I Wanted to Heal Faster… and I Ended Up Feeling Worse. 

I did something recently that I coach my clients not to do… and of course, I did it anyway.

A few weeks ago, I started using an auricular vagal nerve stimulation device. The science behind it completely fascinates me, and based on the work I do, I know how deeply vagal tone impacts digestion, inflammation, motility, and the gut–brain axis.

So of course I wanted to try it myself. Because I honestly won't recommend anything to my clients that I haven't tried myself.

And deep down, I knew exactly how I should start: low intensity, just a few minutes, once a day.

The same titration strategy I walk my clients through all the time — with habits, supplements, nervous system tools, food reintroductions… all of it.

But then my overachiever brain kicked in. Because somehow, I decided I was the exception to the rule. I could handle more.

So instead of easing in gently, I went straight to intensity levels 8–10, for 15 minutes, sometimes twice a day. At first, it felt great. I even felt this deep wave of calm wash over me after a couple days, exactly the response vagal tools are supposed to create.

But then my body reminded me that physiology doesn’t negotiate with personality traits.

After about a week:

• the headaches started- 2 migraines then those lingering, nagging low-grade headaches that hang around just enough to be annoying

• then the nausea

• and out of nowhere, reflux-like sensations that had me eating crackers and ginger ale at lunch and toast for dinner

I looked at the usual suspects:

Maybe I ate something "off"
Maybe it was a new supplement (there weren’t any).
Maybe it was a stomach bug.
I even dug through my supplement “graveyard” looking for upper GI support while trying to figure out what was going on.

But after almost two weeks of nausea and headaches, it hit me:
The timing lined up perfectly with when I started the vagal stim device.

Cue facepalm.

Why “More” Backfired : The Physiology Behind It

Here’s what I needed to remember...the exact thing I teach my clients:

You can’t force the nervous system.
You can only support it.

And support almost always looks like:

• low

• slow

• consistent

• predictable

…not heroic doses, not “I can handle this,” and definitely not “maybe I’ll just skip the titration phase.”

High-intensity vagal stimulation can overwhelm a sensitive system especially if you already deal with IBS, constipation, reflux, menopause-related motility changes, or chronic stress.

The vagus nerve sends sensory information straight into the brainstem, and when those pathways get flooded, you get the exact symptoms I was experiencing.

The Real Work? Respecting Your Body’s Pace

This experience reminded me of something important:
My mind wanted to sprint. My body needed me to slow down. Story of my life!

And healing only happens when you honor the pace your physiology can actually integrate.

That doesn’t make us weak it makes us human.
It also makes me a better coach, because I’m not sitting above the process; I’m in it, learning the same lessons I help my clients uncover.

Walking the walk matters.

If You’re Frustrated That Healing Feels Slow…

Please hear this:

Your body isn’t resisting you. It’s not failing you. It’s not “behind.”

It’s simply asking you to stop PUSHING and start PARTNERING.

Sometimes the fastest progress comes from slowing down enough for the gut and nervous system to actually receive the support you’re giving them.

Sometimes the biggest healing leaps happen when you stop trying to leap

If you’ve ever been that person who thinks,

“I can handle more… I want faster progress… I’m the exception to the rule…”
Well, you’re in very good company.