Music lessons for a life that is worth it

Maybe you have heard some reflection on how much music is a catalyst for human interactions, or how much it makes the difference in the humor of some people. I have some personal experiences you would like to share, so I want to give a little different perspective.

think of a song you like. No judgments, it may be that I do not have someone who shares this taste with you, and that's okay. Take a little time for your mind to choose.

try to put this song while bathing, or while doing some difficult task.

try putting this song as a mobile alarm clock.

Imagine singing this song for someone you like (even if you do not know how to sing). If you are instrumental, imagine humming.

Try to stop everything you are doing and only listen to the recording of music. See what your mind produces while doing this.

Try search if there are imitations, parodies, remixes from this song. Go to the artist's page and discover who has been involved in production. Find out if there was a versiondemoof this song. Maybe you can find nothing, or find interesting things.

What do I mean by these ideas? We have a phenomenon - the song itself - and we can interact with it from numerous ways. If you know a song for a long time, you can be accustomed to the sound you do, with the words of the letter, with the rhythm, the structure of the song (verse, chorus, etc.), with some melodies. If you stop and interact with it in a different way, it may be that different things come out of it.

When I think about living a life worthwhile, I think there are things that are put on us: our history, our genetics, the things we have made in the past. We can say that this is the recording of the song we chose for this practice.

Now imagine pick up this story and play 50% of speed. What changes? And if we play 2x faster, what happens? And if we show this song for experts, for strangers, or even for loved ones who still do not know it?

I had a habit of listening to Pink Floyd's songs on the headset when I was little, in my context no one liked it very much. I remember the first time I heard a party, and it was as if something there was wrong. Of course this strangeness made sense, after all it was not very common for me to hear these songs in the context of party. After that, I remember going to attend much more parties, because I knew I could hear songs that I liked, instead of tolerating what I did not like at the time.

The same thing happened when I started doing therapy and I could tell difficult stories, which may keep it to myself, and not hear the same answers ever, like "Have you ever tried XYZ?", "You should thank you for having happened Only ABC, there are people suffering more than you. " But you may not hear any response or receive good validation.

Out of Therapy, the lesson is the same: Do different things in the same context or change the context where things are made can be a port for important changes in life. Marsha Linehan (2020) talks about the story of being a hectic child, to hear several criticisms about her temper, and especially on the expectation of someday to be "corrected," to suit the expectations of others. She uses a little different metaphor: tells about being a tulip in a place where roses are expected. On a path that produces happiness, she says to choose to be a tulip in a field of tulips, and not expect to become pink, because this she can not.

What songs do you hear only in the headset, and do not share with others? What would happen if you shared with someone close, or if it were to a place where there are others who appreciate this type of music?

Additional Reading:

Linehan, M. (2020). Building Life Worth Living. New York: Random House.

Text written by psychologist and member of the core Contextus.