Krysan Blog: Healing Words 4 - Music - Archive
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- Written by Marian Moore
KRYSAN
THE WELLBEING CONSULTANCY
Planting Golden Seeds in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, and Durham
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H E A L I N G W O R D S
(5-minute reads from Marian @ Krysan)
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. ALBERT EINSTEIN
You are invited to log on to the KRYSAN BLOG each Friday or Saturday during the months of July and August for this latest series of Krysan Master Classes. The intention is to continue to explore the use of writing as a form of therapy and hopefully the caption HEALING WORDS and the Einstein quotation will prove rich in possibilities. MARIAN @ KRYSAN
Blog 4
Friday, 24 July 2009
ON MUSIC
THAT WILL MELT THE STARS
By some miracle that I'll tell you about some other time, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has appeared to restore the equilibrium of the Moore Household following the death of Todd. This new addition goes by the rather grand name of Lorphil Love of My Life, his everyday monicker being simply Matty. He is eight months old and still a puppy. Sometimes he responds to his name; sometimes he doesn't. But, otherwise young Matty is perfect in every detail. We've sussed out that (despite his lineage) he doesn't want to become pack leader and he's already learning some good manners to help keep us sane and him safe. As with children, so with dogs - the only golden rules that apply are to be calm, creative, consistent, patient and kind. Sounds easy when you say it like that!
And, now for the healing power of music!The Flow of Music. In every known culture, the ordering of sound waves that please the ear has been used extensively to improve the quality of life. There is music for dancing, for weddings, for funerals, for religious and patriotic occasions; music that faciitates romance, and even music that helps soldiers march in orderly ranks. I particularly like the story about the pygmies of the Ituri forest in Central Africa who when they fell on bad times assumed that their misfortune was due to the fact that the benevolent forest had fallen asleep. At that point the leaders of the tribe would dig up the sacred horns buried underground and blow on them for days and nights on end. This was their attempt to wake up the forest and thus restore the good times.
Help is on its way. The way in which music is used in the Ituri forest is the same as music is used everywhere. The horns may not have awakened the trees, but the familiar sound must have reassured the pygmies that help was on its way. Most of the music that pours forth from modern electronic gear nowadays answers a similar need. Teenagers, who swing from one threat to their fragile evolving personhood to another in quick succession throughout the day are especially dependent on the soothing patterns of sound to restore order in their consciousness. But so are many adults. Music, which is organised auditory information, helps organise the mind that attends to it, and therefore reduces psychic entropy, or the disorder we experience when random information interferes with goals. Listening to music wards of boredom and anxiety, and when seriously attended to, it can induce flow experiences.
Lullabies. By way of explanation 'flow' is a state of joy, creativity and total involvement, in which problems seem to disappear and there is an exhilerating feeling of transcendence. Flow doesn't require education, income, high intelligence, good health or a spouse. But, it does require a mind. One of the regrets of my life is that I never put my mind to learning to play a musical instrument. Neverthless, music is in my blood and in my voice and I have purposely left a trail of music here on the Krysan website. Come to think of it, I leave a trail of music everywhere I go and understand completely what Dr. Larry Dossey describes in the pages of his book, "The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things". For instance, I know that mothers around the world sing lullabies to their babies (as did I) and it comes as no surprise to me that research findings suggest that the benefits of lullabies can be dramatic, particularly for infants born prematurely.
Humming. But it's humming that I'm going to concentrate on now as humming may also be good for the hummer. It has been found that when people hum the oscillating sound waves reverberate through the sinus cavities that surround the nose and the eyes. These vibrations have a cleansing effect on the sinuses by clearing them of secretions and promoting air flow betweens the sinuses. Research suggests that humming might be helpful in preventing or treating the sinus stuffiness of common colds and sinusitis. The sinuses are the major produces in our bodies of nitric oxide (NO). Among other things, this gas helps to maintain blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and it stimulates the immune system. Nitric oxide (NO) also affects signalling between neurons in the brain and probably contributes to the formation of memories.
Sonic vibrations. Perhaps the most-chanted sound in the world is om, the sacred sound connected with Indian meditative traditions. In addition, sacred Gregorian and other chants have arisen for centuries from monasteries scattered throughout Europe. Of course, chanting and humming in these traditions are not done to improve one's sinuses being, of course, spiritual exercises and paths to the divine. And yet, immersion in one's own sonic vibrations does have healing effects. For instance, researchers have found that if hospitalised schizophrenia patients hummed an mmmm sound, they experienced around a 60 per cent reduction in auditory hallucinations. Something else worth knowing is that clinical reports abound in which angry, stressed-out and chronically depressed people found inner balance and repose through humming, chanting and toning. Even physical symptoms can recede. I can vouch for this as two older members of my family suffered agonising headaches from which they found relief (when all else failed) through 'immersion in their own sonic vibrations'. Problem solved.
Bless the Lord - song of Taizé
Purring. As someone with more than a passing interest in the wellbeing of the elderly, I conclude this all too brief discussion by looking at purring. I begin by saying that the soothing effect of lullabies and humming may be prefigures in how other species respond to gentle sounds. Scientists have found that the purring of many felines - house cats, pumas, ocelots, and cheetahs - falls within frequencies between 20 and 50 hertz (cylces per second). It is known that when human bones are exposed to frequencies in this range, they tend to grow and become stronger and denser. Indeed, many scientists believe that cats may purr because it helps their bones and tissue to heal and grow stronger. Dr. David Purdue, an expert in metabolic bone disease at Hull University in England, says that if purring does prevent dissolution of calcium and the weakening of cats' bones, it might be possible to devise a treatment using their purring to help strengthen osteoporotic bones in the elderly. One might think that this therapy already exists. The question may well be asked, 'Do elders who adore having purring cats continually nestled on their laps have a lower incidence of osteoporosis and hip fractures than their catless friends the same age?'
Deep music. Dr Dossey goes on to examine how pioneers in science have taken seriously the ancient idea that an innate musicality exists in our genes. He discusses the malignant genes which translate musically into Chopin's Funeral March and how one scientist's work has opened an acoustic door to the arcane world of molecular biology. All that's required for entry is the ability to appreciate a good tune. We also learn about the music of nature. Jim Nollman is a naturalist and author who is fascinated by the music nature makes. Apparently, he once met a man on the upper Kings River in the Sierra Nevada who told him that certain streams hold every song ever sung.
All fascinating stuff!
Music and the Universe. Even more fascinating is the idea of the 'music of the spheres', and I leave you with this tantalizing thought from Dr. Larry Dossey which I hope might prompt you to buy his excellent book and/or pursue this notion of the healing power of music still further,
"The idea of "the music of the spheres" has been around since Pythagoras, but has been dismissed by scientists as nonsense. Now the idea is confirmed."
Dr. Andrew Fabian, an astronomer, also believes that the universe is alive with music and says that in the future, "We expect [to find] every cluster group of galaxies has its own note and lots of tunes are being played throughout the universe." And one last comment from me: just as we have always longed to make music that will melt the stars, I am of the firm opinion that through laughter we can also melt the stars. So join me again next week when I will be looking at (guess what!) the healing power of laughter, this through the eyes of the laughter guru, Dr. Madan Kataria. Another name to remember. See you then.
Turn up the sound and click on the link below for the sound of music!
Sound of Music | Central Station Antwerp (Belgium)
Marian
REFERENCES
CSIKSZENTMIHALYI, M., (2002), Flow: The Classic Work on How to Achieve Happiness, pub. USA, Harper & Row
DOSSEY, L., (2006), The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things: Fourteen Natural Steps to Health and Happiness, pub. New York, Three Rivers Press
