fundamental challenges and likely refutations of the five basic premises of the polyvagal theory. Biological Psychology, 178,<\/em> 108543. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2023.108543<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monteiro, D. A., Taylor, E. W., da Silva, G. S. F., Leite, C. A. C., & Gargaglioni, L. H. (2018). Cardiorespiratory interactions previously identified as mammalian are present in the primitive lungfish. Science Advances, 4<\/em>(4), eaaq0800. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.aaq0800<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neuhuber, W., & Berthoud, H.-R. (2022). Functional anatomy of the vagus system: How does the polyvagal theory comply? Biological Psychology, 169,<\/em> 108294. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2022.108294<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taylor, E. W., Wang, T., & Leite, C. A. C. (2022). An overview of the phylogeny of cardiorespiratory control in vertebrates with reflections on the \u2018Polyvagal Theory\u2019. Biological Psychology, 169,<\/em> 108295. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2022.108295<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Vagal tone<\/em>. In Wikipedia<\/em>. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vagal_tone<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Polyvagal theory<\/em>. In Wikipedia<\/em>. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Polyvagal_theory<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wikipedia contributors. (2025). Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation devices<\/em>. In Wikipedia<\/em>. https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Non-invasive_vagus_nerve_stimulation_devices<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Polyvagal Theory and \u201cvagus nerve hacks\u201d sound compelling\u2014but when you dig into the citations, the evidence unravels. In my latest piece, I explore why massage won\u2019t \u201cactivate\u201d your vagus nerve and why we need sharper BS filters in psychotherapy<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[241,182],"tags":[244,278,279,296],"ppma_author":[306],"class_list":["post-10622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-neurobollocks","category-research","tag-bollocks","tag-psychotherapy","tag-pvt","tag-vagus-nerve"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\n\n\n\u201cMassage to activate the vagus nerve\u201d: A case study<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nScience check: What\u2019s the evidence (and what isn\u2019t)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s often called \u201cvagal tone\u201d is not a direct measure of vagus nerve activity\u2014but rather inferred from heart rate variability (HRV), especially respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)<\/em>. That\u2019s an index, not the tone itself. The relationship between vagal nerve activity and HRV is non\u2011linear<\/em> and modulated by many factors\u2014making simplistic interpretations misleading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Critics including Neuhuber & Berthoud (2022) point out that the theory mischaracterizes neural structures\u2014like wrongly linking the dorsal vagal complex to passive \u201cfreeze\u201d or asserting a unique \u201cventral vagal complex\u201d innervating facial muscles, which it doesn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
PVT claims that certain vagal circuits are uniquely mammalian\u2014but evidence from lungfish and other vertebrates shows similar myelinated pathways in non\u2011mammals, undermining the \u201cmammal-only\u201d premise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul Grossman\u2019s 2023 review argues that all five core premises of PVT are untenable<\/em>, suggesting that the foundational hypotheses have been falsified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSo where does that leave us?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nReferences <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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