Vagus nerve stimulation and cold showers

I found out about vagus nerve massage around the ears. Has anyone else had success with this.

how effective did you find it for severe anxiety

Does anyone do cold water therapy?

The basics are you need a safe home and a safe place to do any treatment.


There's a whole lot about the vagus nerve that I am finding out with my counsellor @FMCA. I was fragmented so it has taken some time. I will keep on it, but I can't even describe or explain it.

I am still really struggling but I don't have a clean and safe place to live in.

I put frozen ice packs on the back of my neck. I wrap a tea towel or towel around the ice pack. I place it at the bottom of my skull and at the top of my neck.

I wake up in the night and if the ice pack is no longer frozen, then I get another frozen ice pack from the freezer and wrap it up. Then I go back to sleep.


I have had a tough morning so I have an ice pack on my neck right now.


I did do quite a bit around cold water therapy and I can't even remember why I stopped. I guess it's because of me being so much more fragmented than I realised. It works with some folks.


Your specific body will have certain requirements and certain treatments will work with you, your trauma and your body.


Are you able to ground yourself?


Do you have a therapist or a group who you are working with?

Thanks for responding, I have got a safe home so that’s something. I am not part of a counselling group or any group yet but I’m hoping to sort counselling out today by going to a local service . I’m gonna start with the cold shower thing in the mornings.

I did the vagus nerve massage ear thing which helped.

I was able to yesterday when I went to joint people for a walking group .I started feeling sick but I managed to hold it together.

Tbh I just think I need to get out and about more and get my brain more used to a lot of stimulation.

Last time it happened I was somewhere I wasn’t familiar with , with people I don’t know and it was all a bit full on. I’m just not used to be being around people that much

Gradually building up new skills is the way to go.

I have tried to take on too much and ending burning and crashing.

Doing 5 minutes per day of social activity that you can sustain over a month is much better than doing 5 hours and crashing and burning.

You, of course, know you own boundaries.

I managed to go it for 3 hours today and sit with a few people I didn’t know sitting in the same room and I was fine. Was a bit nervous but managed to keep calm.

I did the cold shower thing this morning and used the ear massage thing while I was out and it seems to have worked ok

Yes you’re right, I’m goi g to try and do something every day where I can sit with people or be with people I don’t know like I’m a group or something for a couple of hours just so my brain gets used to it.

Think I made the mistake of doing to much too sooner a couple of weeks ago and my brain wasn’t used to it