To get that certain feeling, try musical healing

With a rise in the use of holistic medicine and healing techniques, there’s one medium not getting the credit it deserves, music. Music has existed for thousands of years, often being used for rituals or for prayer. Now, its role is often more for entertainment in mainstream society, but its healing properties should not be overlooked.  Not only healing, but the effect it has on mood and state of mind as well.

When you see someone moving to a heavy beat, they are doing more than just enjoying the rhythm, several internal changes are beginning to take place. Brainwaves start to resonate with the tempo of the beat. With a faster beat, sharper concentration and raised awareness begin to take place. With a slower beat, a calm meditative start can begin to settle in.

Other bodily functions take a note from brainwaves, and begin to alter themselves as well. Your breathing may become heavier or lighter, and your heart rate may begin to slow or speed up. The calming effect that can come from this activates the ‘relaxation response’, the opposite of the ‘fight or flight response’.  A plethora of healthy effects are derived from this relaxed state, including things like: increased blood flow, reduced blood pressure, a normalization of hormone levels, and many other things.

The change in your state of mind that comes about from music can also bring about a positive state of mind, keeping optimism high, and keeping depression and stress at bay. The prevention and relief from stress that music provides alone makes music worth using to better your health. The detrimental effects of stress are endless, and the prevention of that stress is priceless(or not if you consider hospital bills). 

In more specific terms, music has been shown to decrease nausea in chemotherapy patients, improve mood and mobility of those with Parkinson’s disease, synchronize motor skills, literally put an end to insomnia for some, and even stimulate the mind to the point of increased intelligence and creativity.

Had a long day at work? Throw on some relaxing music. Have some aggression to get out? Throw on some metal and get it out of your system. Want to raise your state of consciousness? Get to Sleep? Set the mood for your date? Let music be the catalyst and the guide.

Whether you’re dying or have never been sick in your life, or maybe if you just need a change in mood or a pick-me-up, it’s important to allow music into your life.