The Power of Music for Relaxation and Healing
By Julie A. White RN

Music is the language of the soul, the spirit, the universe and of the heavens. It is the singular oboe playing a wailing cry to the fanciful flute which lightens each step and heartbeat. Music fills the environment indoors and outdoors with natural or man-made instrumentation and sounds.

Music can heal and relax or create havoc and dissonance. When appropriately chosen, music can enhance learning and decrease blood pressure, reduce stress, and promote psychological and physiological well- being. Playing classical music, especially baroque selections, enhances learning by repeating musical phrases throughout the piece, which mirrors the way learning is done, by repetition and rote. The music lends itself to creating a harmonius balance for learning to take place and an environment that enhances retention, concentration, and stimulation of thought processes.

Observing the daily environment reveals how bombarded an average day becomes with background noise that is extremely stressful and wears on a person's physical and psychological wellbeing. Riding in a car for a few miles with the radio on can bombard a listener with sales pitches, thousands of bits of information, numbers, opinions, positive and negative banter, news reports, musical instruments, voices high and low-pitched, and sounds of all ranges of scales and decibels. When this is multiplied by several hours each day or evening it creates a subconscious physical stressor on the mind and body. This environment is what has become the normal environment for an average home, school, workplace, or car. Only when it is turned off or replaced with a quieter choice can its effect be felt and a noticeable difference witnessed in the mind, body, and spirit.

There are several music composers and artists who have studied the mind-body-spirit connection and the effects that music plays on health and healing. Some of the most noted are Steven Halpern, Don Campbell, and Daniel Kobialka. Some have composed music and written arrangements purposefully for recovery, grief work, inducing sleep, calming the mind and body down, relaxing, energizing, invigorating, and uplifting the mind and spirit. There is particular attention paid to the musical instruments chosen, the key, pitch and speed of the music, and the melody. Often a piece with a familiar melody can recreate a memory or heal a past trauma . When the mind cannot seem to turn off, a musical selection with a winding unfamiliar melody can help immensely, as this will prevent connecting with the words or musical refrains of a known selection.

In choosing music to help ease stress and promote relaxation, it is a very personal choice. The flute may uplift and calm one person, but be very grating or irritating to another. It is best to trust one's instincts and select musical pieces based on what feels good to the listener. Choices appropriate for one day or part of the day may not work for the whole day. Each musical library should include a wide variety of instruments, artists, and types of music, with attention given to the piano, harp, flute, guitar, percussion, oboe,clarinet,and string instruments. As the day and evening wears down, so too should the choices in music, ending the evening with quieting ,restful selections to enhance rest and sleep.

Music can bring to the surface many powerful emotions, and be especially helpful in healing emotional traumas. There are Music Therapists employed all over the country and around the world in hospitals, hospices, and schools. Christina Tourin from Jericho Vermont is the founder of the International Harp Therapy Foundation and School that prepares adults to become harp therapists. The harp is held against the heart while being played, and its vibrations create a physical response in the body often calming and quieting. It is said the harp is the "music and voice of the angels" as it uplifts the spirit with its light, bright, and resonating tones.

Throughout the centuries the celtic harp has uplifted the somber moods of the people living in the British Isles. The like climates of the British Isles and the Northeast USA with limited sunlight can predispose one to depression and sadness. The instruments of choice, celtic harp and penny whistle flute in the British Isles,certainly are examples of the power of music to help heal . The increase in popularity of celtic music is the United States is worth noting.

Music has astounding healing power. It is wise to spend a day observing the musical noise and melody that interweaves through the environment and taking note its effect on thought processes, breathing, mood, and sleep. By making appropriate choices for background sound, one can influence positive changes in one's health and wellbeing .