Introduction:
Music is a universal medium for communication and it can be a medicine too. Music plays a vital role in keeping people’s health. It is an important aspect in Ayurveda, the science which helps for healthy and peaceful life style. Indian culture is incomplete without music. Even the Vedas are filled with music. Music therapy has a great control over doshas like Kapha, Vata, Pitta, Indian classic musicians attempted this therapy for many years. Legend proves that music maestro of classical age; Thyagaraja brought back the life of a dead person with his music.
Bible also quotes an example that David played the harp to relax King Saul out of his severe depression.
Origin:
In United States of America music is used for therapeutic aspects from late 18th century, but before a very long time it was being as a healing medium. It is evident because it was mentioned in biblical scriptures and historical scriptures of ancient civilization like India, Egypt, China and Rome that says about the power of music.
In America Music therapy as a profession germinated during World War I and World War II. Veterans Administration Hospitals used music as an intervention for casualties. Veteran’s this activity focused in relieving pain perception. Many nurses and physicians viewed the effect of music. Only after that colleges are started to train musician for the use of therapy.
Almost all ancient tribes have had music therapy in the form of chants, drums and so on. To specify one or two, Native American had pagan druids and drums, Buddhist tradition used Ohm’s bells and gongs and explored the power of music.
In India Vedic science believed classical ‘Ragas’ have the power to heal, so music was taken as a kind of yoga, which has its effect on human organism and helps to develop their proper functioning of self – realization. Various ragas have various curing effect.
Miracles, the therapy can perform:
Pregnancy is a unique experience, whereas it is being as a source of stress for women. When stress hikes they have to depend on stress relieving measure. They are advised against taking too much of medicines because they may affect the unborn baby. In this case music gives them helping hand. It helps to bring the heart beat to acceptable level. A pregnant woman’s frequent listening of some of the religious songs, if played during delivery process that helps woman through her labor with reduced pain. If the labor is long and hard and the woman is flagging, in that case music performs a miracle. Moreover her often listened music gently passes through her body and the baby listen to it and this makes the baby smarter.
Music has the capacity to control people’s emotion. It is used as a device in mental health service, for brutally affected people and proved that it decreased patients depression and provide them relaxation, also it plays a notable role in subduing emotional imbalance. Recent research proves that music affects the portions of the brain and generates positive emotions and helps in regaining the motor skills. It controls negative side of the people’s personalities like angry, anxiety, worry, and tension. To our wonder it helps to cure headache and abdominal pain and controls tension.
This therapy is a gift to Diabetes because it reduces anxiety and promotes heart and vascular health. Serious pain is an unsolvable problem in diabetes, music is helpful to release hormone that gives pain. Diabetes requires self- management such as diet, regular exercise, constant checking of sugar level etc… It may create stress and anxiety in patient. So music acts as a stress reliever and presents the well being.
More over music is considered as mood modifier and helps in relieving pain during dental treatments.
Music therapy is helpful for children in many ways. It improves their communication problems, behavioral problem motivation and attention. Daniel Lavitin says that this development starts from the period when it is inside the womb. The fetus hears mother’s heart beat , environmental noises and conversations.
Ways to increase the effect of music therapy:
- No single music can satisfy everybody. Taste differs from person to person. We should choose the music that appeal to us.
- Take 20 minutes ‘Sound bath’ to get rid of your stress. Play some relaxing music and then lie in a comfortable position on the floor, or make yourself convenient and be near the speaker. To make it more effective headphones can be used, thus there will be no distraction.
- It is advisable to choose slow rhythm, which is slower than the heart beat. Most people are benefited in music that is repeating or goes in cyclical pattern.
- While the music is played involve yourself fully on it and focus on your breathing, let that deeper, slower and make it regular. You should concentrate even at the silence between notes.
- After a day’s long works if you are in the want of refreshment then go for faster music.
- When you feel boredom or unwilling at the music that is playing then go for your childhood favourites.
- It is better to go for a walk with your favourite music played in walkman, also coincide your breathing with music’s ups and downs. It provides great relief from stress.
- Concentrate on the sound of nature such as waves or the calmness of the forest. If the seashore is at your easy reach you can make your walking in the shore or at the calm forest to enjoy the natural songs of the birds. If reaching the natural place are tough use tapes of these sounds.
Conclusion:
This amusing, magical therapy is available at very little strain and expense. Let us make use of it to enjoy and promote our health if so we can celebrate each day our life with that we should not forget to celebrate the Music Therapy Day on 13th May of each year in India.
