Performing Arts: the Healing Power of Music and Movement

Music ... it can alter how you feel in an instant. It can lift you up, make you smile, create that groove, and make you feel ... sparking memories from long ago. It has remarkable healing powers. I have mentioned before different ways that performing arts therapy is helping to change lives. Today, I will talk about a few musical concepts that we, the Love Ambassadors, use in our performances and our therapy.

Music and Movement

Flow: this flow type of music is very powerful when used for meditation, hypnosis, EMDR, etc., dance, and performance. Flow opens you up to your inner self and allows you to switch from the chaos in your life to go with the flow of your own inner energy. For example: If your relatives and life in general are driving you crazy and causing chaos, switching to the flow experience will open the doors to bliss and ecstasy.

Staccato: This is a very rhythmic, short note kind of music and covers all generations. The notes are short, powerful, extremely rhythmic and you will see much of it in certain dance moves. You will also hear it in a huge variety of musical genres. It is very happy, percussive, and joyous. You will see it in hip-hop, concert music, popular music, jazz etc. (The Twist). Therapeutically, it changes blood chemistry and the brain. It's a great antidepressant, anti-anxiety and is now being tested with ADHD. Mariah Carey is a great staccato artist. I use a very rapid-fire saxophone run that is mind-boggling to some.

Chaos: You will hear a lot of this kind of music in computer games and high-energy dynamic motion pictures. It is extremely powerful, somewhat scary and extremely chaotic. Chaos is a part of everyone's life and has to be dealt with. If a person is overwhelmed with chaos, the results can be detrimental. By using this kind of music therapeutically and in performance, we have broken open the negative effects of chaos. It seems that chaos is a part of life and serves as a prelude to creative breakthroughs that are absolutely fantastic.

In Summary

There are other elements of music, dance and the performing arts that will be included in future communications. Think of it this way - Suppose you are caught up in the daily challenge of necessary chaos. What if you could switch, through music and other methods, to going with the flow and break through to the power and joy of staccato? Example: Sometimes, I am surrounded and challenged by and with chaos. By moving and staying into the flow, I can musically move into staccato joy and eventual calm.

Paul J. Hannig, Ph.D. is a licensed California Marriage and Family Therapist offering innovative and in-depth individual and group therapy. His expertise includes deep feeling work, core self work, hypnotherapy, meditation, dance therapy and a blend of many other disciplines. He is the author of "Feeling People", "Sizzling Relationships: the 401(k) of Love", and "Coping with the Disorder" and has produced a vast library of healing hypnosis and meditation programs for purchase. His office is located in Chatsworth, CA and his web site PsychotherapyHELP.com offers a vast compendium of information. He can be reached at phannigphd@socal.rr.com.