Among a host of “out of the mainstream” new therapies for treating or alleviating chronic ills, music therapy shows promise. Hospitals and nursing homes across the country are adding music to their therapeutics as a way to reduce fear and stress.
The next big question is, of course, “Why does music do this?” Professional health-musician Ed Dulaney told me, “Music helps individuals move out of the cesspool of self-pity and into the ability to handle the issues they face.”
Looking even deeper are the beneficial effects of music more than a chemical response in the brain? Does music in fact connect us to some larger, universal consciousness that aligns us with greater harmony?
For centuries, experts from many fields have looked beyond the body for answers to establishing a healthy life. Many have found that when someone finds a connection to the divine, he feels an inner peace which can restore health.
Christian theologian and health researcher Mary Baker Eddy wrote about man’s innate harmony, which comes from his being a child of God. She wrote, “Harmony in man is as real and immortal as in music” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 276).
Perhaps what medical studies are showing us is simply how music can help patients feel the harmony that is theirs as a loved child of God. And that can’t help but have a healing effect.
I had an experience which sheds some light on what happens when one connects with that innate harmony. There was a time when my left knee would pop and swell up to twice its size. It happened randomly, but made walking and sitting very difficult. During one such occurrence, I wondered if instead of trying to find and alleviate a physical cause for this, gaining insights into my spiritual nature could correct these disruptions.
I began to realize that if I had an innate harmonious nature, I needed to be less “discordant” in my relationships with others – less harsh, judgmental, argumentative; and more loving, kind and considerate. As I did so, the popping occurred less often, and the swelling reduced more quickly. Soon it stopped completely and has never recurred.
Through this experience, I felt the divine harmony – the spiritual substance behind music – that produces clear health benefits.
