Insight and Healing

My Song

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I love music! There are songs that make me cry, songs that make me want to dance, and songs that bring me joy. Music soothes the soul, warms the heart, and can clear away tears within just a few beats. The power of music cannot be denied. When we listen to music our brain releases a feel-good chemical called dopamine which has an effect on emotion, perception, and movement. Music impacts our emotions, lifts our mood, reduces anxiety, raises motivation, and helps lighten depression. One song that always lifts my spirits is this song, Why Walk When You Can Fly by Mary Chapin Carpenter. You might call it my theme song. 

I love music! There are songs that make me cry, songs that make me want to dance, and songs that bring me joy. Music soothes the soul, warms the heart, and can clear away tears within just a few beats. The power of music cannot be denied. When we listen to music our brain releases a feel-good chemical called dopamine which has an effect on emotion, perception, and movement. Music impacts our emotions, lifts our mood, reduces anxiety, raises motivation, and helps lighten depression. One song that always lifts my spirits is this song, Why Walk When You Can Fly by Mary Chapin Carpenter. You might call it my theme song. 

In this world, there’s a whole lot of trouble, baby
In this world, there’s a whole lot of pain
In this world there’s a whole lot of trouble, but
A whole lot of ground to gain
Why take when you could be giving?
Why watch as the world goes by?
It’s a hard enough life to be living
Why walk when you can fly?

In this world, there’s a whole lot of sorrow
In this world, there’s a whole lot of shame
In this world, there’s a whole lot of sorrow
And a whole lot of ground to gain
When you spend your whole life wishing
Wanting, and wondering why
It’s a long enough life to be living
Why walk when you can fly?

And in this world, there’s a whole lot of golden
In this world, there’s a whole lot of pain
In this world, you’ve a soul for a compass
And a heart for a pair of wings
There’s a star on the far horizon
Rising bright in an azure sky
For the rest of the time that you’re given
Why walk when you can fly?

The Power Of Music

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Today is cloudy and gray and I'm tired and worried about current events, so I found myself in a bit of a low place emotionally. I spent the morning journaling and meditating. Then, I enjoyed a relaxing bath with epsom salt, sea salt, and essential oils. I was listening to one of my favorite stations on Pandora radio and it occurred to me that I was feeling a bit lighter. I noticed that the song playing was a waltz and I recalled feeling a bit brighter every time a waltz comes on. So I started thinking about the power of music.

There are songs that make me cry, songs that make me want to dance, and songs that bring me joy. Music soothes the soul, warms the heart, and can clear away tears within just of few beats. The power of music cannot be denied. What is it about music that is so moving and healing?

When we listen to music our brain releases a feel good chemical called dopamine which has an effect on emotion, perception and movement. Music impacts our emotions, lifts our mood, reduces anxiety, raises motivation and helps lighten depression.

Music therapy is a scientifically validated intervention and is used for multiple physical and mental health conditions 
including: 

1

Improves invasive procedures

Improves invasive procedures. Including colonoscopies, knee surgery, and cardiac angiography. Those who listened to music in the operating room reported less discomfort during their procedure. Hearing music in the recovery room lowered the use of opioid painkillers.

2

Reduces side effects of cancer therapy

Listening to music reduces anxiety associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It can also quell nausea and vomiting for patients receiving chemotherapy.

3

Aids pain relief

Music therapy has been tested in patients ranging from those with intense acute pain to those with chronic pain from arthritis. Overall, music therapy decreases pain perception, reduces the amount of pain medication needed, helps relieve depression, and gives people a sense of better control over their pain.

4

Improves quality of life for dementia patients

Because the ability to engage with music remains intact late into the disease process, music therapy can help to recall memories, reduce agitation, assist communication, and improve physical coordination.

source: Harvard Health Publishing

So the next time you are feeling blue try turning up the volume on your favorite song and see how it can have a positive impact on your mood, motivation, or joy. 

“Music has a power over the body, a language that possesses an inherent nature to make us feel.”

—Deborah Bradway, MT-BC, from “Music Therapy as a Treatment for Substance Abuse with At-Risk Children and Adolescents”

And if you are looking for more ideas to find joy in your life please join me every Tuesday at 1pm ET. Click here for more information.

The Holy Nights

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The 13 Holy Nights is a window of time between December 24th and January 6th. It is a very special time when the veil between the worlds is thin and messages from the divine are easier to receive. This process is a way to capture those messages by setting time aside each night to reflect, journal, meditate, and pull an oracle card or two. Each night represents a month of the coming year and the information you receive on each night sets an intention for the corresponding month. The first night sets the intention for the entire year to come. I learned about this process in my Qigong training many years ago and I have been practicing it ever since. Along the way, I have shared it with friends and a few years ago set up a website to share it with a larger community, www.13holynights.com.

Each night during the 13 Holy Nights I spend time reflecting on the year behind me, the year ahead, and the day. I light a candle, read poetry or other inspiring writing, and I pull a SoulCollage® card from my deck as well as a couple of cards from my many oracle decks. This year I used Steven Farmer’s Power Animal Oracle Cards and The Power Deck by Lynn Andrews. I also decided to pull from my unfinished SoulCollage® and complete the card adding that energy to my Holy Nights journey. 

Drum Making Joy

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One of the commitments I have made to myself is to do more "fun" things. So when I had an opportunity to make my own drum, I said YES! I didn't realize how fun and easy it was. Ten of us gathered on a rainy Saturday morning, greeted with soaking leather hides and all of the tools we would need to create our very own drum. In less than 3 hours my drum was complete and in 7 days it was dry and ready to use. 

There are many fun classes and workshops at the Healing Arts Center where my office is so I have an abundance of opportunities to say yes to something fun. Other places to look for fun activities include the local recreation centers, craft centers, and other healing places. I recommend trying Yoga, Pilates, Gong Baths, Drum Making, Drum Circles, and SoulCollage®. I'd love to hear how you "have fun." 

If you are struggling to have fun or find the joy in your life, I encourage you to contact me to see how I might be able to help. Simply click this link to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, I wish you joy.

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