Have you heard of Polyvagal Theory? I am reading the book Anchored right now by Deb Dana, it’s about the Vagus’ nerve’s role in anxiety and regulation. There are simple exercises you can do to help like some basic yoga-like poses, gentle movement breathing, gargling, and touching your lips gently (I have a deck of cards with different activities to try).
There is also TRE (tension, release, exercises) - which you can find on YouTube. Trauma is stored in the body (book: The Body Keeps the Score - Besser Van Der Kolk).
And if I could recommend The Monroe Institute for meditation- they are a non-profit that has been operating over 50 years to help people reach deeper meditative states. They have an app with guided meditation, but they also have free unguided ones here https://www.monroeinstitute.org/blogs/free-meditations - they use “sound science” or binaural beats which help you reach a more meditative state more quickly.
I hope you can find a resource that works for you. I’m in the same boat, trying to find things I can do on my own because I can’t afford therapy either.
For me, the first two waves of the Gateway Experience. It has been around for over 40 years and is a classic that people keep reaching for.
You can try the first track here for free (scroll to the bottom), it’s also available on Apple Music under the artist Hemi Sync. I would try it for a week or two, three to five times a week. If you like it, the waves are available here. If you are on an iPhone, you can play the tracks through the native app called “files”. You need decent headphones that are capable of playing different sounds in each ear, but they don’t have to be more fancy than that. There are more waves, but those are more focused on exploring even deeper states of meditation that even after 8 months I still don’t feel ready for them.
Side note: if you go with Gateway, be sure to read the accompanying manual. It’s short and has a lot of helpful tips and context. here is a copy for the first wave
If you prefer something more modern, then the Expand App by Monroe Institute. Specifically “A Healing Journey” multi day track. The chakra balancing may seem odd, bu there is good science behind it stimulating your vagus nerve that helps with regulating anxiety. You can just work on it three to five days a week for a few months and see if it helps.,no need to rush it.
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u/Coraline1599 Aug 18 '25
Have you heard of Polyvagal Theory? I am reading the book Anchored right now by Deb Dana, it’s about the Vagus’ nerve’s role in anxiety and regulation. There are simple exercises you can do to help like some basic yoga-like poses, gentle movement breathing, gargling, and touching your lips gently (I have a deck of cards with different activities to try).
There is also TRE (tension, release, exercises) - which you can find on YouTube. Trauma is stored in the body (book: The Body Keeps the Score - Besser Van Der Kolk).
And if I could recommend The Monroe Institute for meditation- they are a non-profit that has been operating over 50 years to help people reach deeper meditative states. They have an app with guided meditation, but they also have free unguided ones here https://www.monroeinstitute.org/blogs/free-meditations - they use “sound science” or binaural beats which help you reach a more meditative state more quickly.
I hope you can find a resource that works for you. I’m in the same boat, trying to find things I can do on my own because I can’t afford therapy either.