VAGAL VITALITY RESET
Restoring regulation, energy, and recovery capacity
The Vagal Vitality Reset is a structured, regulation-focused program designed to restore baseline autonomic nervous system function following prolonged stress, overload, or burnout.
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This program is for when the nervous system has adapted to sustained demand through chronic activation or shutdown, resulting in reduced recovery capacity, diminished resilience, and difficulty returning to a regulated baseline.
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The work is body-led, stabilising, and physiologically informed.
Rather than managing symptoms, the program focuses on recalibrating how the nervous system responds, allowing regulation, energy, and recovery to re-establish over time.
WHO THIS PROGRAM IS FOR
This program is suited to individuals who are high-functioning, capable, and depleted.
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You may recognise yourself if you experience:
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persistent fatigue despite rest
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difficulty switching off or fully relaxing
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disrupted sleep or shallow recovery
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digestive issues, tension, or breath restriction
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a sense of numbness, flatness, or being “wired but tired”
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reduced tolerance for pressure or stimulation
This program is appropriate when the nervous system has been under sustained demand.
COMMON FOCUS AREA
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Chronic stress activation and nervous-system overload
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Anxiety and affective instabilityBurnout, fatigue, and reduced recovery capacity
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Sleep disruption and circadian dysregulation
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Stress-related somatic symptoms (e.g. muscle tension, headaches, digestive discomfort)
This program focuses on physiological regulation and recovery rather than trauma processing.
WHY THIS IS A 6-WEEK PROGRAM
Burnout and chronic stress reflect a nervous system that has adapted to prolonged demand, often cycling between overactivation and shutdown. The six-week structure allows the autonomic nervous system the time required to recalibrate its baseline patterns:
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Weeks 1–2: Gently bring the nervous system out of chronic shutdown and high alert, so the body starts to feel safer, more present and responsive again.
Weeks 3–4: Systematically unwind stored stress in breath, fascia and muscle tension, lowering allostatic load so there is more space for ease and clarity.
Weeks 5–6: Strengthen vagal tone and recovery rhythms, so stress responses peak lower, resolve faster and your regulated state becomes the new baseline.
By the end of the program, the stress responses resolve more quickly, shutdown is less frequent, and recovery no longer requires constant management — in ways shaped by their individual physiology and history.
How it Works ...
Phase 1
Weeks 1–2 | Safety and Re-engagement
​The initial focus is on signalling safety directly to the nervous system.
Using somatic hypnotherapy and vagus-targeted techniques, the body is supported to emerge from chronic activation or dorsal shutdown. Work is bottom-up, prioritising interoception, breath, and physiological orientation rather than cognitive effort.
Physiology and Method
In burnout and chronic stress states, the nervous system often shifts into dorsal vagal shutdown or cycles between shutdown and sympathetic overactivation. In this state, the system conserves energy and limits engagement, sensation, and recovery.
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During this phase, the focus is on signalling safety directly to the brainstem, rather than attempting to increase motivation or performance.
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Work centres on somatic hypnotherapy, interoceptive awareness, and vagus-targeted stimulation techniques (including breath, orienting responses, and eye movements). These methods work bottom-up to reduce threat signalling and gently re-engage the autonomic system without forcing activation.
No emotional processing or performance demands are placed on the system during this phase.
Body-Level Shift
As the nervous system begins to exit shutdown, the body may show early signs of re-engagement:
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return of physical sensation (warmth, tingling, heaviness, or lightness)
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subtle increases in responsiveness or emotional availability
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fluctuations in energy as the system transitions out of conservation
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early improvements in sleep depth or digestive function
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Clients often report feeling more present in their body, with less effort required to stay engaged.
This phase establishes the physiological conditions required for further regulation work to occur without collapse or overwhelm.
Phase 2
Weeks 3–4 | Capacity Expansion and Stress Unloading
​Once safety is established, the focus shifts to widening the window of tolerance and reducing accumulated physiological stress. Somatic and trance-based techniques support the release of stored survival tension held in fascia, musculature, and breathing patterns. This allows the system to tolerate activation without tipping into overwhelm or collapse.
Physiology and Method
Once safety and re-engagement are established, the focus shifts to reducing allostatic load — the cumulative physiological burden of prolonged stress.
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Chronic activation leaves tension stored in fascia, musculature, and breathing patterns, restricting movement, circulation, and recovery. During this phase, trance-based somatic techniques are used to support the gradual release of stored survival tension.
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Work is paced to widen the window of tolerance, allowing the nervous system to experience activation without tipping into overwhelm or shutdown.
The emphasis remains physiological rather than cognitive.
Body-Level Shift
As accumulated stress unloads, clients may notice:
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release of chronic muscular holding (jaw, neck, shoulders, diaphragm)
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deeper, fuller breathing with less restriction
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reduction in stress-related pain or tension headaches
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increased tolerance for stimulation, interaction, and demand
The body begins to respond to stress with less defensive effort, conserving energy rather than depleting it.
Phase 3
Weeks 5–6 | Recovery Conditioning and Resilience
​The final stage focuses on strengthening vagal tone and consolidating efficient recovery.
The nervous system is trained to move smoothly between activation and rest, improving autonomic flexibility. As regulation stabilises, recovery becomes faster and less effortful.
Physiology and Method
The final phase focuses on strengthening vagal tone and consolidating efficient recovery patterns.
The vagus nerve functions as a regulator of heart rate and autonomic balance. Through repeated, regulated exposure to rest–activation cycles, the nervous system is trained to shift smoothly between effort and recovery.
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Hypnosis and nervous-system conditioning techniques are used to reinforce coherent autonomic responses, supporting improvements in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) — a key biomarker of resilience and adaptability.
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This phase is about consolidation, not pushing capacity.
Body-Level Shift
As recovery becomes more efficient, clients often experience:
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faster physiological recovery after stress
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steadier energy throughout the day
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improved emotional regulation under pressure
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a sense of resilience without constant self-monitoring
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By this stage, regulation requires less conscious effort.
The nervous system begins to self-correct rather than remain stuck in activation or shutdown.