Breathe

Single · 16 October 2026
About the song
Breathe grew directly from my experiences with VA medical care and panic attacks in 2025 and 2026. My wife, María Lorena Rodríguez—Lore—helped me through frightening moments with a hand on my back and her reassurance to breathe.
The song follows three conditions of the nafs: the self drawn toward destructive impulses, the self-reproaching conscience, and the soul at peace. From the first breath to the last, every breath is another chance to return to what matters.
For My Fellow Veterans
If you are struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, overwhelming emotions, or thoughts of suicide, please reach out. In the United States call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Veterans Crisis Line confidential chat ↗.
Original lyrics
Cover art credits
C. N. Mileham · Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina · 2010
Cover artwork credits
C. N. Mileham · Blue Ridge Parkway · 2010
Nafs in Islamic and Sufi thought
Nafs can mean self, ego or soul, depending on context. In Sufi spiritual psychology, the transformation of the nafs is part of the spiritual journey. The song invokes three states described in the Qur’an; some Sufi traditions describe additional stages.
An-nafs al-ammāra (Qur’an 12:53): the self that urges wrongdoing. An-nafs al-lawwāma (75:2): the self-reproaching conscience. An-nafs al-muṭma’inna (89:27–30): the tranquil soul at peace with God.
These are spiritual images of inner struggle, not clinical explanations for panic attacks. The song also grows from the loving support of my wife, María Lorena Rodríguez.