TUNING YOUR INNER SYMPHONY

Just as musical instruments create a symphony of sound through different frequencies, our brains operate on various brainwave frequencies, each associated with distinct mental states. Understanding these frequencies can empower you to influence your own state of mind and support others in doing the same.

Neurological Basis of Music Therapy Research confirms that music activates various brain regions involved in cognitive, motor, and speech functions. For people with neurological issues, like those recovering from a stroke or living with Parkinson’s disease, music therapy can be a lifeline. The therapy is rooted in the scientific understanding of how music perception and production affect nonmusical brain and behavior functions. 

No Musical Talent Required One of the significant advantages of music therapy is that it does not require any musical ability. Both active and passive participation in music can yield benefits, from improved cognitive function to better motor control. 

Cognitive Improvements Music therapy targets various cognitive functions such as attention, arousal, auditory perception, spatial awareness, executive functioning, and memory.

Music helps the brain organize and structure itself,

providing a framework of timing, grouping, and synchronization.

• Speech and Language Music therapy addresses speech and language issues, including expressive aphasia, fluency, prosody, apraxia, vocalization, coordination, and respiratory strength. Since speech and singing share neural systems, music can significantly improve many speech and language goals.
• Motor Functions The therapy also aids in motor function rehabilitation, including gait, balance, and coordination. Using auditory rhythms to facilitate motor control can improve strength, endurance, and range of motion.
• Clinical Implications Evidence suggests that listening to Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major can reduce the frequency of seizures in some epilepsy patients. This highlights music's potential for treating various conditions and diseases, from Parkinson’s and depression to Alzheimer's.
• Pioneering Research David Silbersweig, a leader in functional neuroimaging research, emphasizes that understanding brain mechanisms can lead to therapeutic solutions derived from music. Neuroimaging allows researchers to correlate specific mental states and brain functions with music processing. 
• For example, stroke patients with sensory amusia, who cannot perceive or respond to music due to lesions in the right superior temporal gyrus, may benefit from music exposure. Music's ability to engage brain networks in real-time can shape new communication pathways, offering indirect therapeutic benefits even when direct tissue recovery isn't possible. 

Brainwave Frequencies and Their Effects

DELTA (0.1 - 3.5 Hz)

• The slowest brainwave, Delta is associated with deep, dreamless sleep and the unconscious mind. It's prominent in infants and essential for restorative sleep and healing in adults. 
• Distribution: Generally broad or diffuse; may be bilateral.
• Subjective feeling states: Deep, dreamless sleep, non-REM sleep, trance, unconscious. 
• Associated tasks & behaviors: Lethargic, not moving, not attentive.
• Physiological correlates: Not moving, low level of arousal.
• Effects of Training: Can induce drowsiness, deeply relaxed states.

THETA (3.5-7.5 Hz)

Theta bridges the gap between wakefulness and sleep, linking to creativity, intuition, and deep relaxation. It's active during daydreaming, meditation, and REM sleep.

• Distribution: Usually regional, may involve many lobes, can be lateralized or diffuse.
• Subjective feeling states: Intuitive, creative, recall, fantasy, imagery, dreamlike, switching thoughts, drowsy; “oneness”, “knowing.”
• Associated tasks & behaviors: Creative, intuitive; but may also be distracted, unfocused.
• Physiological correlates: Healing, integration of mind/body.
• Effects of Training: If enhanced, can induce a more relaxed, quiet mind, emotionally stable state. If suppressed, it can improve concentration, ability to focus attention.

Dr. Suzanne Ravenall  B.Msc. M.Msc. Msc.D.

I offer private sessions, group sessions, and training programs, both live and self-study. These programs are designed to assist you not only make profound changes in your own life but to help those close to you.  I'll assist you in unlocking your most extraordinary self and becoming an unstoppable force,