How Music Can be a Therapeutic Tool
Trauma is a part of life, unfortunately. Each and every person will experience some kind of trauma in their lifetime. Some of these traumatic experiences can and do have lasting effects that can affect many aspects of life.
Effects of Trauma
Trauma can come in any form - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual - and can have serious effects on a person's body. While every person will feel and experience trauma differently, there are some common symptoms or effects.
The effects of trauma may differ for each person
After a traumatic experience, many people report feeling the effects physically. Often people report feeling tired and lethargic, and even an increased heartbeat. On a deeper level, trauma can affect both the nervous and endocrine systems. These symptoms play direct roles in how our body responds to stress and can be affected by the hormones released when experiencing stress. Many of these symptoms can even be linked to more emotional and psychological symptoms.
Moving from physical to emotional and mental, these symptoms can be more severe in that they have more profound and long-lasting effects on a person's everyday life. People suffering from trauma can experience anxiety, bouts of depression, anger, fear, and paranoia, sometimes even fear.
One of the most powerful tools to be used when dealing with some kind of trauma is music. The power of music can be harnessed and used as a therapeutic tool to help people cope and heal. Many people find peace and calm in a favorite or nostalgic song, but music as a therapeutic tool is much more than hitting the play button and closing your eyes.
Music Therapy: What It Is
Music therapy isn't new, untested, or fringe science. It has its roots in the early 1940s. It began as a treatment in the United States War Department as a way to treat injured service members. But this therapy method has come a long way since those early days. In fact, music therapy is a trusted and well-substantiated intervention.
Music can be a therapeutic tool
Music therapy can involve many different activities or experiences - everything from simply listening to and singing along with different types of music to composing personal music, or even experiencing music in the form of sound baths.
A sound bath is not like a traditional bath. In a sound bath, a person sits quietly while sound is played in the form of waves and echoes from wind and percussion instruments. These sounds are believed to trigger a deeper sense of relaxation and shut off the body's flight-or-fight response through different frequencies and vibrations.
This technique, like many other forms of music therapy, has been linked to physical and mental healing for people suffering from the effects of trauma. People have experienced a decrease in tension, depression, and anxiety. Physically, people who use sound baths as part of their healing treatment and therapy, notice a significant decrease in pain and overall bodily tension.
Trauma is a serious, and sometimes long-lasting, experience. But it doesn't have to be that way. The use and inclusion of music therapy and sound baths in the healing and treatment of trauma can make positive impacts on how you feel and experience daily life. Trauma is often a part of life, but music and sound can be a large piece of the puzzle.
Join Us for a Sound Bath Experience in Bend
We are excited to offer music therapy right here at The Blissful Heart Wellness Center! Join us on Tuesdays for a Crystal Sound Bath session at 7:00 pm in either the Yoga Barn or Healing Gardens. Unwind and enjoy the relaxing sounds of singing bowls. Check back often at our events page for updates and new sound experience classes.