Many people are familiar with the concept behind music therapy, but not everyone thinks to incorporate this into their own life. Armed with the knowledge that listening to certain types of music can lift your mood or alter it in other desirable ways, you can create your own reality. This knowledge can also inform your decision when it comes to music that would negatively affect you.
One of the most obvious things that music does is alter your mood. The next time you’re feeling down, think about what kind of music you feel like listening to. It might be that you instinctively go for something sad to match your mood. When you catch yourself doing that, pick out music that feels joyful to you, and listen to that instead. Before you know it, you’ll feel better. One thing that happens in your body is that your brain waves shift to match the tempo of the music. A faster tempo will enhance your alertness and lengthen your concentration span.
A study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore discovered that listening to music that you find to be joyful can actually improve your cardiovascular health. When participants in a study listened to joyful (in their opinion) music, their blood vessels dilated by as much as twenty three percent. Meanwhile, when they listened to music that caused them anxiety, their blood vessels constricted as much as nine percent. Hearing music you enjoy can increase blood flow throughout your entire body.
Music also directly affects heart rate as well as breathing rate. To slow down, relax, and meditate, listening to music that is calming can help you relieve stress and enter a meditative state. Decreasing stress levels is one of the best things you can do for your health, both physically and mentally, so the next time you turn the stereo on, think about your choice of music and how it will affect you.
Adding an understanding of which frequency the music is recorded in and what “medium” it is on will add a major upgrade to how music heals you. When we switched from vinyl albums (analog) to CD’s/online (digital) we lost the natural sounds and organization and replaced them with dissonant chaos. It’s a story way beyond my ability to explain, but musicians readily grasp the concept. The wider dynamic range from analog is better for the human brain, but it’s a challenge to find anything on the internet to help explain it. I learned about it all from brain therapy training conferences related to devices and technology using sound to heal brain disorders such as ADHD, dyslexia, sensory integration disorders, Autism, anxiety, etc. So I am unable to readily put my hands on those references from decades of in-person conferences.
Then we can talk about what frequency the music is recorded in 440 hz vs 432 hz. This blog will get out of hand if I go down that rabbit-hole of Who-What-Where-Why the music was globally altered, but let’s just say that music has the power to entrain the mind and body into altered states through brainwave manipulation. This can be used for good or not-so-good purposes to sway people, especially en masse, to feel/think/believe/do based upon the rhythm of the music and the frequencies embedded within it. For a small explanation of this, you can check out this short article.
Enjoy the music and move your body!
