Beverley Flanagan           

In our world of technological advancement disease is still a major area of concern.  Many complementary practitioners are discovering that the remedy is not to be found in a pill but through individuals opening to awareness of their spirit.  My work as a composer and pianist is to facilitate a music environment conducive to the healing process.

  Disease can be viewed as a breakdown of relationship whereby a loss of inner connection with the spiritual centre creates a blockage in self-potential.  The mind, body, emotions and spirit are the tools for gathering such awareness.

  Being open to creating and receiving sound requires listening.  True listening has nothing to do with 'figuring out' the music.  To be thinking, analysing and interpreting as it is 'heard' does not leave space for the inner silence of awareness.  The process should be one of listening to the self through the music.  One's response to the melodic lines, harmonies and rhythms is a personal learning experience.  Music through the self is also never the same experience.  One piece of music can be a catalyst for many dimensions within.

  I have heard some people express a dislike for certain types of music because they 'can't relate to it'.  To not find any 'meaning' in the music is merely a reflection that the individual has not had the experience of spirit through the sound.  One can only be where one is as one is in the moment.  This integrity must be respected.  Music through the self is a journey that cannot be rushed but it can be awakened.  Conversely, some music can be overwhelming and 'too much to take in'.  Again, there is a learning process at work here.  Unless a sound identity is established, no true listening takes place.  So music, separate from the self experience, cannot exercise its true power.

  Another way of having a relationship with sound is through toning.  This is a process of intuitively singing tones in the form of vowels or consonants at any pitch level.  As simple as this may sound, the act of being with the sound and feeling it come through you can be very revealing.  Greater attention and sensitivity is developed as one begins to play the human instrument.  Any vocal expression is acceptable as there is no right or wrong sound.  So toning is really a method of attunement whereby the needs of the self are expressed, confronted and released on a non-verbal yet subtle level.  Within our society (and previous ones), there has been a loss of the self in the collective where the spirit has been 'tempered' into acceptable controlled expression.  Healing a society must begin with the individual attunement process.

  The more attuned people are to their own tones, the more sensitive they become to the music of others.  Concerts are a time for sharing and exploring through group energy.  The listener is always affected by the intention of the composer and performer.  The more the performer is aligned with the music through their own personal journey, the more powerful and revealing the interpretation will be for the listener.  Recognise also that the music is not heard in the same state of attunement by each person.  It can have a myriad of effects as it serves the needs of each spirit on many levels.

To heal is 'to make sound'.  As a musician, I take this statement quite literally.  It is only through voicing the self that a sound identity can occur.  To enter into a relationship with  sound is to recognise the existence and worthiness of the self.

  Directed listening is an area I feel needs special attention.  One needs to learn how to establish a relationship with the sound so that the experience can be catalytic and transforming.  To recognise that the music 'makes me feel sad' or 'reminds me of a time when...' may bring about emotional release but is in itself not healing.  Dwelling and drowning  in emotions does not change anything.  To move through the present condition is to be riding the waves instead of being pushed about or fighting with them.  Listening from a healing perspective requires direct involvement; a new kind of participation which fosters change.  When listeners say, 'I've never heard it like that before", a new experience has been awakened which subtly affects their lives.  When patterns of behaviour are altered by new, sensitive response modes, a healing moment has occurred.

  I construct my music very carefully, allowing people to respond naturally.  My use of space, layers, direction of line, tone colour and overall activity is intentionally chosen so that healing listening can take place.  This is all new territory, as the design of the music must cater to the specific needs of today's society.  A well balanced composition integrates the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of sound so that the individual and audience can have an integrated, meaningful experience.  The sound must be non-invasive and non-manipulative so that imbalances within the self can be gently transformed.

  It is not necessary to be 'musical' to experience the healing power of listening.  Making sound and receiving it is an inherent ability.  With guidance, individuals can address their own needs appropriately and can access and exercise the vast creativity and integrity of their spirit.  Music composers can heal through and to the spirit by combining tones with sensitivity, intention and above all - love.  A sound identity is only the beginning.

Beverley Flanagan is a composer, pianist and private teacher.  2 Johnstone Street, First Floor Flat, Bath, Avon BA2 4DH
 

You may quote from or reproduce these editorial clips if you include the following credits and email contact:
Copyright © Daniel J. Benor, M.D. 1993 Reprinted with permission of the author P.O. Box 76 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 www.WholisticHealingResearch.com   DB@WholisticHealingResearch.com 

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