Depression Through a Nervous System Lens (Depression Mini-Series Part 1)
Episode 19: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
View transcript on Buzzsprout
What if depression isn’t a chemical flaw in your brain—but a survival response from your nervous system? In this foundational episode, Amanda opens Part 1 of a three-part series that reframes depression through a polyvagal and trauma-informed lens. This shift not only clarifies symptoms, but opens up entirely new paths to healing.
What We Cover in This Episode
- Why the chemical imbalance theory is outdated and unhelpful
- A new way to view depression through the lens of the nervous system
- What polyvagal theory teaches us about shutdown and immobility
- How chronic stress can lead to depressive symptoms
- Three healing invitations to begin reframing your experience
Rewriting the Story of Depression
So many of us were taught that depression is something broken inside of us—an imbalance, a flaw, a fixed identity. But what if depression isn’t a diagnosis to manage forever, but an adaptation your body made to survive?
In this episode, Amanda shares the story of a family trip where she experienced profound disconnection. Her body was so exhausted, so shut down, that she literally fell asleep while her sister tried on her wedding dress. That moment became a turning point—a realization that her body wasn’t betraying her, it was trying to protect her.
This protective shutdown is what polyvagal theory calls the dorsal vagal state, or what Amanda often refers to as “the red zone.” It’s not a character flaw. It’s your nervous system waving a red flag, saying: this is too much.
Chemical Imbalance vs. Nervous System Overload
Amanda unpacks the chemical imbalance theory and how it originated—not from rigorous research, but from pharmaceutical marketing. The idea that low serotonin causes depression was a backwards conclusion, based on medications that alleviated symptoms, not studies that confirmed cause.
The reality? There’s no peer-reviewed research proving that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance. Yet that theory persists in public language and patient education.
By contrast, polyvagal theory offers a far more comprehensive—and hopeful—framework. It explains how prolonged stress, trauma, and environmental load push your system from activation (anxiety) into immobilization (depression). Your body isn’t malfunctioning—it’s doing its best with what it has.
Understanding Depression via the Polyvagal Theory
Rather than seeing depression as a broken brain, polyvagal theory views it as a nervous system response to overwhelm. Using the ladder metaphor. Visualize a ladder:
- At the top: the green zone of regulation (connected, calm, coping)
- In the middle: the yellow zone of activation (mobilized, anxious, reactive)
- At the bottom: the red zone of shutdown (dissociated, fatigued, hopeless, depression)
When your nervous system is overloaded for too long, it pushed you down the ladder into that shutdown state. This is what many of us experience as depression. Depression is not a personal failure or flaw. It’s a protective adaptation when life becomes too heavy for too long or too overwhelming to engage with.
This explains why some people slide into shutdown after trauma, prolonged stress, or environments where fight-or-flight responses are not possible. It also explains Amanda’s own experience of burnout leading to depressive symptoms.
Why This Reframe Matters
When we understand depression as a survival response, it unlocks a more compassionate, tangible, and hopeful framework for healing. Amanda shares how this lens helped her move out of shame and into agency. In this approach, you’re supporting your body in coming back to safety. It opens the door to regulation practices, environmental shifts, and nervous system healing—all of which are core to Amanda’s work inside Restore, her 1:1 coaching program, and the Regulated Living Membership, which offers structured tools and a community space to heal alongside others.
In the meantime, she encourages listeners to reflect on their own stories and begin asking:
- What would healing look like if I believed I wasn’t broken?
- What stressors have I been carrying?
- Where have I had to shut down to survive?
Hit play to hear more!
Three Tangible Takeaways
- Question Old Narratives: What beliefs about depression have you been carrying? Reflect on what feels true and helpful after hearing this episode.
- Reframe the Cause: Consider that depression may be your body’s overwhelmed response, not a broken brain. This opens the door to nervous system-based healing.
- Get Curious About Your Shutdown: Ask yourself: What has pushed my system into this state? What support or changes might help me regulate again?
Looking for more personalized support?
- Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
- Join me inside the Regulated Living Membership, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
- Join my Release Class – Monthly guided nervous system regulation class
- Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!
- Download free resources here
*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
