How Does The Body Feel

Lyrics

[Intro]

Hey, vagus nerve,
you old mechanic from 2011,
Stephen Porges called you the brake,
that gentle pedal in my chest.

[Verse 1]
It's 4:30 PM in that beige room,
Boston, 2010, late afternoon light
slipping through the small window.
The biofeedback device blinks green,
then red, measuring my heart's variability.
Bessel van der Kolk's words echo,
from his 2014 book, the body keeps the score.
You, vagus, you're listening,
asking always, am I safe?

[Chorus]
How does the body feel,
right now, in this 68-degree cool?
Lavender from the diffuser,
chamomile tea steaming on the side table.
Press the brake, slow the rhythm,
let the imprint fade, resilience rising.
How does the body feel,
when the score starts to rewrite itself?

[Verse 2]
Worn leather chair cradles me,
stethoscope on the desk, forgotten tool.
Porges, born 1945, theorized you,
polyvagal dreams in the autonomic hum.
I address you directly, nerve,
like a loved one, intimate whisper.
The faint metallic tang on my skin
from electrodes, grounding the chaos.
Van der Kolk, 1943, reminds us,
trauma's not just past, it's here in the flesh.

[Chorus]
How does the body feel,
right now, in this 68-degree cool?
Lavender from the diffuser,
chamomile tea steaming on the side table.
Press the brake, slow the rhythm,
let the imprint fade, resilience rising.
How does the body feel,
when the score starts to rewrite itself?

[Bridge]

Small fact, your vagal brake,
borrowed from cars, mechanical grace.
In this room, no vehicles, just us,
body and mind, negotiating peace.
The unnamed patients, their stories lost,
but you remember, you keep the score.

[Outro]

Hey, vagus,
how does the body feel now?
Safe, perhaps, in the late light.