Modern science is now documenting what ancient cultures have always known. In Ancient times, the doctors also played the drum, dating back to tantric shamans in the Himalayas. The health crisis in America may be a crisis of creativity. In early tribal cultures, when someone was ill, the shaman would ask, “When was the last time you drummed, sang, or danced?” I keep this in mind when I feel any type of dis-ease; whether mind, body, or spirit. The shaman/medicine man or woman not only used herbal remedies, they also carried a medicine drum, usually with a beater as a tool for healing. How have we forgotten this sacred connection between rhythm and health?
In my years of studying with master teachers from West African to Sufi, Native American to Brazilian, I have found that the key to drumming for wellness is its accessibility. The drum is the easiest instrument to learn. Your heartbeat already knows the grove.
Five key aspects of drumming allow it to be effective and useful for both personal and community health:
· Drumming is accessible – The drum is a user-friendly instrument that everyone can play, with no wrong notes and no holding a tune on the pitch.
· Drumming allows self-expression – It is a medium of non-verbal creativity that provides freedom.
· Drumming allows communication – Across cultures, ages, and disabilities, ‘Drumming’ is a universal language.
· Drumming reduces stress – Its unique aesthetic enjoyment creates a palette for physical and emotional release.
· Drumming is a social elixir – It builds community and brings people together for an experience of inspiration and connection, even in war zones and with enemy groups.
Drumming Research
Drumming has been tested on human subjects for thousands of years. The results echo this heartbeat of health, community, spirituality, and well-being. As we know, most depression is caused by compression, repression, or deficiencies, and the anecdote is expression, nourishment, and the process of creativity in sound, especially through the ease of drumming.
Research in psychoneuroimmunology or mind-body medicine shows that rhythm can enhance the immune system on a cellular level, as determined by blood tests before and after one hour of group drumming.
In a ground-breaking 2000 study, Dr. Barry Bittman found that one hour of group drumming boosted their immune systems compared to the control and listening groups. He looked at dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), cortisol, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and cytokines Interleukin II and Gamma Interferon.
Replicating the experiment in another part of the world, Japanese researchers tested stressed-out employees using the one-hour HealthRHYTHMS group-drumming protocol.
Results successfully replicated Bittman’s study, boosting the immune system, reducing burnout, and improving team building. The research team also studied nurses and health care professionals working in long-term care, which showed a 64% reduction in burnout after a six-week group drumming program on the Maslach Burnout Inventory.