The Cure, and the healing

Today I'm borrowing a quote from Diane Nichols, a student going through the Music for Healing and Transition Program. Diane isn't a typical student (when we typically think "student")~ she's at mid-life, has had several successful careers, and is an articulate writer and professional clarinetist.

One of her assignments for MHTP is to write book reviews of ten different volumes while going through the five modules. The book she was writing about is Mitchell Gaynor's The Healing Power of Sound.

"The Healing Power of Sound, by Mitchell Gaynor, M.D. presents a strong case for using sound therapy in healing those with serious illness. Some doctors may still scoff at modalities they consider to be akin to alchemy. Perhaps our practice is alchemy, in that sound healers are able to turn the leaden weight of serious illness into the gold of positivity and better outcome for the patient, even if only for a brief time." (quote by Diane Nichols.)

If you have a serious illness, or if you work with people living (and dying) with serious illness, you know indeed that it is very much a "leaden weight." All of the people I see, daily, in the nursing homes don't expect any kind of cure. There simply isn't one for Alzheimer's, or M.S., or dementia, or C.O.P.D., or really advanced age. But having said that, there
is daily alchemy taking place in the form of healing.

As I played a few of "P"'s favourite songs, she was able to relax in the chair instead of the constant, restless wandering. Our circle included "D" who stopped repeating the only phrase I've ever heard her say to gently stroke the greyhound Brother B's head, and look into his eyes. When he laid down at her feet, she laughed. The circle of people got larger, and the room didn't feel so 'institutional' anymore. Brother B relaxed on the floor in the center of it all. I could hear someone humming along while I played the tune Santa Lucia. There in our midst glittered the gold of positivity.

The alchemy of healing~ it's an amazing, and often fleeting (but also repeating) thing.. You
can see it in many forms, and it's all around you. Even today, after the snowstorm, when I took the four greyhounds out for a late afternoon walk. I wish I had a picture to show you, but let me describe it: A blur and a cloud of snow~ there, that was one of them that just flew by! Missed it, didn't you? Here's the alchemy that took place, though. That greyhound, flying by in such a happy run, is old and gave up running a long time ago. He has trouble breathing, and the lump in his side keeps getting bigger. His eyesight is pretty poor, and we think his hearing is going, too. But the snow, and the excitement of being out in it, transformed him (temporarily) into a young fellow.

Something similar happens in the positivity of song, sound, and touch. No, it's not a cure. But it's a step in a good direction.