Music Healing, Medicine & Therapy
A client asked me this today, "can music put you into a trance?"
She sounded quite skeptical and I just wonder how many people doubt this
capability. I guess technically, it's rhythm that puts you into a trance.
That's what shamanic drumming is all about. The persistent, repetitive beat of
a hand-held drum or most any kind of drum, will eventually put you into an
altered state. Once there (in an altered state) all kinds of things can
happen.
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What is the difference between music healing and
music therapy? Or music healing and music medicine? It's pretty subtle
actually and different people would define each discipline or methodology
differently. These are MY definitions today:
First of all, healing does not mean curing. Healing has to do with decreasing
symptoms, physically, physiologically, psychologically, emotionally, or
spiritually.
Music healing is the process of using already composed music in a passive
(listening) or active (singing, playing an instrument) way to ameliorate
symptoms and help a person to feel better. Music healing has a spiritual
component; not religious but spiritual.
Music therapy is now a well-established discipline which is evidence-based and
often used in rehabilitation settings. Many hospitals, nursing homes and
clinics employ music therapists. one can get college degrees in music therapy
and if you want to be in that field, it is a requirement.
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Do You Need a
Music Therapist to do Music Therapy?
You
know, people ask me this all the time and the answer is no!
Of course music therapists are trained professionally to administer music
to people but if you can carry a tune, play an instrument of any kind or just
play some CD's, tapes, or records of the oldies from a person's courting
years, you can bring some musical healing.
Live music is always better than recorded and most elderly are extremely
non-critical and appreciate every effort to be helpful. Give it a try!
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Alice
Alice H. Cash, Ph.D., LCSW
www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com
www.DrCashPrefers.com
