Music plays a very important role in the healing of the society at large. This paper will discuss the music as a positive thing in the world and more specifically highlight the importance of music in terms of its healing and restorative powers. The paper therefore discusses music as a moral law, music therapy, the effects of music on society and music as medicine. Music as a moral law It is believed that music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind and flight to imagination, a charm to sadness and gaiety and life to everything.
This implies that music leads to all good that is invisible in the physical world but present in our memories. Music therefore nourishes us and enables us to live healthy. Music is found everywhere in the world. The mind-body connection can be enhanced through chants which basically involve bridging the worlds of spirituality and humanity. Toning is a healing art as well as an ancient method of curing people. It is evident that the response to music is reflected in the way of the spiritual leaders. These leaders seek spiritual enlightenment by practicing music through chants and toning.
(Le M, Katherine C, 1994) Music Therapy People usually use music for relaxation which slows down the abstract thinking therefore enhancing their normal state. This enables one to move smoothly through the states of consciousness which comprise of expanded sensory threshold, daydreaming, trance, meditative state and rapture. Music therapy enables reduce pain, fear, feelings of stress and anxiety. The fact that stress forms one of the main focus in many selling books as well as top stories in news, many people have resorted to use of drugs as way of dealing with stress.
The use of drugs by many people in the society is therefore seen as the easily accessible way of dealing with stress yet the long-term effects are usually fatal. This means the society has to be should be informed about the effectiveness of music therapy when dealing with stress. It is also important to note that there are professionals (music therapists) who have been deployed in several settings in the society for instance rehabilitation centers, hospitals and many educational set-ups.
One advantage of music therapy is that it is a non-verbal type of therapy which implies that the affected individuals are not usually engaged in talks about their experiences. Music therapy therefore provides a relatively direct access to thinking as well as feeling states. This means one has the opportunity for more direct physiological benefits compared to other traditional types of therapy. Music therapy also involves exploration and creativity in dealing with the client’s thinking and feeling problems.
(Le M, Katherine C, 1994) Effects of music on society The specialists in the field of music and sound therapy have established that music leads to behavior modification as well as diversion. Musical entrainment refers to the process of linking the feelings conveyed in music and sensing feelings of commonality with it. This implies that an individual may have a feeling of a close connection with performer by sharing same feelings which may affect the listener both negatively and positively.
Music is therefore an important sensory stimulus that works towards integrating the body, mind and soul. Positive implications are seen in the nervous system which eventually enhances one’s immune system. This explains why drums as well as vocal sounds have been used during healing processes in many indigenous communities. The second principle is the diversion which utilizes music and sound in taking away the patients’ attention from bad situations. For example, pleasant music can be played to listeners who are feeling low.
This type of music can therefore be used during therapeutic situations to cut down the clients’ pain and anxiety. Diversion principle when applied in this situation accelerates the healing process because the patient appears to have moved temporarily to another reality. Pain is believed to be a symptom of disharmony in some parts of the body especially the body and mind. This implies that soothing music usually eases pain by re-harmonizing the mind and body.