This update from Dr. Binyamin Klempner – guest in episode 276 on The Yakking Show – includes an explanation of the functions and locations of the Vagus nerve, one of the most important nerves in the body and one relevant to people in combat situations. More updates on the situation in Israel here on this blog.
The things we spoke about. Drumming. I had set up a very colorful thirty-two inch Grotta Sonnora gong that one soldier was beating with a mallet. Another soldier was thoughtfully beating out ethereal rhythms on a handpan. While another soldier beat out somatic rhythms on a wooden Kandu Djembe. Meters away from the border with Lebanon, the sound and rhythms created a soft yet profoundly intense hypnotic atmosphere. Soft and gentle like water from a tiny mountain rivulet.
Hard like water from Colorado River rapids. “Drums have always accompanied men into combat,” I said. As we sat along the dark roadside. One of the soldiers responded, “The rhythm of the drums was once used to communicate the flow of battle. Orders were given and received through drum beat.” I continued, “Soldiers marched by the beat of the drum.” “The beating of the drum fortified the resolve of the soldier,” the soldier noted. Continuing on the theme I observed, “More than that, rhythm and sound has a calming effect on the mind and soul. When the mind is calm, when the soul is calm, when the soldier is calm, he fights with greater precision.
Our goal is to cause our enemies to tense up while we remain calm. When our enemy is tense, he causes his own collapse. When we are calm, victory is nearly assured.” We both sat as far back as we could on the wooden chairs made of discarded pallets as we listened to the other soldiers beat calming rhythms. “You know,” I said, “the sound of the gong, as much as it relaxes us, probably terrifies the enemy.” He laughed saying, “Yeah. I bet it does…”
Theory behind the coffee. Visiting soldiers, making them coffee, giving them hugs and drums to beat on is more than just a good deed and a motivating gesture. There is real therapeutic theory behind what I do which I am in need of articulating so as to dispel the notion that I’m just a goody-dogooder espresso making barista man. The Vagus Nerve runs from the jaw, through the ear, then down to our feet as it makes its way through just about every major organ and organ system of our bodies.
The Vagus Nerve is composed of three essential elements. The Dorsal Vagal Nerve. The Sympathetic Vagal Nerve. And the Ventral (or Central) Vagal Nerve. Like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand, or someone too depressed to be bothered with brushing their teeth in the morning, the Dorsal Vagal Nerve is responsible for shutting down. Giving up. Like Mike Tyson and Cassius Clay, the Sympathetic Vagal Nerve is responsible for fighting an opponent.
Or alternatively, like Napoleon fleeing from Russia, the Sympathetic Vagal Nerve is responsible for retreat. Like a Montana Moose basking in the summer sun while standing knee deep in a mountain lake, the Ventral Vagal System is responsible for the relaxation, rest and digest response. When we’re in Ventral Vagal regulation, we’re cool, calm, and relaxed. We have confidence. We’re ready to take on whatever comes our way with a clear and relaxed head. (That being the case, maybe Cassius Clay fought with Ventral Vagal regulation?
At any rate…). A soldier strives to enter battle with Ventral Regulation. But, on its own, this can be very difficult to achieve given all the stresses of war. However, the Ventral Vagus System can be regulated through co-regulation. That is to say, if a soldier is tense, but I show up, calm and playful (play also being a major influencer on Ventral Vagal regulation), and I make them a cup of espresso with my fun hand-pumped espresso capsule machine, and I have a long conversation with them about any topic they want to discuss, and maybe I take out a drum or a gong or a handpan, and upon leaving I give them a hug or at least a handshake (safe physical contact also being a major influencer on Ventral Vagal regulation), I am playing a major role in co-regulating the Ventral Vagus Nervous System of the soldiers I encounter and in so doing, enabling them to be more effective on the battlefield as well as less likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. So, suffice it to say, sometimes an espresso is more than just an espresso.
In addition to my ongoing visits with soldiers, there are two additional projects I’m working on that need sponsorship:
1) Recording the Audiobook version of the soon-to-be-published book featuring my weekly updates. $2,000.
2) Providing individual Polyvagal Informed Trauma Counseling to discharged soldiers. $350 sponsors 5 one-hour sessions to one discharged soldier.
Donations can be made at 
https://thechesedfund.com/
or through Zelle at 201-921-5900
or through Fidelity Charitable (search The Unity Farm Foundation).
Please let me know how you want your donation allocated.
Be Joyous! Stay Safe!
Binyamin Klempner