Traumatic stress and the autonomic brain-gut connection

Among body-based practices, ARKEOS, an ancient art developed by Dr. Marco Paret, stands out for its gentle touches on the solar plexus, the area just below the breastbone. Here the ventral vagus nerve runs close to the surface of the skin, so this point offers a way to influence a component that is central to our well-being. We were using these touches, and seeing their calming effect, long before Porges' model circulated among clinicians; the theory now sheds light on why they work.

The vagus nerve: linking mind and body

The vagus nerve is central to this work. It is the longest nerve of the autonomic system, running from the brainstem to the gut, and it links our mental state to the body. Considered the main channel of the gut-brain axis, it coordinates thoughts, emotions and actions. Its key function is to bring calm: it slows the heart rate and lowers blood pressure.

Emotional well-being and digestive health

Anxiety, depression and PTSD often come together with gastrointestinal disorders. The links between emotional wounds and physical discomfort are close, especially in people who carry past traumas or live under constant stress. This meeting point of mind and gut calls for a view of health that includes the whole person.

A polyvagal perspective: evolution and the nervous system

The Polyvagal Theory, developed by the pioneering work of Stephen Porges, describes how the autonomic nervous system (ANS, which regulates heart, breathing and digestion without our conscious control) evolved, and how it lets the body adapt, face threats and engage with others. This framework helps us understand problems that are both socio-emotional and gastrointestinal.

From theory to practice: pathways to well-being

The Polyvagal Theory shows the pathways that lead the body towards distress or towards calm. It sheds light on the causes of emotional and digestive imbalance and also indicates a direction for healing, in which the person's inner force is stimulated. The gentle touches of ARKEOS, which stimulate the ventral vagus, open concrete possibilities for those facing mental and physical health difficulties.

With its targeted stimulation of the ventral vagus, ARKEOS invites us to explore the connections within us: the interplay between nerves, emotions and the deepest part of the person.

The Polyvagal Theory shows the pathways that lead the body towards distress or towards calm. It sheds light on the causes of emotional and digestive imbalance and also indicates a direction for healing, in which the person's inner force is stimulated. The gentle touches of ARKEOS, which stimulate the ventral vagus, open concrete possibilities for those facing mental and physical health difficulties.

With its targeted stimulation of the ventral vagus, ARKEOS invites us to explore the connections within us: the interplay between nerves, emotions and the deepest part of the person.

Learn the method

Mesmeric Polyvagal Therapy is taught in the courses of Dr. Paret's School (ISI-CNV – Université Européenne): live seminars and online lessons, from the first-level Master to advanced training, with specific expertise in polyvagal hypnosis, trembling, completion of the response and ventral vagal stimulation. Request the programme and the next dates: our first contact is always a WhatsApp message, never a call.

→ Request information on the courses

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→ marcoparet.com: the School of Dr. Paret

→ Polyvagal Hypnosis

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Research notes

A selection of peer-reviewed studies on polyvagal theory and vagal function that offer a scientific reading of the topics discussed in this article.

Breit S, Kupferberg A, et al. (2018). Vagus nerve as modulator of the brain-gut axis in psychiatric and inflammatory disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 44. This review describes the vagus nerve as a bidirectional link between brain and gut involved in mood, immune response and digestion, and notes preliminary evidence that vagal interventions may help in depression and inflammatory bowel disease. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00044

Bonaz B, Bazin T, Pellissier S (2018). The vagus nerve at the interface of the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 49. The authors review how vagal afferents (about 80% of the nerve) sense gut and microbiota signals, how a cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway may dampen intestinal inflammation, and how stress and low vagal tone are reported in irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00049

Kolacz J, Porges SW (2018). Chronic diffuse pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders after traumatic stress: pathophysiology through a polyvagal perspective. Frontiers in Medicine, 5, 145. This review links dampened respiratory sinus arrhythmia, traumatic stress and functional gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, proposing a shared threat-related autonomic mechanism; it connects the gut-brain axis with the history of stress. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2018.00145

Porges SW (2024). Disorders of gut-brain interaction through the lens of polyvagal theory. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 37(3), e14926. Porges proposes a metric of 'vagal efficiency' that may index brainstem regulation shared by the heart and the gut, and notes early evidence that it covaries with gut disorders; the proposal remains to be confirmed by further research. https://doi.org/10.1111/nmo.14926