Words of wisdom and miscellaneous facts by Dr. Wysong and others.
This is an accumulation over several decades and the accuracy cannot be attested to.
36. MUSIC AS HEALER
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12/13/2019
Appreciation for and creation of music (beyond the few programmed notes of songbirds) appears to be a unique human quality. Nobody knows why or how it has come into being. My theory is that it has to do with the fact that we are not really substance—as quantum physics has proven—but rather, at the fundamental level, waves and vibrations. The unseen reality is one all-encompassing harmonic symphony. (I develop this more fully in Solving the Big Questions.) Our bodies naturally seek balance, a form of harmony. Music can help us achieve that.
Music has a powerful and very real effect beyond just giving pleasure or causing a toe to tap. Universities now offer classes on music as therapy. Researchers also report breakthroughs on difficult mental conditions through the use of music.1-3 Music can delight, impassion, lift the spirit, calm, depress, anger, or irritate. National anthems can inspire people to love and war. Different flavors impact each individual differently. Although culture and family can influence our music preferences, by and large our likes and dislikes appear to be individualistic. Appreciation for a variety of music styles can be developed but first choices seem to remain. Within my own family, raised under the same roof, there is wide diversity. When I take my five-string banjo out, some come and listen, others run and hide. When the hiders play their rap or hip-hop, to me they might as well run their fingernails across a chalkboard. I must have bluegrass genes while they have hip-hop genes. But that's okay. Enjoy but be aware, as mentioned previously, that music can also send one into a depressing melancholy. If a song does this, change the tune. Find something that lifts the spirit, is happifying, energizes, and puts one into the moment rather than reeling into a history about which nothing can be done.
​Actively playing an instrument is very effective at relieving stress. Find an enjoyable instrument and begin to learn. Spend some time at it as often as you can, particularly when feeling down or overwhelmed with life. Take lessons or use self-teaching aids. Don't worry about being perfect or accomplished right away. The process of learning and achieving even little gains is an end itself.
The mental, creative, and emotional engagement of playing an instrument, or just enjoying music others make, can give a lifetime of fulfilling pleasure. It can also provide a place to go when we need a haven where we can rest, heal, feel better, and lift the spirit.
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12/13/2019
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Introduction
1. We Can Agree 2. Possibility Thinking 3. The Solver Principles 4. Our Owner's Manual 5. We Live in A Unique Time 6. Being Health Smart 7. The Illusion of Youth Health 8. The Good Old Days 9. Timing Life 10. Exercise 11. Hormones and Steroids - A Two-Edged Sword 12. The Female Hormone Problem 13. Growing Older 14. Squaring the Curve 15. Healthy Dos and Don'ts 16. The Medical Profession 17. The Greatest Threat to Health 18. Don't Surrender to Medical Care 19. But We Live Longer Today 20. Dollars Don't Make Health 21. Disease Does Not Strike Us 22. Germs Don't Cause Disease We Do 23. From Where Does Healing Come 24. The Best Food 25. Food Ethics 26. Healthy Weight 27. Healthy Eating Ideas 28. First Things First 29. Hopelessness 30. Depression 31. Memories 32. Addiction 33. Blaming the Parents 34. Surviving Tragedy 35. Touch 36. Music as Healer 37. Humor 38. Pets as Life Savers 39. Pet Keeping - A Serious Responsibility 40. The Myth of 100 Complete Pet Foods 41. Feeding Pets as Nature Intended 42. Industry vs. Earth 43. Population 44. Modernity's Deception 45. Animal Rights 46. Biophilia 47. Respect for All Life 48. Doing Good With Business 49. The Global Economy 50. The Power of Money 51. Financial Affairs 52. Work as Friend 53. Government 54. The End of Civilization 55. Freedom Is Not Equality 56. Sex 57. Being in Love 58. Marriage - The Union of Opposites 59. Divorce 60. The Family Nest 61. Having Babies 62. Children 63. The Empty Nest 64. Experience 65. Education 66. Life Is Uncertain 67. Things Mound Up 68. Murphy's Law 69. Life's Predictability 70. Finding Home 71. Learn From History 72. Shaping the Future 73. The Other Line Always Moves Faster 74. Little Things Add Up 75. Growing Up 76. Alone 77. Hope 78. Paying the Success Price 79. Change A Wonderful Thing 80. Being the Best You Can Be 81. Do Something, Something Happens 82. Change the World 83. Growing Good People 84. Words 85. Genius 86. Listen and Learn 87. Mind Over Matter 88. Looking Good 89. Protecting Yourself 90. Self Sufficiency 91. Life Is Math 92. Ethics 93. Conscience 94. The Long View 95. Being Real 96. Change 97. End and Beginning |