AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Fainting Revealed A Nervous-System Freeze
- Nicol fainted and forgot words during sessions, which she later recognized as nervous-system freeze responses.
- That panic led her to discover polyvagal theory and the vagus nerve as the physiological root of those symptoms.
Vagus Nerve Explains Fight, Flight, Freeze
- The vagus nerve links the brainstem to all organs and drives fight, flight, and freeze states.
- Freeze (fainting, blacking out, forgetting words) is a third stress state distinct from fight or flight.
Stress Becomes A Familiar Baseline
- Chronic stress rewires the body and mind and becomes a familiar baseline for many people.
- This habitual stress pattern creates an 'emotional addiction' where the nervous system craves familiar activation.