Nervous System & Regulation

Evidence-based nervous system & regulation practices.

32 concepts in this area — each broken into concrete practices with the real mechanism, an honest read on the evidence, and how to practice it with IX Coach.

• Allostatic Load, Made Practical — What is allostatic load and how do you reduce it?
• Autogenic Training, Made Practical — What is autogenic training and does telling yourself you feel heavy and warm actually reduce stress?
• Box Breathing, Made Practical — What is box breathing and does it actually calm you down quickly?
• Coherent Breathing, Made Practical — What is coherent breathing and how does breathing at 5 breaths per minute help your nervous system?
• Dorsal Vagal Shutdown: The Collapse State and How to Emerge — What is dorsal vagal shutdown and how do you come out of the collapsed or shut-down state?
• Edmund Jacobson’s Progressive Relaxation, Made Practical — What is Jacobson’s progressive relaxation and how does it differ from modern PMR?
• Focusing and the Felt Sense, Made Practical — What is Focusing and how does the felt sense help you process emotions?
• Glimmers: Micro-Moments That Cue Safety — What are glimmers in polyvagal theory and how do they help regulate the nervous system?
• Grounding Techniques for Acute Distress — What are grounding techniques, and how do they calm panic, anxiety, or overwhelm in the moment?
• Heart Rate Variability Training, Made Practical — What is heart rate variability training and does it actually improve stress resilience?
• Interoception, Explained — What is interoception, and how does sensing your body shape emotion and self-regulation?
• Neuroception: How Your Nervous System Reads Safety Before Your Mind Does — What is neuroception and how does the nervous system detect safety and threat unconsciously?
• Nostril Breathing: Pranayama for Calm and Focus — Does nostril breathing actually calm the nervous system, and which techniques work?
• Pendulation, Made Practical — What is pendulation in Somatic Experiencing and how does swinging between sensation and resource help regulate the nervous system?
• Polyvagal Theory, Honestly Explained — What is polyvagal theory, and is it actually scientifically valid?
• Self-Havening: Calming the Nervous System Through Touch — What is self-havening and does it actually calm the nervous system?
• Somatic Experiencing, Honestly Explained — What is Somatic Experiencing, and does discharging trauma activation from the body actually work?
• Somatic Tracking, Made Practical — What is somatic tracking and how does it help with chronic pain?
• The Body Keeps the Score, Honestly Explained — What does "the body keeps the score" mean, and is bottom-up regulation actually backed by science?
• The Dive Reflex, Made Practical — Can cold water on your face really calm extreme emotional arousal through the dive reflex?
• The Freeze Response and How to Thaw It — What is the freeze response and how do you come out of it?
• The Ladder of Regulation: Navigating Your Autonomic States — What is the polyvagal ladder of regulation and how do you use it to shift your nervous system state?
• The Orienting Response, Made Practical — What is the orienting response and how can you use it to regulate your nervous system?
• The Physiological Sigh, Made Practical — What is the physiological sigh and is it really the fastest way to calm down?
• The Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP): What It Is and What the Evidence Shows — What is the Safe and Sound Protocol and does it actually work?
• The Stress Response Cycle: How to Discharge Stress, Not Just Remove the Stressor — What is the stress response cycle, and how do you actually complete it?
• The Voo Breath: Vagal Activation Through Sound — What is the Voo breath, and does making a "Voo" sound actually calm the nervous system?
• Titration in Somatic Practice, Made Practical — What is titration in Somatic Experiencing and why does working in tiny doses help the nervous system heal?
• Trauma-Informed Yoga: Movement as a Path to Safety — What is trauma-informed yoga and how does it help the nervous system recover from trauma?
• Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, Made Practical — What is trauma-sensitive mindfulness and how does it differ from standard mindfulness?
• Vagal Tone, Honestly Explained — What is vagal tone, and can you actually improve it with breathing, cold, and humming?
• Ventral Vagal Activation: Accessing the Safe-and-Social State — What is ventral vagal activation and how do you get into the safe-and-social state?