Spirituality and Health

Tempest Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

Today I would like to discuss an oft-overlooked aspect of health: Our connection to something bigger than ourselves.  Yes, I am a spiritualist--I believe in God.  Maybe not in the way of some organized religions, but I am convinced that the universe is a part of a grand order, of which we are bound in our physiology, and thus our health.

I'm not going to necessarily discuss the universal order as it pertains to physiology and health here.  Instead I am going to touch on a few points on spirituality and health, as well as encourage you to watch the beautiful video above to witness the magnificence of the universe from our earthly perspective, and hope you realize it is all much bigger than even this.

• Studies show that people practicing any type of mainstream faith actually live longer (more here)
• "Lack of religious involvement has an effect on mortality that is equivalent to 40 years of smoking one pack of cigarettes per day" ~ Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University Medical Center
• People that practice spirituality have lower incidences of drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide and family violence
• Meditation, prayer, and participation in devotional services reduce feelings of depression and anxiety significantly
• Meditation lowers the risk of heart disease (among other conditions)

Health is directly related to our connections to a greater source.  Whether real or psychological is irrelevant to our discussions here--all I wish to point out is the improvement to physical health when spirituality is believed/practiced/observed.

If we can put aside for one minute our politics, our illusions, our human drives, and our emotional oscillations to just witness the beauty of the all, if only for just this one needle-point view of the grandness offered by the accompanying video, then I am certain we can all catch a glimpse of what we truly are.  THIS is the source of health, and it's a confirmation that we can all have optimal health if we are in touch with the source.  That's my belief anyway.

Music Therapy

Listen up melody makers--you are healers! Yes, healers. New research shows that music not only calms the savage beast, it helps people heal. It can also diminish symptoms in dying people, and this new study shows that some are requesting just that--their favorite music as they prepare to pass on. Beautiful...and sensible. I love it.

Music as an art form uses sound as its medium. Although an integral part of every culture, there is no universal concept defining music other than "sound through time." In our modern culture, though, music is being used in a therapeutic sense. Music therapy, a discipline being taught at major universities and professional schools, is helping sick people palliatively--that is, to reduce the severity of symptoms, so that patients can enjoy some improvements to their quality of life.

Music therapy helps people with Alzheimer's remember; it helps autistic children calm down; it helps premature babies, children with disabilities, and seniors with dementia. It helps people improve their medical conditions as well as improve their lives. Whether life is just beginning, or whether it's winding down, music therapy holds something for everyone, as we are all moved by the music we love.

In the study, approximately 200 people aged 24 to 87 with chronic or advanced illnesses, such as cancer, pain disorders, AIDS or sickle cell disease received music therapy, where they were allowed to choose the music they heard (Lady Gaga, anyone?). Physical and psychological tests were performed before and after the therapy sessions. The researchers found that music therapy decreased patient anxiety, pain and shortness of breath. Nice. And more than 80% of the patients said the music improved their mood, as well as that of their family members.

Certified music therapists not only play music (they must be well versed in several genres to accommodate a wide range of musical tastes) they must also study psychology, physiology and other health disciplines. Music therapists do indeed provide sounds, yet they also help with a vast array of physical, emotional, and social issues.

I find this practice of music therapy to be in perfect tempo, as more and more people are passing on without religiosity. My perspective is that for most people (those not going suddenly), moving on must be somewhat frightening. Without spiritual hope to lessen the fear, music might be able to help ease the transition. What better way to leave this plane than by being accompanied by one's favorite music. Ice Cube, take me away.

Seriously, I believe that music is the divine sound of the universe. It does heal. Anybody who has listened to music to create or amplify a mood knows exactly what I'm talking about. Music accompanies me everywhere, and unless I'm blessed enough to go in a snap...it'll follow me to the light, too.

Need to Belong

You are a social climber, aren't you? No? Are you sure? Pretty much everybody is. So say the recent findings out of the National Institute of Mental Health.

According to the study, a region of the brain known as the "reward center" is stimulated when people process information about social status. This area, called the striatum, is also stimulated when people receive a monetary reward. Interestingly, a second study out of the Japanese National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Okazaki, Japan, has shown the reward center to also be stimulated when people receive praise--as in the form of a compliment.

The importance of these studies is that they show we humans have a complex neurological system, which drives us to act in socially beneficial ways. We are actually hard-wired to interact socially--that is, we have a "need to belong". And why not? Sociability is one of the greatest survival strategies we have--it has allowed us to excel well beyond the other species on the planet, and to become the dominant life force on Earth. For good or bad, we have evolved civilization through our ability to socialize. And now we know it's due, in part, to our biology. Interesting, huh?

Although the link between neurology and sociology has been made, I won't dismiss the possibility of a spirituality influencing human drives and interactions. I definitely believe there is more to man than simply flesh and blood. It seems to me that if humans have conceived that they might be spirit as well as material, and that this intuition has been a part of human consciousness from the very beginning, causing every civilization to form some sort of spiritual belief and practice, then I'm certain there's something to it. Every civilization of man cultivating the same intuitive beliefs, independently, is no accident. We know, yet we don't know.

I believe that biology is an expression of spirit--it's a manifestation of spirit on the material plane. Although we will certainly find the neurology to explain every behavior, drive or motivation, our bodies are simply the machinery, and not the originator. Biology alone cannot explain our individuality with regard to our drives and values--the elements that make us truly unique (not the DNA alone). And the more scientists search, the more they will likely discover evidence in support of that.

Our need to belong has definite advantages to survival--it has helped us persist and thrive. But I also believe it is a function of our energetic--or spiritual--connections. Only time will tell what this means in the bigger picture.