In your body, there exists a very special cranial nerve that controls your emotions, health, happiness, and hormones. Scientists and doctors are now getting more and more interested in this secret nerve because it can treat physical illnesses and help manage stress, tension, cancer, depression, and cognitive disorder. This practical guide to understanding the vagus nerves is the key to our psychological and physical well-being, MICHELLE COREMAN explores the crucial role that the vagus nerve plays in determining our psychological and emotional states and explains that a myriad of common psychological and physical symptoms-from anxiety and depression to migraines and back pain-indicates a lack of proper functioning in the vagus nerve.Through a series of easy self-help exercises, this book illustrates the simple ways we can regulate the vagus nerve in order to initiate deep relaxation, improve sleep, and recover from injury and trauma. Additionally, by exploring the link between a well-regulated vagus nerve and social functioning, This book's analyses and shows findings and methods that offer new hope that by improving social behaviour it is possible to alleviate some of the symptoms at the core of many cases of autism spectrum disorders. Useful for psychotherapists, doctors, bodybuilders, and caregivers, as well as anyone who experiences the symptoms of chronic stress and depression, this book shows how we can optimize autonomic functioning in ourselves and others, and bring the body into the state of safety that activates its innate capacity to heal.