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Neurological link and Music

Sue C

Sue C
Messages
33
Location
NJ
Today on CBS Sunday Morning,there was a story about singer Melody Gardot. She was hit by a vehicle while riding a bicycle a few years ago, suffered massive injuries including TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury. One of her doctors of neurology suggested music therapy to help her rehabilitate her profound memory deficits. It has been discovered that a different part of the brain is affected by music. And there is a strong possibility of it helping to rebuild neural pathways in the brain. She has since become a popular, successful singer in Paris, France. BTW, it (music) also eases the chronic pain that has resulted from her accident. There continues to be brain research into areas of unknown potentials. Many with CFS have cognitive deficits, memory problems, word search, on and on,
Pre-illness Moi was an 'A' student in college English; now, when overtired I pause in conversations trying to say the correct or appropriate response. Brain mapping (QEEG) outcome showed indications of unknown encephalapathy similar to a brain injury. And forget about concentration, if noise or stimuli is all around me, multitasking is absurd for me, So, hopefully I can find a used keyboard or digital piano and begin to rebuild......and dream. Sue C
 

Hysterical Woman

Senior Member
Messages
857
Location
East Coast
Sue/Music

Hi Sue,

If you liked that story about Melody Gardot, you might also like the book "The Nature of Music:Beauty, Sound, and Healing" by Maureen McCarthy Draper.

Interesting stuff.

Maxine
 

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
HOW ODD!!!! I was going to post something on how music has helped my brain - brain waves or something - and here you have it!!!!
I listen to the Moody Blues and for some reason, the way the music hits the brain waves, etc, it has the most calming effect on me. I know there is SOMETHING powerful to music and the brain and was going to Google to see what studies were out there on this topic before I went off on my Moody Blues - brain waves topic. So thank you for putting this out there!!!!
When my father died, for some odd reason, I could NOT stop playing Cat Steven's music - in particular the song "Wild World". The words had no meaning to the death and grieving I was going through, it was something about the music and how it "hit" certain brain waves or whatever. I played that song over and over for months and somehow, it helped me deal with my father's death. And for quite some time during CFIDS I have been obssessed with the Moody Blues and what they do for my brain. The more I listen and watch the DVD Videos, the happier my brain becomes. It may help my fighting spirit as well. So, I guess we blame that HUNK Justin Hayward for getting me into fighting mode!
I do think people should try to find music that "hits" their brain and causes calm, peace, etc. Try the Moody Blues and not just Tuesday Afternoon or Nights in White Satin but all the other amazing songs that the Moody's have done for 40 years and Justin Hayward's voice in particular - his voice is like an angel singing. Hit Google or Utube and download "I know you're out there somewhere" or other of the Moody's and Justin Hayward's songs. See if it helps YOUR brains too.

Thanks for posting this. Funny, I was going to hit on music and the affects to the brain - but didn't do research to support it. Cheers -
 

caledonia

Senior Member
I have some CDs with binaural beats in the background that are supposed to help you relax and sleep better. They actually worked for about a week, then quit working when I got used to them. I've found that any sort of music that I like works the same way. The key is to turn the music down every so often, so it gets softer and softer. My guess is all music has "binaural beats", although some might work better than others. If a particular music stops working for you, give it a break, and try something new.
 

starryeyes

Senior Member
Messages
1,558
Location
Bay Area, California
Awww, Wild World for the memory of your dad, muffin... how sweet. I love that song and the Moody Blues too.


Rock-n-Roll-1-1-1.jpg


♪♫ Saved my soul! ♪♫
 
T

thefreeprisoner

Guest
Wow, how interesting.
No wonder music makes me feel better.
I am going to add music into my list of things I am trying as remedies and see if it affects my recovery period.

Thanks for posting this.

Rachel xx
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
Some music is so helpful, I absolutely concur! I have loved the Moody Blues too. Music that is more spacious and slow paced is best for now. On the unfortunate side, however, is that sound makes me tired. Good sound is so nourishing, but I can only do so much. This might be one song, or maybe 15 mins of the right kind of music. I am 60 and have had this illness for years so there is a decline in what I can take in and respond to.

But, going back to the positive side, I feel as though I am getting closer to the essence of music just the same. It is as though, on a more intimate level now, I AM music. I know this sounds far fetched and would be hard for me to believe, but I am reporting my experience.There is a beautiful gift, spiritually, going on, even though technically I am farther and farther from being able to make, listen to or dance to music as I used to loved to do.

Sing
 

Hysterical Woman

Senior Member
Messages
857
Location
East Coast
Some music is so helpful, I absolutely concur! I have loved the Moody Blues too. Music that is more spacious and slow paced is best for now. On the unfortunate side, however, is that sound makes me tired. Good sound is so nourishing, but I can only do so much. This might be one song, or maybe 15 mins of the right kind of music. I am 60 and have had this illness for years so there is a decline in what I can take in and respond to.

But, going back to the positive side, I feel as though I am getting closer to the essence of music just the same. It is as though, on a more intimate level now, I AM music. I know this sounds far fetched and would be hard for me to believe, but I am reporting my experience.There is a beautiful gift, spiritually, going on, even though technically I am farther and farther from being able to make, listen to or dance to music as I used to loved to do.

Sing

Hi Sing,

I understand your comment about sound making you tired. I found this excerpt from "The Nature of Music" by Maureen Draper interesting:

'Whatever your musical preferences have been, when you're in need of emotional or physical healing, it's usually good to choose music that is less complex more comforting than demanding, with a texture of clarity and beauty. Music that produces a relaxed state creates a climate in which healing can occur on the cellular level. Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Ravel's "Pavane for a Dead Princess," or the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth Symphony are conducive to this; so are other selections listed in Sound Journeys under Music for Paradise, Mystery, and Transcendence."

Don't know if you are into classical music, but I especially love the Debussy piece she mentions.

Take care,

Maxine
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
Thank you for those suggestions, Maxine. This is just the type of classical music I like, when I listen to classical. Adagio, often Baroque too as I find it spacious and interesting.

On another "front" of music, I thought of some pop songs I like to encounter: "How Far To Heaven" from a few years back, "I'm Yours" by Jason Moraz and "This is It" by Michael Jackson. They are all really sweet and rhythmically appealing to me.

sing
 

Hysterical Woman

Senior Member
Messages
857
Location
East Coast
Thank you for those suggestions, Maxine. This is just the type of classical music I like, when I listen to classical. Adagio, often Baroque too as I find it spacious and interesting.

On another "front" of music, I thought of some pop songs I like to encounter: "How Far To Heaven" from a few years back, "I'm Yours" by Jason Moraz and "This is It" by Michael Jackson. They are all really sweet and rhythmically appealing to me.

sing

Hi sing,

Good suggestions too!

Thanks,

Maxine
 

wallace

Senior Member
Messages
107
I am thinking about buying oliver sachs book Musicophilia

Just about to start on doidges the brain that changes itself

I have just started listening with headphones on to singing Tibetan bowls which I find stiimutating its found here mentioned below on trauma

Wallace







Researchers Discover Ways Of Integrating Treatment Of Traumatized Tibetan Refugee Monks
Main Category: Anxiety / Stress
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry; Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Article Date: 14 Mar 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Find other articles on: "tibetan sing bowls cfs"
The Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights (BCRHHR) at Boston Medical Center recently treated many of the large number of Tibetan refugee monks who fled violent religious persecution. These individuals arrived in Boston suffering from symptoms of traumatic stress, interfering with their meditative practice. The monks were diagnosed by their traditional healers as having srog-rLung, a life-wind imbalance. Recognizing that barriers exist between western and eastern medicine, the BCRHHR researched and implemented its own complementary therapy options to heal them. These findings appear online in the March issue of Mental Health, Religion and Culture.

According to Tibetan medicine, a srog-rLung disturbance has the potential to develop into a serious mental illness, leaving the victim at odds with the balance of the universe as well as jeopardizing his personal health. Symptoms of srog-rLung include uncontrollable crying, worrying, excessive mental, physical or verbal activity and an unhappy mind. Other conditions affecting the monk's health include anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Research in cross-cultural health settings, particularly refugee health services, shows that successful treatment is contingent on a combination of the patient's interpretation of the illness and biomedical categories. This allows the patient to actively participate in his or her own healing. Cross-cultural psychiatric assessment is also necessary in determining appropriate treatment options, as treatment can be detrimental if not harmonized with the religious context in which mental illness will develop for these monks. The BCRHHR used traditional healers to obtain a dual diagnosis for the development of holistic therapy that responds to both PTSD and srog-rLung.

"This research and treatment involving patients accustomed only to traditional medicine, presented an opportunity for the acceptance of non-traditional therapeutic approaches," explains Michael Grodin, MD, professor of health law, bioethics and human rights at Boston University School of Public Health, and professor of psychiatry, sociomedical sciences and community medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. "The difference between Tibetan and Western disease pathologies represents the need for evidence-based complementary therapies, such as the Tibetan monks in exile and other religious refugee populations," said Grodin.

Tibetan Buddhist tradition dictates that the cure for suffering is enlightenment, attainable through meditation. When this occurs, the body is freed from anxieties and fears. The monks who were treated for PTSD and srog-rLung are finding that meditation, once second nature, has become difficult after nights filled with flashbacks that put the monks in a state of hyper-vigilance for the next day.

According to the researchers, in order to provide complimentary therapy for the monks, eastern and western medicine needed to be integrated to properly address both conditions. The spiritual aspect of the Tibetan medical model, which is at the core of the monks' experience of illness, guided this research. Ancient Tibetan Bon tradition of yogic practice was used to induce the mind into a relaxed state necessary to purify oneself through motion. This yogic practice combines movement of the body and controlled breath with movements of the mind to bring mental stability and offers an alternative to the monks' inability to eliminate invasive thoughts. Another therapy that was used is singing bowl therapy - a form of music therapy, as sound has a direct connection to the heart, which aligns with srog-rLung experienced by the monks.

Grodin said the refugee health center at BMC integrated techniques of western medicine, such as anti-depressant prescribing and psychotherapy, with Tibetan healing practices, including medicines prescribed by Tibetan Amchi, meditation advice, Tai Chi and Qi Gong exercises. Grodin is trained in traditional Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture and meditation.

Notes:

Other authors on the publication were Adriana Lee Benedict of Harvard College and Linda Mancini of the LamRim Buddhist Center and the BCRHHR.

Source: Allison Rubin
Boston University
 

garcia

Aristocrat Extraordinaire
Messages
976
Location
UK
I think one of the most immediate ways music helps is via its effect on dopamine (which PWC's tend to be low in):

Music improves dopaminergic neurotransmission


Although personally I have to have a base-level of dopamine before I am interested in listening to music, then listening to music increases that base-level further.
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
Feed your head! Or in other words, let the beauty of your soul and its peace emerge....This is putting first things first. How I see it.

Sing
 

muffin

Senior Member
Messages
940
I went to a Moody Blue's concert a week ago. We were 14 rows from the band and the music quite loud. Normally, with that kind of noise, all those people, way too much stiumulation, etc. I would have been out of my mind and zonked for the next several days. But, for some reason I was not. The loud music, with me singing and moving, had no negative effect on me at all. In fact I was jubuliant during the concert and the next day. My husband was shocked that I was able to not only tolerate the massive amount of stimulation but be energized and happy from it. Again, it was the Moody Blues and my brain responds to their music, low or loud. Oddly enough, at the Biofeedback place I go to they have the standard "white noise" machines outside the doors of the practioners to block out noise getting into the offices and to keep people outside the offices from hearing what is being said inside the offices. Every single time I go to this building with all those white noise machines, I leave with a violent left temple headache that lasts for at least three days and responds to nothing! No pain meds - nothing. Now I wear ear plugs when I go into that office to block out that white noise and prevent those violent left temple headaches. How odd that I wasn't bothered but actually enjoyed and was energized by such loud music one day but bothered by white noise. Brain waves at work here I think.
 

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
Dear Muffin,

That is so interesting! I think you are right about brain waves, how the sound engages the brain is key. I feel the same way about the Moody Blues vs a white noise machine and other machine noises. The vacuum cleaner is universally disliked by animals and by me too. I sweep or creep around with a sponge rather than here that sound, even though the vacuum cleaner is quicker.

Years ago where I was more able, and studying African dance and drum rhythms, I learned how old the tradtional rhythms are and how the drummers understand how to affect people physically, emotionally and transcendentally with these rhythms. He said that they use these rhythms like acupuncture.

Sing