Subscribe
now to receive all the new
music
Shannon Harris creates,
including this release
and 6 back-catalog releases,
delivered instantly to you via the Bandcamp app for iOS and Android.
You’ll also get access to
subscriber-only
exclusives.
Learn more.
The use of music has consistently been found to reduce stress levels of patients in clinical settings. Mulooly et al. [6] investigated the use of music for postoperative stress and found that patients who underwent an abdominal hysterectomy reported lower stress levels after listening to music when compared to patients who were not exposed to this treatment. Studies [7] have contrasted music to verbal distraction, concluding that although the methods were comparable for the reduction of stress, music was more effective in the reduction of blood pressure. Further studies find [8] that adult patients that listened to music during dialysis we re found to have significantly lower blood pressure before and after their treatment. In further studies the effectiveness of music in the reduction of stress has been measured in myocardial infarction patients [8], and in coronary care units [9]. Music has been paired with other therapeutic techniques to reduce stress as well. In a study of pediatric patients, group music therapy sessions, including singing, and instrument playing, we re found to decrease observed stress in children before surgery [5]. Guided imagery and music together were found to decrease pain and stress in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery [4]
How Emotions Cause Stress and How Music Alleviates it: CNS Processes
Music and its calming effects have been demonstrated to have a large emotional component [68]. When pleasant music is heard the brains motivation and reward pathways are reinforced with positive emotion mentally linked to the music (see [69] for full review). This motionalized memory includes many somatic markers , i.e., bodily sensations that accompany emotion and set the feeling tone, feels right to the person [10]. Clearly, music and the emotion it imparts can be viewed as a process reinforcing a positive belief so that rational thought can not hinder the strength of the belief (see Refs. [11 and 12]). Indeed, belief in regard to a therapy and/or doctor and/or personal religion, may in fact stimulate physiological processes, enhancing naturally occurring health processes by augmenting their level of performance.
Conversely, emotional stresses such as fear and anxiety can induce cardiovascular alterations, such as cardiac arrhythmias [13, 14 and 15]. These cardiovascular events can be initiated at the level of the cerebral cortex and may involve insular as well as cingulated, amygdalar and hypothalamic processes. Clinically we may see this as elevated cortisol levels and in some instances can induce sudden death in patients with significant coronary artery disease [16]. In addition, heart rate is often altered under stressful conditions. Neurons in the insular cortex, the central nucleus of the amygdala, and the lateral hypothalamus, owing to their role in the integration of emotional and ambient sensory input, may be involved in the emotional link to the cardiovascular phenomenon. These include changes in cardiac autonomic tone with a shift from the cardio protective effects of parasympathetic predominance to massive cardiac sympathetic activation [13]. This autonomic component, carried out with parasympathetic and sympathetic preganglionic cells via subcortical nuclei from which descending central autonomic pathways arise, may therefore be a major pathway in how belief may affect cardiovascular function. The importance of music and the elicited emotional response (and therefore limbic activation) was further demonstrated in ischemic hear t disease when patients with frequent and severe ventricular ectopic rhythms were subjected to psychological stress [13]. The frequency and severity of ventricular ectopic beats increased dramatically during emotional activation of sympathetic mechanisms but not during reflexively-induced increased sympathetic tone.
Source: www.biosonics.com
Psychedelics and Mental Health:
Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, an ingredient found in so-called magic mushrooms, have shown promise in treating a range of addictions and mental health disorders. Yet, there's something mysterious and almost mystical about their effects, and they are commonly believed to provide unique insights into the nature of consciousness.
Now, a new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers addresses the question of whether psychedelics might change the attribution of consciousness to a range of living and nonliving things.
The findings, published March 28 in Frontiers in Psychology, reveal that higher ratings of mystical type experiences, which often include a sense that everything is alive, were associated with greater increases in the attribution of consciousness.
released March 31, 2022
All instruments played and performed live by Shannon Harris
Recorded, Mix and Mastered at Groove Entourage Studio by Shannon Harris
Artwork Design: Shannon Harris
Supporter of global crusades for 15 years spanning his reach to audiences on 6 continents, he has honed his skills as a
professional DJ for 28 years and world touring DJ/Musician/artist performing in 5 continents globally for the past 10 years. He has worked as a international recording artist for 15 years & sound healer for 7 years with releases on labels in Japan, London, Kenya, and Italy....more
