The Vagus Nerve and Healing Trauma
Lessons from books in June and July
Reading as medicine
The Vagus Nerve and Healing Trauma
Lessons from books in June and July
Gräfe und Unzer books — Photograph by the author
Last month I learned that being a lone wolf might be a label not a fixed trait. I’m proud of my autonomy and my love of solitude is real, but in truth, pain and betrayal led me to give up on closeness. I do want it. Further, the key to healing the root trauma might be simple, free, and right around the corner, via the “honest sharing” described by Gopal Norbert Klein in *Der Vagus-Schlüssel zur Traumaheilung* [“The vagus key to trauma healing”, in German.] That was just one of the books I read in June and July.
How many books are you reading at the moment? Once, back in the analogue day, I was surprised when someone reported having a half-finished book in every room.
Unlike then, I now relate to that. When writing my last reading wrap-up, I realized how many books I have started but not finished. Nothing that needs to be dumped as “DNF”*, but books that are surely worth reading. Multiple times in recent years, I’ve started something only to have a distraction or setback cause me to set it aside indefinitely. The convenience of downloads makes this more likely.
On the one hand, it’s draining to be stuck in the middle of so many books. The loose ends feel irritating, while the closure of completing a book is a balm to the psyche. Should I undertake to finish all the books I’ve started before stepping into yet another shiny new beginning, maybe even reducing my reading to one book at a time?
Maybe not quite, because, on the other hand, I’ve seen from others’ reading journals that different books serve for different situations and purposes. So I could have one book on the go simultaneously in each of the following categories:
Commute
Bedtime
Learning the craft of writing
Reviewing
Books that sang, “Buy me!” (aka books for a better life)
Commute
Finished in June: Audio version of “Bad Feminist” by Roxane Gay
I’m inconsistent in listening to audiobooks during my brief commute, but in June I finally finished the Bad Feminist essay collection by Roxane Gay. I love Gay’s crisp prose and knack for articulating thoughts I’d had but didn’t find words to express. For example, in connection with the title, I share her confusion about what being a feminist entails. But I can agree on the succinct definition cited in one of the essays. Whatever else is unclear, women should not be treated like s*** just because we are women. I highly recommend this read in case, like me, you didn’t discover it when the cultural references were fresh.
Started in June: Audio version of “Side Hustles for Dummies” by Alan Simon
This book is useful because while I dream of breaking free of my full-time job, I’m still struggling with the logistics. This book seems comprehensive with a certain amount of information that’s relevant to the USA only. I may need to read the e- or print version because it can be hard to take in all the advice, complete with side bars and icon sections, in the audio format. It’s a solid introduction.
Bedtime
Finished in June: “Children of Dune” by Frank Herbert
The Dune series gets even more surreal in this account of events after Paul Muad’Dib resigns as ruler and cult leader and wanders off into the desert. His line is under threat as a plot is hatched to kill his twins, who have the bodies of children but minds filled with the memories of every ancestor. Meanwhile the villain of the first book, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, returns to possess Paul’s sister Alia.
One of my favourite aspects of Dune is the portrayal of how adaptable and hardened humans are when survival is a struggle. The sequels portray humanity cycling into dangerous weakness now that times are less tough. The mysticism of the Dune universe remained a source of fascination in this book, but it got extremely abstract at times. As a result, reading it sometimes felt like a trudge through sands shifting in the wind. I still recommend it to lovers of classic science fiction.
Started in June: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” by George R R Martin
I can recommend this prequel to fans of A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIF) whiling away the wait for Winds of Winter. Set about 100 years prior to A Game of Thrones when winter was far from coming, it introduces some ASOIF protagonists’ ancestors who lived in the summer and even a character who was already born then. The perspective character is a child of Flea Bottom, seven-foot Dunk who desires a knight’s life as Ser Duncan the Tall and who meets a boy eager to be his squire who is not all he seems. Why did “Egg” really get his head shaved?
I’m enjoying Martin’s knack for building tense plots and admire the way he juggles multiple characters while conveying complex information in ways that fit the stories without info-dumping. He is a master of the third-person limited perspective, though the repetition of the characters’ self-talk can be overdone. I can get Ser Duncan’s insecurities without having to read “Dunk the lunk, thick as a castle wall” quite so many times. Listen to me, reading like a writer! And speaking of which …
Learning the craft:
“The Mysteries of Udolpho” by Ann Radcliffe
I got the idea of learning the craft of writing by reading the classics from The Art of Creating Story by William H. Coles. Those writers who scratched in pen and ink by candlelight and never studied creative writing or attended a writers’ group are nevertheless the best qualified to give masterclasses in pacing, building tension and all other technical aspects of writing. Coles notes how effectively Emily Bronte conveyed Cathy’s character through speech. Shortly after reviewing that book, I came across a Kindle collection of 50 Gothic masterpieces. Reading this tome is a “work in progress” in my life if ever there was one — I’ve been reading it on and off for five years. It does contain many full-length novels.
Currently I am on The Mysteries of Udolpho, a three-volume novel that’s a marathon within the marathon of the Gothic masterpieces anthology. Fascinatingly, this is what the likes of Austen and the Brontes would have read and most likely drawn inspiration from. It’s full of supernatural shocks and creepy castles with secret passages. When I write a Gothic-style novel, it will include a spooky old house for sure.
A current important project is doing up an old house — hopefully without ghosts. But besides working up from a low, low base to gain some DIY skills I still love to read and review books, and am still building up my beta reading and editing business.
Reviewing:
“My Creative Side Business” by Monika Kanikova
My Creative Side Business by Monika Kanikova and Entrepreneurship: 5 Best Practices for Stay-at-Home Moms Who Want to Start an Online Business by Patricia Jennings are both full of tips — I’m currently rereading with intent to review. Kanikova’s other book, This Year Will be Different: The Insightful Guide to Becoming a Freelancer, has gone onto my to-read list. I try to fit in book reviewing as and when. I’ve been under the weather with perimenopause symptoms; finding ways to overcome the sleep deprivation and fatigue is yet another work in progress.
I haven’t read anything more about perimenopause lately, but sometimes when I’m out and about, I come across a book that just sings to me and I have to buy and read it. Those experiences have been satisfying because I picked up the print books then worked through them at odd moments until they were done.
Books for a better life and the vagus nerve in trauma healing:
“Alternative Medicine: What Helps and What Harms” by Prof. Edzard Ernst and “The Vagus Key to Trauma Healing” by Gopal Norbert Klein
Both the books that attracted my attention recently are from the Gräfe und Unzer (GU) publishing house, which specializes in cookery, health and travel.
From their website:
Unsere Themen machen das Dasein schöner, leichter, lebenswerter: GRÄFE UND UNZER Titel zelebrieren die Lust am Kochen, Reisen, Essen und Genießen. Sie stellen das körperliche und seelische Wohlbefinden ins Zentrum, unterstützen die Gesundheit und regen eine ausgewogene Work-Life-Balance an. Sie zeigen, wie der Mensch in Einklang mit der Natur lebt und wie er richtig mit Tieren und Pflanzen umgeht.
English version of the above text:
“Our themes make life more beautiful, easier, and more worth living: GU titles celebrate the zest for cooking, travel, eating and pleasure. They centre the well-being of body and soul, support health and promote an even work-life balance. They show how a human can live in harmony with nature and how to treat animals and plants right.”
So I realize their books appeal because they’re all about the ingredients of the best life possible. I have several of their cookery and health books, often bought when relevant and proven to be helpful. The advice in their book on breastfeeding ensured a good experience, for example.
I’m always interested in reading scientific reviews of the evidence of the effectiveness (or not) of alternative medicine. In June I spotted and felt called to buy Prof. Edzard Ernst’s book examining the 20 most suspect alternative therapies as well as 20 approaches which do have some proven benefits. He found that the dodgiest “cures” have certain things in common — they are mostly invented by a particular individual, and claim to cure an array of ailments, snake oil style. The 20 alternative therapies that have been shown to produce results have specific applications, including some plants that have medicinal effects. For example, the book notes that eating raw garlic has been found to help lower blood pressure.
Vagus nerve activation seems on trend right now. For example, this was a focus of some sleep meditations I was using in an attempt to address insomnia.
I guess that’s why The Vagus Key to Trauma Healing by Gopal Norbert Klein caught my eye.
Klein explains that everyone has attachment trauma, which we all compensate for either by being too independent (autonomous types) or too concerned with others (fusion types). He further identifies dysfunction afflicting the whole of humanity where interactions are competitive rather than conducive to bonding. This book is not about breathing exercises to activate the vagus nerve. Indeed, Klein notes that yoga may be the oldest form of vagus nerve activation so if that healed trauma, the world would be a very different place.
The “honest sharing” that he proposes is simple, albeit very different from the usual ways of interacting, consisting of telling stories and subtly attempting to one-up each other. For that reason I can see honest sharing might take a bit of getting used to, but the formula really is straightforward. The ideal is for the sharing to be practised by couples or besties, but otherwise, in a group with clear parameters. I’m excited to note that this has obviously taken off in the German-speaking world and there are several groups near me. I’m autonomous to a fault myself and very much an introvert. I thought this was a personality trait but I think Klein is right that it’s more of a compensation mechanism for a lifetime of experiencing connection with others as unsafe. It’s true that I would love intimacy but had given up on believing it possible. I plan to attend a group and look forward to better experiences with connecting.
Questions
How’s your summer reading looking?
Do you have any experiences with the vagus nerve trend?
Would you like to see reviews of any of the above books? Let me know in comments!
Note
*DNF = Did not finish
메타데이터
- post_id
- 1ea5666cab60
- slug
- the-vagus-nerve-and-healing-trauma-1ea5666cab60
- url
- https://medium.com/bookium/the-vagus-nerve-and-healing-trauma-1ea5666cab60
- canonical_url
- https://medium.com/bookium/the-vagus-nerve-and-healing-trauma-1ea5666cab60
- author_url
- https://medium.com/@saskia-v
- status
- ok
- fetched_at
- 2026-07-15 12:19:42
