Music can be a source of entertainment , but for sitar maestro Dr. Chandrakant Sardeshmukh, it can also be applied therapeutically and has been known to cure imbalances in the mind and body. He says that most ailments are mainly caused by stress and strain. These conditions can be effectively balanced and healed through music therapy
The sound vibrations of healing
music reaches every cell of the body penetrating the layers
of mind, memory, resistance and habit allowing a natural
process of adjustment, release and healing to take place.
The bodies natural ability to heal itself is activated and
directly influenced by the music. When the cells are vibrated
with pure sounds, blockages are removed and alignment and
harmony is restored.
Basic Q/A
for Music therapy in Japan
Published in the ‘Ayurveda’
newsletter of Pulse Reading Study Circle, October, 2000
vol.5
Q.1 How does music effect?
You may have heard of Music Therapy
for treatment of dementia and nervous disease. Some University
hospitals in Japan use music therapy to reduce physical
symptoms of the patients who have headache (caused by strain)
or hyperesthesia-intestines. They use Body-Sonic, a device
to feel music, for this treatment. It is effective not only
mentally but also physically. As for mental changes, it
will take away stresses. At the same time, physical changes
such as twitching of muscles (=reduction of stress), or
rise in temperature (=increase of blood flow) has been observed.
Q 2 What
kind of music should we listen to?
In the hospital above, when they
let a patient of nervous depression choose the music, he
first chose rather sorrowful music of "Of-course",
then light-tempo piano melody of Richard Craderman. When
he got better, he chose Eikichi Yazawa, a powerful song.
It is interesting that he chose music as if to show his
energy level. Doctors recommend relaxing music that has
less stimulation. And it is very important to concentrate
while listening to the music. You should not be doing something
while listening but rather lie down or at least sit down
when listening to the music so that you can concentrate.
There is an old study of music called "Sama Veda"
in India. It contains full knowledge with respect to our
body and music. There is music therapy research and experiments
going on in Australia with Indian music that has this "Sama
Veda" in base. Dr. Chandrakant, a brother of Dr. Sadanand
Sardeshmukh, practices this traditional music therapy with
Sitar, a string instrument, in Australia. The result is
rather amazing. An emotion-less ten-years-old boy with cerebral
palsy gradually showed his feelings after listening to Dr.
Chandrakant's sitar music several times. He even smiled
after a year.
