Summary
George G of the LifeBlood podcast interviews Craig Goldberg about the sympathetic nervous system crisis in modern society and how vibroacoustic therapy addresses it. Craig explains that when the sympathetic nervous system is triggered, four things happen: cortisol and adrenaline flood the bloodstream, rational thinking turns off, digestion stops, and the immune system shuts down. He argues that most people are walking around in this state from the moment they check their phone in the morning until their head hits the pillow. Craig describes how InHarmony's technology uses sound and vibration to reset the nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic. He references Viktor Frankl's concept of the space between stimulus and response, explaining that regular vibroacoustic therapy use elongates that space and trains the body to stay calm under stress. The conversation covers how consistent practice over six years has reduced Craig's need from three sessions per day to three to five per week, and how the technology serves both people who cannot meditate and experienced meditators seeking deeper states.
Key Points
- Four consequences of sympathetic nervous system activation: cortisol flooding, loss of rational thinking, digestion shutdown, immune suppression
- Most people are stuck in sympathetic mode all day, which over time opens the door to disease
- Vibroacoustic therapy resets the nervous system to parasympathetic by delivering sound and vibration directly to the body
- Regular practice trains the nervous system to spend more time in parasympathetic and shortens recovery from stress triggers
- The technology serves both meditation beginners who can't quiet their mind and experienced meditators seeking deeper states
- InHarmony offers a free 90-day app experience and products including meditation cushion, practitioner table, and sound lounge
- Craig uses his technology 3-5 times per week after six years of consistent practice
Key Moments
The four consequences of sympathetic nervous system activation
Craig breaks down the four physiological responses when the sympathetic nervous system is triggered: cortisol and adrenaline flood the bloodstream, rational thinking turns off, digestion stops, and the immune system shuts down. These responses were designed for life-threatening situations but get triggered by everyday stressors.
"The second is the brain turns off rational thinking. So even though we're making decisions, we're not thinking rationally. The third thing is it turns off digestion. You no longer need energy diverted towards digestion. The second most expensive behind your brain from an energetic perspective, you simply need to fight or flight."
Viktor Frankl and elongating the space between stimulus and response
Craig references Viktor Frankl's concept of the space between stimulus and response, explaining that vibroacoustic therapy elongates that space. In a calm parasympathetic state, you can rationally process stimuli rather than reactively triggering a stress response.
"We're basically elongating the amount of space that you have in between a stimuli and our reaction. And the great example for me is we've all consoled a friend that went through a breakup and we all know that right after it happened, they're distraught and broken up, but how do they feel a week later?"
Mechanoreceptors create an immersive three-dimensional sound experience
Craig explains how the mechanoreceptors in the skin send vibration signals to the brain while the auditory nerve sends the same frequencies, creating an overwhelming three-dimensional immersive experience that naturally guides the mind into meditation without effort.
"your brain is receiving signals from every mechanoreceptor in your body. It's also receiving the same frequencies and the same signals from the auditory nerve. This creates a little bit of an overwhelming three-dimensional immersive experience that begins to unfold where your brain is processing all of these similar inputs"
