145. Dr. Dave Rabin: HRV, Vagal Tone, and the Science of Safety for Performance and Mental Health — Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Chronic stress is quietly reshaping how we think, perform, sleep, and recover. In a world optimized for productivity, we rarely prioritize the one variable that determines long term resilience: recovery.

In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Dr. Dave Rabin, neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and co founder of Apollo Neuro, to unpack the science of vagal tone, heart rate variability, and how safety signals in the body drive peak performance and mental health. We break down the difference between eustress and distress, how unresolved trauma suppresses recovery, why HRV may be the most powerful biomarker of resilience, and how tools like breath, environment design, and wearable neurotechnology can retrain the nervous system in real time.

We also explore how psychedelic assisted therapies such as ketamine and MDMA are reshaping psychiatry, why safety is the foundation of trauma healing, and how small daily practices can restore autonomic balance and unlock human potential.

Dr. Dave Rabin, MD, PhD, is Executive Director of The Board of Medicine and a psychiatrist and neuroscientist specializing in chronic stress and treatment resistant illness. He has spent 15 years researching non invasive therapies including MDMA assisted treatment for severe PTSD, and is the author of the upcoming book A Simple Guide to Being Alive, a science backed framework for navigating burnout and reclaiming mental clarity in the modern world.

Pre-order Dr. Rabin's book "A Simple Guide to Being Alive" here: http://www.simpleguide.life

What We Discuss:

(00:00) Performance Culture vs Recovery Deficit
(05:05) Evolutionary Stress and the Modern Nervous System
(09:30) Eustress vs Distress and Early Warning Signs
(20:35) HRV as a Biomarker of Vagal Tone and Resilience
(27:24) Baseline Tracking and Using Wearables Intelligently
(37:34) Environment, Ambience, and Nervous System Regulation
(41:37) Breath as a Choice and Reclaiming Autonomic Control
(49:23) Micro Moments of Recovery Throughout the Day
(54:12) Apollo Neuro and Vagus Nerve Modulation
(1:04:22) Trauma, Safety, and Healing the Stress Imprint
(1:09:16) Ketamine and the Future of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
(1:15:01) MDMA, Meaning Making, and the Possibility of Cure

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Function Health: Learn more and join using my link. Visit www.functionhealth.com/drshah and use gift code DRSHAH25 for a $25 credit toward your membership.

Learn more about Dr. Shah:

Website: https://www.drshah.com/

Clinic: https://www.next-health.com/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/darshanshahmd/

Learn more about Dr. Dave Rabin

Dr. Dave's Website: https://www.drdave.io/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdavidrabin/?hl=en

The Board of Medicine: https://www.boardofmedicine.org/

The Psychedelic Report: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-psychedelic-report/id1670195179