Pursuing my Passion for Music Therapy

[VioletFlame]

Hello everyone!  My name's Hannah and I decided to make this post to hopefully encourage a bit of inspiration today. A few years back, having been practicing daily meditation and dedicating myself to spiritual/personal development work, I am blessed to share that I have discovered my life purpose! And so I thought it may be worth sharing a part of my story. For those who read, thank you, I very much appreciate it. ❤️ So having grown into a musical family; both musician parents who met in the local band they were in, I naturally gravitated towards music pretty much right away. Since before I could enunciate complete sentences, I was singing and uttering melodies, and by the time I was 11, I was writing songs, playing guitar, and performing in local coffeehouses and open mics, eventually turning it into my part-time job. I mean I was that kid who did NOT want to go to school and would rather be at home singing and playing the guitar instead. I was very quiet, distant, and in my own world and rather than playing sports, or being involved in social activities as a child, I much preferred staying at home in my room just studying and mastering the guitar for hours on end; with literally almost no breaks. So that is what I did.  One may say most of my childhood was squandered because of that, (not interacting with other kids socially in "normal" ways and taking life almost quite seriously), but I shall not say that because I was simply just following my passion, committing to it, and immersing myself into it everyday. And because I found that it gave me great joy, fulfillment, relief, and understanding, I considered it to be some kind of calling at an early age, and something to focus on for the rest of my life. I can't express enough how much those long hours spent alone on just learning my instrument as a kid has awakened me, relieved me, and ultimately healed me from my own personal traumas, wounds, and suffering I was dealing with at that time. Some of my most beautiful, cherished, and deepest moments in life were spent in solitude, just sitting in the dark playing the guitar/piano, headphones on, and with my eyes closed, just demystifying the notes, and experimenting with different sounds and with the art of improvisation, and that that has brought me to elevated states of consciousness and a place of overall inner peace which I am beyond grateful for. Being in that active flow, almost trance-like state when playing/writing music became part of my spiritual practice, my spiritual healing journey, and most thankfully, my personal salvation.

Once I discovered Music Therapy was a thing, I basically knew in my heart right away that THIS is what I want to do. And aside from music being my deepest passion since childhood, my second greatest passion was always Psychology, especially Jungian Psychology, so it really made perfect sense to me to pursue this path. In addition, because I have dealt with a great deal of trauma throughout my life, and discovered for myself the healing power of music and the incredible therapeutic affect it can have on us, I realized that I want to spread this truth; this remedy, and really, really help others, particularly the youth, with their own pain and adversity through the use of music. As a high school walk-out who resented school, I never ever thought I'd be going to college! But once I noticed my requirements to get into this field, I without hesitation, yet mindfully, decided to commence this journey. I believe that it is most likely worth it so long as you are certain or clear about your path and are passionate about the subject. Now, at 23, I am proud to say I am pursuing a double major in Music and Psychology, heading towards my degree in Music Therapy!

I am very curious if there are any fellow music therapists or music therapy enthusiasts on this forum?  It's been quite a long time since I've been on here but I would love to interact with other fellow musicians and Actualized.org fans who are involved in this field! Thanks again for reading and thank you so much @Leo Gura for creating such profound content and sharing such evolved wisdom with us. After watching you for years, and following your advice, and actively committing to it, it has greatly transformed and impacted my life in so many positive ways. You are deeply appreciated. ❤️ 

Edited June 25, 2021 by VioletFlame

[Noahsteelers34]

Thank you for sharing!! I'm glad you found your calling 

[VioletFlame]

@Noahsteelers34 Thank you so much! 

[VioletFlame]

@Leo Gura Hey Leo, thanks to Actualized.org and consistently following your content, I have discovered my life purpose/mission and I would love to hear your thoughts on this. I understand that any career field may have both its pros and its cons, including red flags, pitfalls, or for example, signs of insincerity, hypocrisy, and other forms of low integrity. I feel as though this boils down to not the field itself, but the people within the field operating on different levels of consciousness, or stages of development.

I also understand that a career path may appear ideal to us on the surface but once we are actually IN IT, a different story may reveal itself. Therefore, I am trying to prepare myself in advance for anything that I may not be expecting or may not be aware of, simply because I'm not there yet, so that way I don't get too tripped up or disappointed when I am there. I would deeply appreciate any advice you can offer as I'm entering this career path of my choice and working towards it everyday. I truly believe Music Therapy aligns most with my passion/life purpose and I'm interested to hear your opinion on this and if there is anything I should watch out for along the way! Thank you so much for your time. 

[Leo Gura]

@VioletFlame Didn't even know music therapy was something you could get a degree for.

Interesting profression.

My opinions about your LP are irrelevant. As long as you love it, what else do you need? Do you.

Problems exist in every profession, you will work through them if your love for it is strong enough. Or you will quit and find something else.

[VioletFlame]

@Leo Gura Thank you so much, Leo.

Yes, after deliberately searching for careers which would align most with my passion, essentially integrating both musical, spiritual, and psychological elements, I was very excited to discover this one and it hit me pretty much right away that it was the one. It is a cutting edge, game-changing profession which is also very involved in neuroscience. It's been around since WWII but is only now beginning to really grow and thrive within the field of therapy. I am very happy to be working towards this path. Thank you again for your time.

[Thought Art]

Yea music therapy, I thought about studying this too. They offer it at Acadia university. 

I've worked alongside music therapists while I worked with autistic children. It seems like a decent gig!

Edited June 30, 2021 by Thought Art

[diamondpenguin]

@VioletFlame that's really beautiful Hannah. I'm going through Leo's lpc right now, so this is super fun and exciting! 

[OneIntoOne]

 

On 6/25/2021 at 1:46 PM, VioletFlame said:

Hello everyone!  My name's Hannah and I decided to make this post to hopefully encourage a bit of inspiration today. A few years back, having been practicing daily meditation and dedicating myself to spiritual/personal development work, I am blessed to share that I have discovered my life purpose! And so I thought it may be worth sharing a part of my story. For those who read, thank you, I very much appreciate it. ❤️ So having grown into a musical family; both musician parents who met in the local band they were in, I naturally gravitated towards music pretty much right away. Since before I could enunciate complete sentences, I was singing and uttering melodies, and by the time I was 11, I was writing songs, playing guitar, and performing in local coffeehouses and open mics, eventually turning it into my part-time job. I mean I was that kid who did NOT want to go to school and would rather be at home singing and playing the guitar instead. I was very quiet, distant, and in my own world and rather than playing sports, or being involved in social activities as a child, I much preferred staying at home in my room just studying and mastering the guitar for hours on end; with literally almost no breaks. So that is what I did.  One may say most of my childhood was squandered because of that, (not interacting with other kids socially in "normal" ways and taking life almost quite seriously), but I shall not say that because I was simply just following my passion, committing to it, and immersing myself into it everyday. And because I found that it gave me great joy, fulfillment, relief, and understanding, I considered it to be some kind of calling at an early age, and something to focus on for the rest of my life. I can't express enough how much those long hours spent alone on just learning my instrument as a kid has awakened me, relieved me, and ultimately healed me from my own personal traumas, wounds, and suffering I was dealing with at that time. Some of my most beautiful, cherished, and deepest moments in life were spent in solitude, just sitting in the dark playing the guitar/piano, headphones on, and with my eyes closed, just demystifying the notes, and experimenting with different sounds and with the art of improvisation, and that that has brought me to elevated states of consciousness and a place of overall inner peace which I am beyond grateful for. Being in that active flow, almost trance-like state when playing/writing music became part of my spiritual practice, my spiritual healing journey, and most thankfully, my personal salvation.

Once I discovered Music Therapy was a thing, I basically knew in my heart right away that THIS is what I want to do. And aside from music being my deepest passion since childhood, my second greatest passion was always Psychology, especially Jungian Psychology, so it really made perfect sense to me to pursue this path. In addition, because I have dealt with a great deal of trauma throughout my life, and discovered for myself the healing power of music and the incredible therapeutic affect it can have on us, I realized that I want to spread this truth; this remedy, and really, really help others, particularly the youth, with their own pain and adversity through the use of music. As a high school walk-out who resented school, I never ever thought I'd be going to college! But once I noticed my requirements to get into this field, I without hesitation, yet mindfully, decided to commence this journey. I believe that it is most likely worth it so long as you are certain or clear about your path and are passionate about the subject. Now, at 23, I am proud to say I am pursuing a double major in Music and Psychology, heading towards my degree in Music Therapy!

I am very curious if there are any fellow music therapists or music therapy enthusiasts on this forum?  It's been quite a long time since I've been on here but I would love to interact with other fellow musicians and Actualized.org fans who are involved in this field! Thanks again for reading and thank you so much @Leo Gura for creating such profound content and sharing such evolved wisdom with us. After watching you for years, and following your advice, and actively committing to it, it has greatly transformed and impacted my life in so many positive ways. You are deeply appreciated. ❤️ 

@VioletFlame

Can you share how music therapy works?

It is a wonderful way to combined a persons love for music and a love for helping people and make money along the way. 

[Jacobsrw]

On 26/06/2021 at 3:46 AM, VioletFlame said:

Hello everyone!  My name's Hannah and I decided to make this post to hopefully encourage a bit of inspiration today. A few years back, having been practicing daily meditation and dedicating myself to spiritual/personal development work, I am blessed to share that I have discovered my life purpose! And so I thought it may be worth sharing a part of my story. For those who read, thank you, I very much appreciate it. ❤️ So having grown into a musical family; both musician parents who met in the local band they were in, I naturally gravitated towards music pretty much right away. Since before I could enunciate complete sentences, I was singing and uttering melodies, and by the time I was 11, I was writing songs, playing guitar, and performing in local coffeehouses and open mics, eventually turning it into my part-time job. I mean I was that kid who did NOT want to go to school and would rather be at home singing and playing the guitar instead. I was very quiet, distant, and in my own world and rather than playing sports, or being involved in social activities as a child, I much preferred staying at home in my room just studying and mastering the guitar for hours on end; with literally almost no breaks. So that is what I did.  One may say most of my childhood was squandered because of that, (not interacting with other kids socially in "normal" ways and taking life almost quite seriously), but I shall not say that because I was simply just following my passion, committing to it, and immersing myself into it everyday. And because I found that it gave me great joy, fulfillment, relief, and understanding, I considered it to be some kind of calling at an early age, and something to focus on for the rest of my life. I can't express enough how much those long hours spent alone on just learning my instrument as a kid has awakened me, relieved me, and ultimately healed me from my own personal traumas, wounds, and suffering I was dealing with at that time. Some of my most beautiful, cherished, and deepest moments in life were spent in solitude, just sitting in the dark playing the guitar/piano, headphones on, and with my eyes closed, just demystifying the notes, and experimenting with different sounds and with the art of improvisation, and that that has brought me to elevated states of consciousness and a place of overall inner peace which I am beyond grateful for. Being in that active flow, almost trance-like state when playing/writing music became part of my spiritual practice, my spiritual healing journey, and most thankfully, my personal salvation.

Once I discovered Music Therapy was a thing, I basically knew in my heart right away that THIS is what I want to do. And aside from music being my deepest passion since childhood, my second greatest passion was always Psychology, especially Jungian Psychology, so it really made perfect sense to me to pursue this path. In addition, because I have dealt with a great deal of trauma throughout my life, and discovered for myself the healing power of music and the incredible therapeutic affect it can have on us, I realized that I want to spread this truth; this remedy, and really, really help others, particularly the youth, with their own pain and adversity through the use of music. As a high school walk-out who resented school, I never ever thought I'd be going to college! But once I noticed my requirements to get into this field, I without hesitation, yet mindfully, decided to commence this journey. I believe that it is most likely worth it so long as you are certain or clear about your path and are passionate about the subject. Now, at 23, I am proud to say I am pursuing a double major in Music and Psychology, heading towards my degree in Music Therapy!

I am very curious if there are any fellow music therapists or music therapy enthusiasts on this forum?  It's been quite a long time since I've been on here but I would love to interact with other fellow musicians and Actualized.org fans who are involved in this field! Thanks again for reading and thank you so much @Leo Gura for creating such profound content and sharing such evolved wisdom with us. After watching you for years, and following your advice, and actively committing to it, it has greatly transformed and impacted my life in so many positive ways. You are deeply appreciated. ❤️ 

Awesome work! Sounds like you have a some life changing clarity.

Love that you’re bringing together music and psychotherapy. Both fields can be very powerful modalities for healing and prosperity.

I can definitely relate with your deep immersion into playing musical instruments. I had a similar feeling when first learning guitar some years ago. It’s so purifying to just play and effortlessly melt into the creative flow state. Awesome to hear you have this natural knack.

Although I can’t speak much on the field of music therapy in its specificity, I can relate from an art point of view. Ive been passionate and adept for art since being a kid and am now aiming to pursue it more seriously alongside psychology. I completed my degree in psychology last year and will be doing masters of counseling next year with hope of moving into Art therapy. I’m sure there would be correlations between music and art therapy ?

 

 

[VioletFlame]

@diamondpenguin Thank you so much! Yeah for sure, it is definitely an exciting Eureka moment when you discover what your heart genuinely desires. 

I believe searching for one's life purpose can be thrilling in itself, let alone when you finally access it; it leaves you feeling completely overjoyed.

Thank you for reading and I wish you all the best along your journey!

Edited July 1, 2021 by VioletFlame

[VioletFlame]

@Jacobsrw Thank you very much! ☺ Art Therapy is amazing too!

It's quite mind-boggling to me how all of these self-expressive methods of healing (art, music, dance, etc) have been utilized and effectively working for millennia, yet they're only recently being taken more seriously as an efficient tool for healing and personal transformation. 

Music Therapy actually aims to integrate ancient Eastern healing techniques such as pranayama, mantras, automatic writing/free association using lyrics & sound, and other mindfulness strategies in a given session, which I find quite pleasing.

I mean singing and chanting in itself is quite a meditative tool. Diaphragmatic breathing is a mindful, conscious process which calms the nervous system and eases you into an active state of presence. Singing is also one of the most powerful ways to stimulate the vagus nerve, the main parasympathetic nerve in the body and controls our heart rate, lung function,etc. Stimulating the vagus nerve has been shown to alleviate stress, depression, and PTSD symptoms, overall improving our mental health. I mean this may sound fairly obvious or familiar, but even simply humming can bring us back into a state of homeostasis, renewal, and grounded-ness. It's very purifying for the body and soul indeed. ☺

"Catharsis" is one of my favorite words because catharsis often gives birth to one's revival. And music and the arts truly does have the healing powers to revive a person from their suffering in quite literally, miraculous ways. 

By the way, congratulations on completing your degree! You must be so excited ! I wish you so much more fulfillment, exploration, and Joy along the rest of the way. ? 

Thanks again for your kindness!  

Edited July 3, 2021 by VioletFlame

[Flowerfaeiry]

@VioletFlame wow Hannah that is so cool. I'm glad you found your purpose and passion. I only recently discovered my love of music, wish I had an earlier start. Love ?

[Waken]

Nice to see your post! Didn't read everything, but I can relate with your passions. A big passion of mine is healing and experiencing deeper states of consciousness, but also really love music. Now after reading and contemplating my perspective on music changed, and I can see how music (or just sounds) are related to how you feel and just how life works. When my perspective on music change, I felt really excited about using music, composing my music in such a way to elevate one's consciousness or to touch places in people's consciousness to trigger healing. It's nice that when you follow your passions and then in retrospect you look back and see how things can magically seem to come together in a pleasantly unexpected and exciting way. Much luck to you, and would like to see some of your work if you'll get busy on it :-)

[VioletFlame]

@Flowerfaeiry Aw thank you so much girl ? and I'm really glad to hear you discovered your newfound adoration for music. ☺ As much as I understand that feeling, I must assure you that it's never too late! And it's never too late to learn an instrument either if you were interested..or any pursuit for that matter haha

[Nahm]

@VioletFlame

Uncanny. Same childhood basically . Brought up memories of having to whipe the blood off my fretboard when it would get too slippery. Godspeed in your purpose. Profoundly noble. You’re gonna change a lot of lives for the better. 

[VioletFlame]

@Nahm Hehehe! Oh my goodness that is so funny and uncannily similar indeed.  As nutty as this sounds, I recall my angst-y teenage self deliberately keeping some of the blood stains on my Fender Squier for  aesthetic purposes. And also to sort of remind myself of what I'm made of I guess. Lol! Quite liberating, indeed. 

By the way, thank you so much for your kind words . Reading your comment truly lit me up, I really appreciate it. 

[Adventure seeker]

@VioletFlame I do play music and can relate to many of the things you said. When I was a teenager, I spend countless hours on the guitar as well. I was known in high school as the weird metal head dude with long hair and band t-shirts. Funny enough, a couple o years ago I had a person I went to school with send me a message on Facebook thanking me for helping him open his eyes to this new type of music. He wasn’t into the same music I was back in high school, but seen how passionate I was open his mind later in life to give it a try and he loved it. 
 

always do what you love, no matter what others think as long as your passionate about it. Eventually, some of them might realize there’s something to learn there and give it a try later in life. People who are passionate about something tend to inspire others no matter what that it. Whether it’s a passion for music, bugs or studying rocks, people always notice it and can have an impact on them even if they don’t admit it. Good luck on your journey!

[Hawaiihealing]

Yes, i know that sound healing the best therapy for health. You can get more benefits by using this process. They have used some instruments that clearly affect your body. The passive aspect is that you become more relaxed by laying down and slowing your breath.

[Grant6]

I know this thread is super old, but just wanted to say hi as a fellow music therapy student! I'm really surprised but happy to find someone else interested in this field on the forum. Your story is really inspiring and congratulations on finding your LP! I wish you the best of luck on your journey through school and beyond. From reading your story and how you got to where you are now, you're on your way to becoming a fantastic music therapist