If you asked me to list my strengths, musical talent would not be one of them.
I am fantastic at curating a Spotify playlist for my long runs, I can provide the soundtrack for a mean late-night dance party (I moonlight as DJ Meag-nificient), and I can name the boy that Taylor Swift is singing about in each of her songs.
Outside of these very important skills, music and I have kept a very respectful distance of each other. That was until I enrolled in a 12-month Therapeutic Drumming Instructor Training course. Since starting the course in July of this year, I have:
- built my own traditional Djembe.
- learned how to play five different traditional African songs.
- cried because I didn’t know what a down-beat was.
- laughed because I cried when I didn’t know what a down-beat was.
- researched the benefits of drumming as a therapeutic intervention.
- grown to love drumming as a facilitation technique and a new personal leisure activity.
You can say that music and I have come full drumming circle
What is Therapeutic Drumming
Therapeutic Drumming utilizes traditional rituals, ceremonies, rhythms, and chants as a means to access a transformative healing process. Connecting participants to a deeper part of themselves and to the larger world around them, therapeutic drumming is an ancient approach to healing that focuses on self-expression.
From the Malinke Tribe of West Africa to the Squamish people of Western Canada, drumming has been used for thousands of years to strengthen and maintain physical, mental, and spiritual health. As an expressive arts intervention, therapeutic drumming is a holistic form of therapy where the client and the therapist work collaboratively to achieve goals by utilizing the learning, growing and healing process.
If your inner voice is screaming, “That’s what I do” then my friend, you are in the right place. Now let me blow your mind with the supporting research.
What Can Therapeutic Drumming Do?
Boost Immune System
Who wouldn’t want to skip the influx of runny noses and sore throats this cold and flu season? Research has found that participants who actively engaged in therapeutic drumming saw improvements in their immune system functioning. And for therapeutic drumming participants with cancer, there was an indication of an increase in cancer-killing cells. Wow!
Increase Alpha Brain Waves
Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta – You may think I’m talking about college sororities. Nope. I am actually talking about the five different types of brain waves.
Research shows that therapeutic drumming can move participants from Beta Waves which are associated with normal consciousness and a heightened state of awareness to Alpha Waves which are present during quietly flowing thoughts, daydreams, and light meditation. Amazing!
Relieve Stress
Stress does the strangest things to our bodies. In my personal experience, whenever my stress levels increase significantly, I relive my teenage years with the un-welcomed hormonal breakout followed by a case of the ‘tummy-issues’. I’m sorry, for the overshare, I just wanted to highlight the impact of stress on the body.
According to current research, stress is either the primary cause or a contributing factor to nearly all disease. Therapeutic drumming helps with the release of melatonin, norepinephrine, serotonin, and prolactin. These neurohormones contribute to rest and relaxation. Bring on the drumming!
Chronic Pain Reduction
Migraines? Arthritis? Fibromyalgia? Chronic pain presents itself in many forms with one common factor. Chronic pain makes living life normally very difficult. Therapeutic drumming not only serves as a really fun distraction for those dealing with physical pain, but research shows that drumming promotes the production of endorphins and endogenous opiates which are our bodies naturally produces painkillers. No Way!
Process Trauma
Traumatic life events can have such an influential impact on our lives. One of the most prominent effects of trauma is the impact on the brain. Check out my previous post on surviving trauma during the holidays. Therapeutic drumming provides those who have experienced trauma with the medium to express and address emotional issues. Drumming promotes a connection of different parts of the brain such as the right and life hemisphere, as well as the brain stem to the cerebral cortex. These connections help the trauma survivor process through their past on a biological level. Fantastic!
Who Should Drum?
In short, everyone. Since we are all professionals with critical minds, I have gathered some supportive research on some of the specific populations we serve.
- Addictions
- Concurrent Disorders
- PTSD
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Adolescent Behavioral Health
- Cancer
- Dementia
- Eating Disorders
- Autism
Recreation Therapy and Therapeutic Drumming
Therapeutic drumming is all about the process. The end game isn’t to train your participants to hit the road as a newly minted musical act, aiming to take over the American Indie music scene. The real benefits of drumming shine through the process that is experienced when your engaged in the activity itself. Here are some possible questions which can help your participants reflect and connect the benefits of the drumming process to their own healing.
- Walking into this group, what did you feel before you began drumming? Nervous? Agitated? Excited?
- How did the process of learning a new song make you feel? Frustrated? Confused? Determined?
- What emotions did you experience when you successfully played the rhythm? Proud? Happy? Relieved?
We just hit Recreation Therapy debrief gold, my head is spinning with the possibilities.
Bottom Line:
- You don’t have to be musical to learn how to be a therapeutic drumming instructor. You just have to have a growth mindset.
- Therapeutic drumming is an evidence-based intervention with countless benefits.
- Life isn’t the about the destination, it’s about the drumming process.
I’d love to hear all about your interest or experience with Therapeutic Drumming. Comment below and share your stories
Sweaty and exhausted, but absolutely bought into therapeutic drumming after spending three days building my very own traditional Djembe during my TDIT Course.
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