Music has always been a big part of my life. It’s been one of the things that I could always turn to, when I needed to tune out the sound of the world, put things on pause and just experience some awesome music!
The music that we gravitate to does something for us, it lightens up our mood, it makes us think about love, it helps us release anger, it calms us, it soothes us, it can make us want to dance or sing along. Music brings back memories, sometimes good, sometimes bad. It can help empower us; it can help us momentarily escape.
Music can also help us know that we are not alone, that someone out there can relate to us. Sometimes certain songs eloquently put into musical art what we may be feeling inside and lets us know that what we are feeling is real and others have experienced it also. As Oliver Sacks once said,
“Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears – it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more – it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.”
Music is a major part of our lives. It’s therapeutic, it’s healing. It is essential.
I personally have playlists for different moods, themes, and experiences.
Dr. Velmi, Psy.D.