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Your main nervous system state is..

Dorsal Vagal

IMMOBILIZATION

SHUT DOWN

The system could not socially engage, fight, or flee to avoid the threat so here it is too overwhelmed and going into shutdown.

This is a state known as hypoarousal.

This is the last effort of the nervous system to survive, and although much may not seem like it is happening, it is the highest activation state in the nervous system. That is because it is the state that the animal is preparing to die.

This is an instinctual, automatic survival response shared with other mammals, and it is our most ancient. Its purpose is to mimic death as to fool the predator into leaving, and dissociate from our body so that we do not feel the pain if the predator does indeed attack us.

Another thing that can happen here is the experience of freeze. This is where SNS and DVC are happening at the same time. You may feel like your heart is racing but your body feels stuck, like a deer in headlights.

BUT IT’S NOT ALL SHUT DOWN…

The vagus nerve travels from our brain stem into our gut, creating the two way communication between gut and brain. The DVC of the vagus nerve connects into the gut, being associated with digestion.

So it is the DVC that helps with rest and digest when it is in low tone, meaning our system is not overwhelmed by stress or threat that would cause the DVC to engage in high tone and go towards freeze/immobilization.

This is felt in sleep, moments of deep relaxation, meditation and stillness, and when we are in a Ventral Vagal (VV) combined with the low tone of DVC.

So to help support this rest and digest state, we want to help regulate the nervous system to spend more time in VV.

Here is what you may experience in dorsal vagal shutdown:

PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

Low energy/fatigue

Shallow breathing or short breaths

Difficult to move

Head can feel disconnected from body/not in body

Heavy or weightless

Cold

Autoimmune disease is common

MENTAL & EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS

Depression, apathy, hopelessness, helpless

Dissociated, spaced-out, numb, unreal

Lack of focus, brain fog, or difficulty concentrating

Lack of motivation, nothing matters, "I can't"

Disconnected, lonely, feel different

Feeling stuck, trapped, or frozen

"Nothing is ever going to change"

Procrastination

Hard to recall memories, difficult time speaking/finding words

Slow speaking, lack of facial expressions

DIGESTIVE SYMPTOMS

DVC speeds up motility which = diarrhea/loose stools

DVC can lead to feeling nauseous or cause vomiting

In this state the body is speeding up motility to eliminate all the contents, and then shutting down, so you will also experience these common digestive symptoms, among others:

Bloating & gas

Abdominal pain or cramps

Lack of appetite/fullness

Undigested food in stool

Feeling like digestion is just “offline”

*Of course, you may experience other symptoms (like constipation) as there are many factors! This is what is most common in DVC shutdown.

YOUR NEXT STEPS

IN SUMMARY

Now that you know your dominant state is dorsal vagal, you’ve uncovered key insights into what might be causing your chronic IBS-stress symptoms!

If you struggle with these problems:

✔ Your gut symptoms intensify the stress and anxiety you already struggle with, worsening your symptoms.

✔ You've experimented with recommended diets like low-FODMAP and supplement protocols for SIBO or dysbiosis, but your symptoms return.

✔ Every meal feels like a gamble, leaving you anxious and unsure whether you'll be unbuckling your pants or spending extra time on the toilet.

Then I’m guessing you’ve tried to solve it by:

✔ Eliminating more foods from your diet.

✔ Obsessively monitoring your symptoms and bowel movements.

✔ Trying that SIBO protocol one more time because maybe this time it will make a difference.

✔ Using stress management tools like yoga or meditation, but only finding temporary relief.

If this resonates, it’s a clear sign that your nervous system is dysregulated—the root cause behind the miscommunication between your gut and brain.

In fact, IBS is a miscommunication between the gut and brain, and that communication is controlled by our nervous system.

Here’s the good news:

By integrating the somatic tools in this video into your daily routine, you can begin to regulate your nervous system, improve digestion, and build resilience to stress.

Why is this so important?

Because 80% of communication travels from your body to your brain, not the other way around. You can’t just think your way out of stress, triggers, or symptoms—you need to involve the body to create real change.

It's difficult to just think our way out of activation, triggers, emotions, or even some symptoms - we need to involve the body to shift it!

To help you dive deeper, I’ve developed a unique 5-step framework that I used to heal from the IBS-stress cycle and now successfully guide my clients through.

I’ll be sharing all the details in my upcoming FREE masterclass:
Discover the Missing Piece to Break Free From the IBS-Stress Cycle.

JOIN THE MASTERCLASS

Hi, I'm Demi!

I help those struggling with the IBS-stress cycle reclaim their life through my unique approach of nervous system regulation, trauma healing, and nutritional therapy so they can regain trust in their body and build resilience towards stressors and symptoms.

All my life I have struggled with chronic gut-brain imbalances, such as IBS, dysbiosis, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive thinking. As a teenager, I became fed up with suffering, and dove deeply into researching and experimenting with all the gut healing protocols and diets I could find over the past 17 years. This led me down a path of deep inner work, providing great insight to what I consider the most important tools in approaching gut-brain healing.

My approach blends my lifetime of embodied wisdom in this field, with my training as as a Somatic Experiencing® practitioner and Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner.

It's where gut healing and nutritional therapy meets nervous system regulation and healing chronic and traumatic stress.