Many years ago, when I was in college, I tried an experiment for one of my courses. Myself and two other students found about 20 volunteers to take part. They were mostly frat brothers of one of the other students.
We had them do two separate tasks — build a structure out of blocks and take a short quiz. We had them do each task while playing 2 different types of music — first we played soothing classical music and then we played classic rock with a steady beat.
We discovered that they performed better on the quiz when the classical music played, and they did better with the manual task when they were rocking.
I’ve used these results (albeit with an obviously small sample size) in the years since them — I listen to gentle instrumentals when I want to concentrate on intellectual tasks but I play rock music when I need to move.
However, I never thought about the healing power of music until recently.
About a year ago, I was diagnosed with metastatic brain, lung, and liver cancer.
I started to try a variety of things to supplement the medical care I was receiving. Music is one I think can help me heal. And it turns out there is some science supporting the notion.
Plants and Music
Plants don’t have ears, so how can they music help them?
It’s a valid question. The answer, in simple terms, is that sound waves stimulate plant cells. This can encourage nutrients to flow through the plant, where they promote new growth and strengthen the plant’s immune system. And yes, plants do have immune systems, too.
Another interesting phenomenon — plants seem to like certain types of music. They also dislike some genres! In fact, the wrong music can actually damage plants.
It turns out that most plants prefer soothing classical or jazz sounds. Roses thrive when violin music is played for them. Heavy metal — stress inducing, at least for the plants.
Animals and Music
For this one I’ll tell a personal anecdote.
When I lived in Colorado, a feral cat adopted me.
I was working from home during that time, and to lure her into sharing the office with me — I’d play Enya.
Snoopy (my cat) loved Enya.
If I played hard rock, I would never see her. If I played classical music, she’d generally wander into my office. If I played Enya, she always came to see me, and usually lay on my desk within petting distance.
Which I loved.
What was even more interesting — she had a favorite Enya song. She loved China Roses.
While I realize this is purely anecdotal — it does hint that animals also enjoy music. With cats, this is not a surprise. After all, they use their purrs to facilitate healing — both for themselves and others. In fact, when I was first diagnosed with cancer 18 years ago, Snoopy would lay close to my side for hours, purring. I think she was trying to help me.
Gregorian Chants
What about people?
Well, many religions have used the power of music and chanting to facilitate a meditative or spiritual state. In Hinduism, there are sacred chants such as the Ganesh Mahamantra. Most Westerners are also familiar with the sacred “Om” or “Aum”. Various Native American tribes also have healing chants. Among Muslims, the Sufi use music for meditative and healing purposes as well.
When I was in college, I learned about another tradition — Gregorian chanting. I loved it so much I bought a couple of CDs (yes, this dates me, I know!) and would play them to relax. I found the voices and rhythms soothing.
Gregorian chant involves early Christian liturgical traditions from ancient and medieval times. The chants are traditionally sung without musical accompaniment by small groups of monks. They are known to supply a sense of solace to listeners.
Does Any Science Support the Musical Power of Healing?
Is there any evidence to support the healing power of music?
- The Mayo Clinic found that music could slow people’s heart rates and decrease their blood pressure.
- The American College of Cardiology found that 30 minutes of soothing music a day lessened pain and anxiety among those who had survived heart attacks.
- At Johns Hopkins, there is a center that researches the effects of music on neurological diseases.
There is even a type of therapy called musical therapy, which is designed to use music to help patients heal.
For myself, while I was recovering from my brain surgery, I listened to music whenever I felt scared or in pain. It helped me feel more optimistic and I found I only needed half of the pain killers I was prescribed.
At least for myself, I am convinced that music can help us cope with life’s stressful situations.
But can it help us heal?
While more research still needs to be done for a scientific consensus to be reached, personally, I believe music can help us heal. And I have incorporated it into my own self-care regiment.
Thanks for letting me share.
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This post was previously published on Wholistique.
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