Music as Medicine

Burundian Drummers

Imprinted into the fabric of reality is a fluidity which at the underlying core is comprised of vibration. Just as letters, words and phrases carry vibrational information which transmutes out into our greater universe, so too does music. There may be no greater language with the power to break all universal vibrational communication boundaries than that of music. Music plays a vital role in human culture; it is a key social technology for building and sustaining community. Theoretical neuroscientist and philosopher Walter Freeman tells us that a "significant discovery by our remote ancestors may have been the use of music and dance for bonding in groups larger than nuclear families…" In aural and oral cultures, music and sound would have been a vital element of human life and ritual culture. Ritual in many human cultures involves music, and it often provides the primary structure for activities that construct meaning. Ritual music is a universal way to address the spirit world and provide some kind of fundamental change in an individual's consciousness or in the ambience of a gathering. Experiences of ego loss and trance are important for integrating the individual into the group and maintaining community, and music is a significant element of such ritual activity. Read more.