The Power of Music for Inner Child Healing - Rachel Devine
I remember recently hearing a Beatles song that my mother loved, I want to hold your hand, and I was instantly transported to my house in Woodside, NY to an innocent time in the 1960s, relishing in that long-forgotten memory. Or when I hear the song, Kumbaya, I remember my grammar school graduation. Have you ever had a time when you heard a song that instantly transported you mentally to a forgotten time from your past? Music has the power to bring us back to a place and time that is tucked away in our subconscious mind, where our inner child dwells.
We all have an "inner child" within us—the childlike part of ourselves that holds onto the emotions, beliefs, and wounds from our childhood experiences. Healing this inner child is an important part of personal growth and self-acceptance for many people. One powerful tool for accessing and nurturing your inner child is music. Memories from listening to music are important to connect the power of music to the inner child's healing. Let’s explore the power of music and its healing benefits.
The therapeutic benefits of music
Music has long been recognized for its therapeutic benefits for the mind, body, and spirit. It can induce physiological changes by slowing the pulse and decreasing levels of stress hormones. Music also triggers the release of mood-regulating chemicals like dopamine that make us feel good. But beyond these biological effects, music speaks to us on a deeply emotional and even spiritual level.
The right music can take us back to the feelings and memories of our childhood in a profound way. Certain songs seem to strike a resonant chord within our inner child. When we engage with this music in an open, accepting way, it creates a safe space for our childlike emotions, beliefs, and traumas to surface and be acknowledged. This process of giving a "voice" to the inner child through music can be incredibly healing and therapeutic.
Using Music for Inner Child Work
There are many ways to incorporate music into your inner child's healing journey. One simple approach is to make a playlist of songs that resonated with you as a child or adolescent. As you listen to these songs as an adult, pay attention to the thoughts, emotions, and even physical sensations that come up. You may be surprised at how vividly these old songs can conjure up memories and feelings from your childhood.
You can take this a step further by doing some active inner child work while listening to the music. For example, you might write a letter or have an imaginary dialogue with your inner child, expressing the love, validation, and nurturing that he or she needs. Or you could engage in creative expression like drawing, dancing, or acting out scenes from your childhood while playing meaningful music.
Certain genres of music, like lullabies, nursery rhymes, and children's songs, can be particularly evocative for doing inner child work. Even if you don't remember specific childhood associations with these songs, their inherently soothing, simple, and often imaginative qualities can facilitate a sense of innocence, safety, and comfort for your inner child.
Reparenting yourself with music
As you listen to nurturing, comforting music, you can hold a pillow, doll, or stuffed animal and mentally envision your inner child and speak to yourself as a caring parent figure, providing the love, understanding, and reassurance that your child needs to feel secure. You might recall a time you felt alone as a child, unsafe, or scared. If these feelings come up, you can be the parent to the inner child and let your child know they are safe; they need not fear, and that child is never alone because you are acknowledging your inner child and his or her feelings.
Music Therapy
In general, music therapy provides a range of health benefits, both physical and mental/emotional. Here are some of the key health benefits of music therapy:
Physical Benefits
Pain management: music can help reduce perceived levels of pain and promote relaxation in patients.
Improved respiratory function: Listening to music can improve respiration rates, oxygen saturation, and breath intake.
Improved cardiovascular health: Music can positively impact heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure levels.
Mental/Emotional Benefits
Stress and anxiety reduction: The relaxing effects of music can significantly decrease levels of stress and anxiety.
Improved mood: Music releases dopamine in the brain, helping to elevate mood and counteract depression.
Increased motivation: The energizing effects of music can boost motivation and drive patients.
Enhanced communication: For patients with difficulty communicating, music can provide an alternative channel for self-expression.
Memory and cognitive stimulation: music taps into different brain systems and can help stimulate memory recall and cognition.
Overall, music accesses the brain in very unique ways compared to talk therapy alone. When applied skillfully by a trained music therapist, it can facilitate healing across multiple domains—physiological, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual.
In closing, remember that the path of inner child healing through music is a highly personalized journey. You may need to experiment with different types of music and approaches to find what resonates and facilitates this special process for you. You might also enlist a skilled music therapist to help you along the way. Be patient, keep an open mind and heart, and allow the music to work its gentle magic.