Episode 001 · 30 min
So Much Nervous System B.S....
Nervous system care has become a buzzword and most of what is circulating about it is wrong. Dr. Jay Wiles is a clinical health and performance psychologist who has spent his career measuring physiology in high performers, and this first episode is his case against the noise.
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What this episode argues
The core argument: almost every technique being sold right now produces state change, not trait change. State change is real and useful. It is what gets you back down after someone cuts you off in traffic. But it is transient, and there is little evidence that repeating it changes the underlying system. Trait change is the adaptation that lasts, and it is different training.
Also in this episode: why stress is inherently good rather than something to eliminate, what the baroreflex actually does, where the evidence for the popular techniques runs out, and a technique that costs nothing and lets you feel your own vagal brake working in real time.
Disclosure
Ohm, discussed at 03:17, is my own company. I built it, which is exactly why I talk about it here. Nobody paid for that segment.
Chapters
- 00:00 Why this show exists
- 01:53 The money being spent on nervous system technology
- 02:40 There is no magic elixir
- 03:17 Ohm, and why Jay uses it
- 06:05 I might be wrong, and here is my take anyway
- 07:10 State change is not trait change
- 10:00 What psychophysiology actually studies
- 10:58 Stress is inherently good
- 13:17 The baroreflex, and why stability is the point
- 18:06 Where the evidence runs out
- 24:06 A free technique, using your carotid pulse
- 25:51 Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and finding your rate
- 30:02 Where to go next
Mentioned
- Chris Williamson, Modern Wisdom, and the HRV conversation referenced at the top
- Ohm, the resonance lamp discussed at 03:17. Jay's own company, see the disclosure above.
- Resonance frequency breathing
- The Resilient Engine app, which measures HRV through the phone camera
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