Q.(12) I love music. How do I use it as a therapy for health and creativity?
ANSWER by Dr Maddy
Music has been used as a healing therapy for eons. There has always been a relationship of music, good health, mood and creativity. Look at page 202 in Phenomenal Women: That’s Us! for more clarity.
Harnessing the Healing Powers of Sound
Let me suggest a brief overview that will help you understand
how you respond to sound vibrations. This brief section will sharpen
your awareness more effectively and more practically than most semester-long
music
classes.
-
Your body is a self-healing instrument, if you give it a chance. Your body is genetically programmed to heal itself. I would suggest that sound-healing assists the body to come into its natural state of balance and harmony.
-
Although there are many paths to nurturing your body, mind and spirit, the common denominator of the vast majority of approaches emphasizes that you are most effective in a state of deep relaxation.
-
Using music to evoke the relaxation response is one of the simplest and most effective ways of all--but you MUST choose the right music. Most music was not composed for this purpose.
Although we are all individuals, we also all share certain
vibrational and structural common denominators. With respect to the ways
that we respond to sound, two concepts are key. They are universal, and are
not contingent on your personal taste or favorite style of music.
Rhythm Entrainment
The most basic factor that determines how we respond to music is the beat.
One of the most powerful effects that music has on our nervous system is
called rhythm entrainment. This refers to the physical phenomenon whereby an
external rhythmic stimulus, such as the drum or basic pulse in a musical
composition, involuntarily causes the listener's heartbeat to match its
speed. This means that a fast rhythm inevitably produces a fast
heartbeat-the complete antithesis of relaxation. For many people, trying to
relax while listening to fast music is like driving a car with your foot on
the brake and the gas pedal at the same time.
