Do you ever wish there were something small you could do that would make a big difference as you move through the grieving process? Does it all seem like so much work?
Wouldn’t it be great if there were something as simple as pushing a button that could make a huge difference in your healing?
I believe I may have found something!
I have long believed that music is a very powerful – and under-used – tool we could use to aid our healing. That thought was reinforced last year when my daughter went into premature labor and delivered a tiny, just-over 3 pound baby girl, Claire. Claire was immediately whisked into the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a place in the hospital where every aspect of the environment is carefully monitored and controlled.
I rushed up to the hospital in the town where they live, five hours North of my home. When I entered the NICU, my heart ached for those tiny infants, attached to so many tubes and wires, struggling to adjust to a life outside the womb that those little bodies were not ready for.
One thing that intrigued me was the music that was playing in the background. Beautiful, peaceful classical music wafted over the sound system, and I could feel its calming effect on me as soon as I entered the room.
I asked the nurse about it, and she said that studies have shown that premature babies gain weight faster and leave the NICU more quickly when that type of music surrounds them. Music affects the physical body as well as the soul.
I remembered how I had turned to music after my husband died. Playing beautiful, powerful music had been one sure source of comfort, and would often be the means of helping me to release all the emotion that I tended to hold inside. Music held a power that I didn’t fully understand, but I completely recognized its capability to change my life.
In a conversation about music with Kevin Hall, author of the great book Aspire, he suggested I contact Alan Bentley, the CEO and owner of Nuphonics. Based in Utah, they are a company that has focused specifically on music’s ability to affect every aspect of life, developing products to help improve their emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and their healing, even on a cellular level.
I went to visit Alan this week, and he explained how and why his company came to be, and what they have discovered about the power of the mind, and how music enhances that power and can thus affect every part of the body. Then he showed me the CDs they have produced in a variety of categories: Deep Sleep; Concentration; Relaxation; Hospice; Stress Relief; and Focus, to name a few. The one that caught my attention was entitled “New Birth – Hope”, and can be used specifically for grief recovery.
We often want a simple solution to life’s challenges; a quick pill to take, a one-time treatment, or a button to push.
Well, maybe, just this once, there is something that simple that could make a huge difference.
Push “play” – and my healing will be enhanced?
Studies show it works. And I’m going to try it.
And I’ll let you know how it goes!
Yours for healing, Roslyn
Go to http://www.roslynreynolds.com and get the first three chapters of my book, SOLO – Getting It All Together When You Find Yourself Alone
Find hope after loss 