In my attempts to heal my own dorsal vagal shutdown – a stress response initiated by the parasympathetic nervous system that redirects your limited energy towards essential functions such as conservation and self-preservation – I continue to discover new ways to use Vibrant Blue Oils to support my own healing.
For decades, I have advocated the application of Parasympathetic on the vagus nerve to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system from the top down – the brain to the body.
My experience with dorsal vagal freeze – where the body is frozen but the mind remains active – prompted a shift to a bottom-up approach – Stimulating the intestinal mucosa of the gut to activate the ventral (or safety branch) of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Dorsal vs. Ventral Vagal
As you may know, your vagus nerve has two branches – dorsal (back) and ventral (front) – which are associated with different adaptive behavioral strategies.
The ventral side of the vagus nerve responds to cues of safety in your environment and interactions. It supports feelings of physical safety and safe emotional connection to others in our social environment.
The dorsal side of the vagus nerve responds to cues of danger. It pulls us away from connection, out of awareness, and into a state of self-protection. In this state of immobilization or shutdown, the body triggers a cascade of physiological responses aimed at promoting survival, including feelings of numbness, dissociation, and disconnection from yourself and your environment.
Just like you can get stuck in “fight or flight” sympathetic overdrive, traumatic experiences can keep you stuck in a dorsal vagal state (also known as functional freeze), as it helps to numb you from feeling life’s pain so you can survive it. This shuts you down both emotionally and physically. It literally shuts your body down, storing unprocessed emotions in your body and your nervous system.
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Bottom-Up Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Topically applying Parasympathetic behind the earlobe on the mastoid bone is a top-down vagus nerve stimulation strategy which works well for activating the ventral vagal parasympathetic state.
To calm dorsal vagal shutdown, the bottom-up approach of creating safety and space in the gut helps to send safety signals up to the brain through the bidirectional gut-brain connection which signals between your digestive system and central nervous system.
The bacteria that live in your gut are also involved in your gut-brain connection. Gut microbes produce or help produce many of the chemical neurotransmitters that convey messages between your gut and brain, according to research.
For this reason, the Intestinal Mucosa blend – when topically applied clockwise around the belly button – helps to stimulate the peripheral sensory nerve fibers within the skin and gut tissue which then provides corrective feedback to your nervous system to help send safety signals to the physical body and calm the dorsal vagal immobilization response.
Intestinal Mucosa
Intestinal mucosa lines the intestinal wall and plays host to your gut flora, helping to keep it healthy and intact. Healthy intestinal mucosa is the glue that helps the gut flora – or the probiotics that feed the flora – stick to the gut lining.
Healthy gut flora feeds the cells of the intestinal lining, known as enterocytes. In turn, the enterocytes are responsible for the selective uptake of beneficial nutrients, making it critical for proper digestion and assimilation.
Healthy flora competes with potential pathogens for space and food, helping to maintain the healthy balance of bacteria in the intestines. If your healthy gut bacteria are already using all the resources available, there’s nothing left to feed the bad guys. This also helps to keep opportunistic bacteria in check. When beneficial bacteria are depleted, opportunistic pathogens can proliferate and overgrow. (More here).
Healthy gut microbiome (or gut flora) may also help to modulate the inflammatory immune response and neutralize toxic substances. In her book, “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, Dr. Natasha-Campbell-McBride notes that “healthy indigenous gut flora has a good ability to neutralize toxic substances, inactivate histamine, chelate heavy metals, and other poisons. The cell walls of the beneficial bacteria absorb many carcinogenic substances making them inactive. They also suppress hyperplastic processes in the gut, which is the basis of all cancer formation.” In other words, if the intestinal mucosa nourishes the gut flora to keep it healthy and working properly, it basically neutralizes all other health threats.
Further, an imbalance of gut flora, known as dysbiosis, can result in an overgrowth of bugs, bacteria, mold, fungus, yeast and/or parasites. This imbalance causes food to ferment in the intestines instead of being digested, creating gas and bloating. Healthy gut flora helps to make the gut more acidic and hostile to invading bacteria.
If the mucosal lining is diminished from working to protect the intestinal walls against pathogens and damage from food and waste, the beneficial effects of the nutrient dense diet and probiotics are diminished. It is almost like trying to apply wallpaper without glue. It will not stick where you want it to go.
READ THIS NEXT: Essential Oils to Heal and Seal the Gut
Essential Oils for Intestinal Mucosal Lining
Essential oils can help gently support healthy intestinal mucosa and calm inflammation in the gut.
Intestinal Mucosa™ is designed to gently permeate topically through the skin to regenerate and heal the mucosal lining of the small intestine to increase optimal nutrient absorption and calm inflammation.
Intestinal Mucosa™ contains a proprietary blend of organic and/or wild-crafted therapeutic essential oils, including:
Birch essential oil, extracted from the bark of both the White Birch and the Silver Birch trees, is known for reducing inflammation, increasing blood flow, and easing pain, especially pain in the tissues. Research demonstrates the anti-inflammatory benefits of the extracts of birch bark.
Birch oil is high in the analgesic constituent methyl salicylate, which is a precursor to aspirin. Salicylates are very potent compounds that permeate the skin and inhibit the formation of prostaglandins thereby reducing inflammation and pain. Birch is also known to tone the skin and help clear the accumulation of toxins and lymphatic fluid and soften tissues.
Cardamom oil is high in anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, which help support gut health, alleviate digestive issues such as indigestion, gas, and bloating, and fight certain types of bacteria and fungi.
Due to its warming nature, Cardamom can help with blood circulation and help relieve pain and ease gut inflammation. Cardamom is also high in phenolic compounds that support antioxidant activity.
Cypress essential oil is high in the compound α-pinene and exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in research which helps improve circulation and contraction of the blood vessels, making it easier to stimulate blood flow and release gut inflammation.
Cypress also helps to balance and calm the nervous system and works as an antispasmodic agent. What’s more, Cypress essential oil has a diuretic and detoxifying action and can help to stimulate sluggish intestines, and flush out toxins from the body, which helps promote better blood flow and circulation, relaxing tissues and releasing fascia constriction and congestion.
Nargarmotha supports stomach and intestinal issues. It is known for its calming properties and may help alleviate gut inflammation, discomfort, and digestive issues when applied around the abdomen. Derived from the root of a perennial herb, Nargarmotha can be very grounding and is known for its antispasmodic properties that can help relieve menstrual cramps.
To use, apply 2- 3 drops of Intestinal Mucosa™ in a clockwise circular motion around the belly button 2 -3 times daily, ideally before or after meals.
Topical application is a powerful and soothing tool for the gastrointestinal system and is well tolerated by sensitive clients with impaired digestion who might struggle to digest, absorb, and assimilate nutrients via the digestive process. Highly sensitive people who often cannot tolerate dietary supplements can use essential oils without a negative reaction.
Intestinal Mucosa™ blend applied around the navel in a circular movement is incredibly soothing to the system and helps to soften gut inflammation and calm down the body and the mind.
As a more advanced application technique, you can start at the navel and topically apply in a clockwise circular motion, going around and making the movement bigger and bigger as you go around the whole intestinal system, and then reversing it and going back the other direction. This application strategy significantly helps to soften the dorsal vagal response and helps shift you out of immobilization and anxiety.
Stimulating the Parasympathetic state also routes increased blood flow to the small intestine, allowing for healing of the intestinal wall and optimal enzymatic activity and nutrient assimilation. The parasympathetic state also triggers peristalsis, the muscle contractions that move food and waste through the digestive tract, known as the “Housekeeping Wave”. If motility is impaired, the inability to move food through the intestines leads to abnormal fermentation, intestinal bacteria, yeast overgrowth, or unhealthy digestive conditions such as IBS and SIBO.
