Music as Therapy
The evolution of music all over the world was the result of the expression of devotion and emotion of the people. In India, the Hindu devotees sang in praise of God maintaining one pitch or note which was known as "Eka Swaragayan". In the West, the Catholics and Christians about the 15th century sang in chorus in praise of God. When they sang, they did not sing on the same pitch but on different and several pitches which resulted in the formation of 'Harmony' and 'Hetrophony' - the basic ornaments of Western music.
When expressing devotion through their voices, their minds associate with feelings such as love, compassion, kindness, sorrow, loneliness and serenity. When the mind of a religious person is disturbed, his or her mind will be soothed by listening to a prayer. In this action, the concept of Therapy is unknowingly applied to the person's mind. This therapy today is developed on several branches and is utilised for curing mental disorders in some developed countries.
Embryology teaches us that in the mother's womb, the nervous system of the foetus develops much earlier than the heart which begins to beat in the third or the fourth month. It is also the work of regularity or, in other words, the rhythm. When a woman becomes pregnant, an affection develops in her mind towards the embryo in her womb. It has some relation to the rythm of the heart-beat of the child. Owing to this affection, or love towards the foetus, the mother tends to be careful in going through daily functions such as bathing, eating, drinking, walking, sleeping, enjoying, etc. Mother becomes so careful even about the pictures she sees and sounds she hears. Being related to the nervous system of the mother, baby in the womb will be prone to effects of such actions. If the mother gets excited in hearing a loud noise, it will cause the same feeling in the child. Similarly, when the mother hears pleasant music and is made happy, the baby in the womb will get similar pleasant feeling. Such good feelings passed on to the child will have positive results in the development of the child and adolescence.
Devotees who go to the temple, get opportunity to purify their minds through listening to or participating in singing devotional songs, hymns and sthothras. What actually happens here is the therapy of music which automatically comes into play in the devotee's mind. If the concept of music therapy is well developed and applied, several abnormal conditions of the mind could be corrected. Since many ailments affecting the human body are attributed to unbalanced state of the mind, a purified or corrected, balanced mind will be conducive to good physical health as well.
Some technology-developed countries have produced sensitive instruments to detect the effect of music on the mind. India is a country which has done research in this field and has found that even plants could be influenced by music therapy. In relation to human beings, Indian psychologists say that music activates the sympathetic system and certain muscle tissues in the body to produce an aesthetic state in the mind called 'Chamathkara'. Similarly, plant cells are activated by music to produce better or higher yield. In Germany, scientists have found after research that cows, made to listen to good music, give a higher yield of milk.
Sound is a form of energy. Human body reacts to every form of energy. The molecular activity of the sensory nervous system sets up changes in the fibres and cells of the central organ. The disturbance is transmitted along the motor nerves, passing from the central organ to certain muscles. A corresponding disturbance is set up in the muscular fibres which contract and release in various ways. Such a series of molecular change is called a reflex action. The eye lids wink at a flash of light. The whole body start at a loud noise. A sweet sound generates pleasure in the listener's mind.
When we study carefully about the effects of notes of different frequencies on the mind, we see that various combinations of notes play a very important role in disciplining the nature of the moods born in the mind. These combinations of notes can result in forming reflex actions directly proportional to the nature of the moods. Research already done in this field reveals that music affects the mind more than the drugs. In other words, there is a possibility of a combination of notes affecting the mind more than a combination of chemicals. There are instances when music was used for anaesthesia in surgical operations.
According to research-reports of some scientists, even plants have a sense of music. A short story is a great example. A man, who was a music teacher, used to have his music classes under a coconut tree within the large compound of a school premises. The coconut tree had only a few leaves and was fruitless. It was dying. Everyday about 30 students sang and played musical instruments under this tree. After about 3 months, the weary tree put out new leaves and started producing coconuts - a sign of rejuvenation.
The same man had about the effects of music on human behaviour related to an unruly student in the same school. He was considered a misfit by all the members of the tutorial staff. The teacher found that the boy had a liking to music and asked him to attend the music class. After sometime, he became a well behaved good student of the school.
The same teacher also had another experience related to his visit to several places of musical importance in West Germany with a team of musicians representing several countries. One day. the team spent the night in a pub in which a band played throughout the night. They all started the evening in a very pleasant atmosphere. After singing, playing and dancing with the band for a few hours, the sound inside the pub became very furious. Consequently, most of visiting foreign musicians who could not tolerate the noisy atmosphere decided to leave the place. Most of them had severe headache throughout the following day due to the hard sound-vibrations. This shows that music of high intensity could harm the sensory nerve system. A research carried out in London has found that many people addicted to listening to pop and rock music through walkman cassettes go deaf after sometime.
In the light of the above facts, a good selection of music, applied in a soothing manner, should help the listener to have a tranquil mind. That is what we call Music Therapy.
Historical evidence reveal close links between the Gandharva Veda and Ayurveda. Bhaskara who was the Royal ayurvedic physician of the king of Devagiri had a grand son named Sarangadeva who became a musicologist and ayurvedic physician. He wrote 'Sangeetha Ratnakara' explaining the science and theory of Indian music and also 'Adhyatmaviveka' - a book on Ayurveda.
The Gandharva Veda shows 19 chakras in the human body which are considered as the sensory (feeling) centres of the body. The Gandharva Veda also refers to the relationship between musical notes, channels and the physical or mental disorders.
