Music for Healing
by Steve Rees, Ret. RN, Harpist
On May 27, I was invited to be a speaker at the Consciousness Conference held in West Palm Beach, Florida. Richard, the coordinator, asked if I would talk about the intersection between science and spirituality, more specifically, the healing qualities of music that I witnessed with my harp music. There were many speakers on various topics, so I felt a little intimidated. A large audience of close to 2000 was much more than I am accustomed to. I was pleased to find so many people interested in how music is so much more than entertainment.
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In many of my past articles, I shared my personal experiences and observations of how music affected my patients on dialysis when I played the harp during their treatments. I also shared some of the music that I have been bringing out of the Psalms of David.
At the conference, I had planned to share some of the scientific studies that show how music affects the physiological processes of our bodies, but I ran out of time. As I quickly flipped through the various studies I had prepared, I realized that the most convincing proof that I could present to this audience was the music that I played for them. Judging by the reactions following the presentation, I believe that they
It helps to have scientific studies to prove what you are saying, but not everything can be measured in a test tube or weighed on a scale. Much of science is an art that consists of observations, but explanations can be quite illusive. Many anecdotal experiences that I have witnessed, do not have a scientific study to back them up, but they happened nevertheless; and the person that experienced it was benefited, in spite of whether there was a scientific explanation or not.
Having said that, I would also like to point out that more and more scientific studies are showing that music has a healing effect on our bodies. And, this is being incorporated into the health care system as alternative or adjunctive treatment for the full spectrum of therapies. Specific training and certification in Music Therapy is being offered in several universities. What was once considered esoteric in nature is now being accepted in scientific circles.
With that introduction, I would like to tell you a story that was just related to me last week. My wife and I were presenting a Harp and Story program at a group we had visited 2 years ago. As I was talking about the healing frequencies that I work with, the pastor interrupted apologetically, but said he believed it was important to relay an event one of his members had experienced.