Why Therapeutic Music Heals
It’s not magic
There is a reason putting on some good music helps you fall asleep. There is a reason music can relax someone racked with fear and anxiety. Listen and be amazed.
Bodies Synchronize With the Beat of the Music
Sound enters the body primarily through the ears (although science tells us it is also absorbed by the skin and bones). The vagus nerve runs from the brain, through both ears and on to all of the organs of the body. When the vagus (think vagabond – it travels everywhere) nerve carries sound energy to the various organs, it causes those organs to react, especially to tempo and rhythm. When the vagus nerve delivers a rhythmic pattern of energy to the heart, for example, the heart will start beating in synch it. This is called entrainment.
Our bodies seek patterns. Random sounds cause the nervous system to deliver unorganized energy to the body, and the body reacts by becoming jittery. Rhythm, on the other hand, is an integral part of our being. A primitive part of our brain, the cerebellum, controls rhythm in the body, suggesting that rhythm was part of our neural makeup during the earliest days of our evolution. Our bodies seek a rhythmic pattern – just try to sit still when a lively piece of music is played.
Entrainment is the very core principal of therapeutic music. By applying music with an intentional rhythm or tempo, the musician is acting like a conductor for the body. Brain waves synchronize to the music, and relay the message throughout the body. Music, properly played, can slow a racing heartbeat, or speed up a slow one. It can slow or speed up respiration. The desired effect dictates how the music is played.
Music is the All-Natural Medicine
Research is making striking inroads into understanding how music effects our brains and bodies. One interesting article you might want to read is in Nature. The link to and article about music synchronizing brainwaves is http://www.nature.com/search?q=music+synchronizes. Meanwhile, while research advances, we use what we know about entertainment to help patients on a daily basis. Help us advance our work by donating now.
