Show notes
Unlocking the Vagus Nerve: Engineering Self-Healing for Trauma and StressIn Episode 103 of Beneath the Helmet, Arjuna sits down with Chris Duquemin — mechanical engineer turned bodyworker, founder of New Vision Therapy (NVT), and author of The Body Engineer.After suffering 10 years of chronic shoulder pain that conventional medicine could not diagnose, Chris began exploring the mechanics of the central nervous system. What he discovered changed his life — and now informs his work with first responders, veterans, and individuals living with post-traumatic stress, chronic anxiety, and unresolved trauma.This conversation explores how a compromised nervous system can drive physical symptoms, emotional distress, and chronic stress — and how restoring mechanical balance may unlock the body’s natural capacity to self-heal.Time Stamps00:00:00 – Introduction and Chris’s background00:01:00 – From mechanical engineer to chronic shoulder pain00:02:00 – Medical dead ends and being told “it’s in your mind”00:05:00 – The central nervous system as the body’s fuse board00:08:00 – Unresolved trauma and the rib injury breakthrough00:10:00 – Craniosacral mechanics and cerebrospinal fluid explained00:14:00 – Compromised nervous systems and fight-or-flight states00:18:00 – Fascia, compensation patterns, and cumulative trauma00:23:00 – Vagus nerve mechanics and restoring self-healing00:27:00 – DNA reset and the three-to-four-month healing cycle00:30:00 – The three levels: balance, fight-or-flight, and breakdown00:39:00 – Quick self-assessments: heart rate variability & uvula test00:42:00 – Practical tools: stretching, vagus exercise, grounding00:52:00 – The amygdala, hippocampus, and trauma storage01:00:00 – How emotional trauma becomes stored in fascia01:07:00 – Making this practical inside firehousesWhat You’ll LearnHow a compromised central nervous system impacts digestion, immunity, sleep, and moodWhy unresolved trauma can lock the body into fight-or-flightThe role of fascia in storing physical and emotional traumaSimple nervous system checks firefighters can use in minutesPractical daily tools to support vagus nerve functionWhy self-healing depends on restoring mechanical balanceChris shares how New Vision Therapy bridges engineering principles and bodywork to help those who are not responding to medication or counselling — especially veterans, military members, and first responders.Chris Duquemin is the founder of New Vision Therapy (NVT) and is based in the Canary Islands (Tenerife).He teaches foundational workshops and practitioner training programs internationally, with plans to expand training in Canada.Those interested in practitioner training can attend workshops in Tenerife or the UK, with a five-workshop foundational path that can lead to qualification within 12–15 months.Connect with [email protected] this conversation resonated with you, take a moment to subscribe to the channel and share this episode with someone who may benefit from it.Conversations like this can spark real change — in firehouses, departments, families, and communities.Stay well.Host Arjuna George - Fire Chief (ret) 🚨 JOIN THE BTH COMMUNITY 📝 Podcast Newsletter: https://colossal-trailblazer-6113.ck.page/c0e1b81fbe 📨 LinkedIn Podcast Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7026972684089528321✅Become a BTH Ambassador for a one-time contribution of $23. Your Ambassador contribution supports the behind-the-scenes work that keeps this project alive. Click here to support the show 📺 WATCH & LISTEN 🌐 Full Episodes & Show Notes: www.beneaththehelmet.ca ▶️ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@beneaththehelmetshow?sub_confirmation=1
