A system for providing electrical stimulation of a cervical vagus nerve (15, 16) for treatment of chronic cardiac dysfunction with bounded titration, comprising: a patient-operable external controller configured to transmit a plurality of unique signals comprising a unique signal associated with an up-titration command; a pair of helical electrodes; a nerve stimulation lead; and an implantable neurostimulator comprising: a pulse generator configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation tuned to restore autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses simultaneously delivered at an intensity that avoids acute physiological side effects and with an unchanging cycle not triggered by physiological markers, said electrical therapeutic stimulation is configured to be delivered in a manner that results in creation and propagation, in particular,in both afferent and efferent directions, of action potentials within neuronal fibers comprising said cervical vagus nerve of a patient through the pair of helical electrodes via the electrically coupled nerve stimulation therapy lead; and a recordable memory storing an autotitration operating mode comprising a maximum stimulation intensity and configured to increase an intensity of the delivered electrical therapeutic stimulation up to a level not exceeding the maximum stimulation intensity upon receipt of the unique signal associated with the up-titration command. a patient-operable external controller configured to transmit a plurality of unique signals comprising a unique signal associated with an up-titration command; a pair of helical electrodes; a nerve stimulation lead; and an implantable neurostimulator comprising: a pulse generator configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation tuned to restore autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses simultaneously delivered at an intensity that avoids acute physiological side effects and with an unchanging cycle not triggered by physiological markers, said electrical therapeutic stimulation is configured to be delivered in a manner that results in creation and propagation, in particular,in both afferent and efferent directions, of action potentials within neuronal fibers comprising said cervical vagus nerve of a patient through the pair of helical electrodes via the electrically coupled nerve stimulation therapy lead; and a recordable memory storing an autotitration operating mode comprising a maximum stimulation intensity and configured to increase an intensity of the delivered electrical therapeutic stimulation up to a level not exceeding the maximum stimulation intensity upon receipt of the unique signal associated with the up-titration command. a pulse generator configured to deliver electrical therapeutic stimulation tuned to restore autonomic balance through continuously-cycling, intermittent and periodic electrical pulses simultaneously delivered at an intensity that avoids acute physiological side effects and with an unchanging cycle not triggered by physiological markers, said electrical therapeutic stimulation is configured to be delivered in a manner that results in creation and propagation, in particular,in both afferent and efferent directions, of action potentials within neuronal fibers comprising said cervical vagus nerve of a patient through the pair of helical electrodes via the electrically coupled nerve stimulation therapy lead; and a recordable memory storing an autotitration operating mode comprising a maximum stimulation intensity and configured to increase an intensity of the delivered electrical therapeutic stimulation up to a level not exceeding the maximum stimulation intensity upon receipt of the unique signal associated with the up-titration command.