Welcome to Guided Harmonies, a podcast where I put words to the music from my Music Therapy Albums. My name is Margaret Dahlberg and the music for today’s episode, Hope, was created for a young man who was feeling lost despite the fact that he was such a promising individual with so much to offer. The words for today’s podcast are inspired by current global events. Before we begin I’d like to tell you a little about how this works. Sound is created through vibrations of different frequencies. Our bodies, made up mostly of water, also vibrate. When my musical vibrations combine with your physiological vibrations, your body will respond. This creates a healing atmosphere.
Let’s get started.
Find a quiet place. Sit back and close your eyes. Lie down if you are able. Let the music do its thing!
As the music surrounds you, take notice of your breathing. Is it deep or shallow? Which part of your torso are you breathing into? Just notice, do not change anything. (violins) Now think about where you would like to feel your breath filling your torso and ever so gently and gradually, allow your breath to expand.
There is so much happening on the planet right now: our global health concerns, our diviseness political climates, not to mention all that occurs daily in our own personal lives. Most of us are grieving the loss of something – if not the loss of a loved one, we grieve the loss of our sense of freedom, stability, safety and security. Consider this for a moment. It’s. a. lot to think about.
Recently, people on our planet have been doing a lot of waiting. Waiting for resolution to the pandemic, waiting for political news, waiting for economic recoveries. . . waiting is exceptionally challenging for humans because it is not active behaviour, it is passive. In fact, it is related to the process of physical freezing that occurs when we are fearful. That moment of fearful stillness is the moment when our bodies are deciding whether to fight or whether to fly it is in this moment we experience trauma, and we will continue to feel this trauma until we become active again by choosing to fight or to fly. Many of us spend too much time in this place of frozen fear. It comes back to us again and again sometimes begins to take over. Be sure to breathe as you consider these words.
So when we wait, we experience a smaller, yet more drawn out version of this process . . . and when we acknowledge how challenging it is for us to be stuck here waiting, how do we learn to endure it without allowing it to take such a toll on our physical and mental health?
Hope. We seek hope.
In many ways Hope is the most healing emotion we can have. If we have hope, we can get through anything.
Take a moment and think of a time in your life when you received some wonderful news. Maybe you won an award, you received a clean bill of health, or were asked out on a date by that person you really liked, perhaps it was a job offer or you won a game. Breathe into your torso as you recall this feeling and allow yourself to re-experience that wonderful moment. Notice where you feel this in your body. Do you notice some tingling energy in your heart? Or some rich warmth in your belly? Perhaps a simple relaxing of your busy brain? Sit in this luxurious place of positivity.
When we have hope, we believe there is a chance we will feel this way again. And the fact is, we almost always do eventually. As a matter of fact, you likely feel this warm positive feeling on a regular basis in smaller doses. Sit with this as you breathe.
When we are here feeling hope in this place of waiting, now we do not need change.
We just need hope.
Take a moment to allow your breath to become more active, in anticipation of coming back into consciousness. When you are ready, allow your eyes to open and take in the light.
Thank you for joinging me today.