1st of March is World Music Therapy Day a global celebration of the healing power of music and the positive and transformative impact it can have on people's lives, bodies and minds.
This date was launched by the World Federation of Music Therapy (W.F.M.T.) in 2016, an international institution founded earlier in 1985, but the use of music as a form of therapy existed long before that and can be traced back thousands of years ago. Music incantations and chants have been used in many ancient cultures. One of the earliest evidences can be found in Ancient Egyptian priests rituals as bar back as 5000BC. They would prescribe certain musical pieces as cure or use music to relax patients in order to be able to undergo medical procedures.
Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle also argued about the benefits of music for emotions and the treatment of mental disorders.
In China, music was used as a form of therapy as early as the Han Dynasty and was believed to bring harmony and balance.
Classic India Music and Ragas (musical scales) are believed to have power as a form of meditation and connection and similarly in Buddhist Tibetan chants as a way to reach a higher self.
Native American shamans and medicine men would use dances and music.
Above: Koshi Wind Chimes
Theories about its use in Medicine have been seen since XVI-XVII century.
During wartime musicians would go to hospitals and play for the soldiers suffering emotional and physical trauma and it's not uncommon to find musicians comforting the elderly and the sick. Since the XX century It's well stablished and accepted as a field of therapeutic medicine. When we make or listen to music blood flow to the limbic system, the region of the brain which is involved in processing emotions and memory, increases. Scientific research has already proved that listening (or creating music) reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain and it can also improve significantly our sleep quality, mood, focus, alertness, and memory.
Above: Me chanting and playing chimes outdoors. I always record "music incantations" when I hike, for me it's like a form of grounding and meditation.
As an artist music has been my self-therapy that I love to share with others
As a musician, I create music as self-therapy. Whenever I feel anxious or sad I find shelter in it. For me it's a need of my spirit to convey, ground and focus. I have experienced firsthand its power in my own life. I always say it's my "rock" in the turmoil, my shelter in the storm, my solace in times of sorrow and my inspiration in times of stagnation. I feel its flow Music is not for me only entertainment but has brought me closer to my true self and greater understanding and has guided me through my own spiritual journey towards healing.
I also love exploring different sounds and music instruments, each one has a different effect on me. Which are your favourite sounds or music instruments?
But also as someone who creates music, I hope I am making a meaningful contribution to help others to improve their well-being or is a companion when dealing with emotions.
My heart leaps with joy whenever someone contacts me to tell me my work has brought them healing and comfort. So if my work has ever provided this comfort, please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear directly from you. For me it's the closest to magic I can get.
Here are some of my songs and the "healing" message behind them
Let go
Ease that burden, get rid of that weight off your shoulders... just LET GO.
I feel this is one of my most underrated songs because it was such an "experience" for me.
Grow
There is always a time to grow. All those tall trees were once tiny seeds. Just endure through the seasons
Longing to Bloom
A song about unfurling to the light. For those who feel to have been buried in the snow too long. It's time to wake into life.
Om Vrish Elle
(One with Everything that there is)
How can you feel small if you're "ONE" with everything that there is? At this exact moment of space and time, you make the Universe COMPLETE. You are part of the whole. So remember that when you feel like a speck in the cosmos.
If you're new to my music and it does make you feel anything, let me know. :) I'll upvote every meaningful comment
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Priscilla Hernandez
singer-songwriter & illustrator
http://yidneth.com