Integrative Rehabilitation: Need Of The Hour

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Psychological approach through musicto
enablethe people with special needs
Dr. Saji. S Lecturer in Music Government College
for Women Thiruvananthapuram University of
Kerala India
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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
My sincere gratitude to H.H.Sheikh Hamdan Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum The Deputy Ruler of Dubai and
Minister of Finance of the UAE and President of
Dubai Health Authority and to Rehab Dubai
2010 For giving me this prestigious opportunity
to present my Subject and its possibilities in
bringing solace for the people with Special needs
and challenges.
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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Music Health

• The state of health is the balanced flow of
  energy (Prana) through all the energy circuits of
  the mind and body
• When this flow gets interrupted, by interfering
  with laws of Nature, the body opposes it, which
  we call as discomfort or disease
• Lost harmony and rhythm of the body and mind are
  possible to be reinstated by the power of
  'sound, using Its integrating quality.
• Music purifies and harmonize the fields of body
  energy and bring them in alignment with their
  natural vibration. It is from that state, the
  transformation and healing begin in the most
  natural way.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Music and influence on body

• Music is a collection of vibrations.
• Our body is a pool of energy components. Each
  part, every organ is a symphony of sound, energy
  and frequencies.
• Every organ would resonate at its own natural
  frequency which determines its healthy state.
• The vibrational power of music is said to remove
  the blockages in the veins, naadis and
  progressively tune the organs to vibrate at
  resonance.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Music Influence on mind

• Complex mathematical order
• patterns in rhythm and pitch, character contrast
  and melodic variations.
• order causes the brain to release brain chemicals
  such as Melatonin Serotonin letting the body
  and mind function better when listening to these
  logical compositions
• Poetry and literature rely on rational transport
  to inspire an emotion because they are mediated
  from words.
• Music skips that step and crosses right to our
  emotions.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Music is for everyone

• One need not be trained or talented to become
  influenced by music.
• Human brain is very receptive to repetitive
  patterns and the main
• characteristic of music is its
  repetitiveness. This explains that everyone
• is musical by nature.
• There are 5 different levels of experiencing
  Music. 1. Hearing entertainment and
  relaxation of mind
• 2. Listening helps develop concentration and
  patience
• 3. Voice tuning easier way to relaxation
  (humming with a song
  
  running in the background)
• 4. Singing benefits of music in totality
• 5. Composition helps cure people with
  disabilities

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Music and Cure

• Music composition is a technique given to cure
  people with
• disabilities. The act of composition would
  clear out the mental
• blockage as the emotions and the disturbing
  thoughts would
• flow out as verses and free their mind.
• So this Power of music can be used to give
  comfort for the people
• with Special needs.
• Raga Therapy in Indian Classical Music is based
  on Compositions
• which hence has tremendous therapeutic value if
  properly adopted.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Ragas and Therapeutic value

• Ancient Indian music has devised a special
  therapy based
• on the ragas.
• Raga is mode, created with notes, which evoke
  different moods and
• directly appealing to the sense.
• According to ancient Indian treatises, the
  seven svaras control
• the seven constitutions of the body.
• It is believed that a person who sings/listens
  a raga bound to the
• raga specifications (lakshanas) and with
  purity in pitch (swara
• suddhi) will have complete control on the
  corresponding
• constitution.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Ragas and Therapeutic value
The ragas Ahirbhairav and Todi can help control
hyper tension Carnatic ragas like Punnagavarali,
Sahana can help control anger and bring down
violence within oneself Kapi, bhairavi, thodi,
asaveri enjoyable during afternoon. Raga
neelambari is the lullaby raga that can put any
disturbed mind to sleep. Such is the effect of
the raga on mind. Every raga has its own special
and unique feature that would leave an imprint of
the emotion and feeling associated with it. Not
only psychological, but the somatic or
physiological impact of ragas have come to light
in recent research. Saranga is known to cure
all seasonal fevers and would bring in
tranquility and relief.
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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Example of cure possibilities

• Aid for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• Usually, the affected children have much
  trouble in carrying
• out various activities. With the aid of
  appropriate ragas their concentration level can
  be increased and can make them to improve the
  control over their actions. Musical rhythms help
• to better co-ordinate the actions.
• Music with strong beats will cause the brain to
  resonate to the same rhythm
• Slow beats help calm brainwaves (associated with
  hypnotic state)
• Rhythmic therapy has improved cognitive function
  in elderly people by increasing blood flow.

MUSIC COULD BE THE FUTURE OF THERAPY !!!
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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
My experience

• Effect of Music was studied on 5 disabled
  children and
• observed encouraging results.
• (These children were selected based on
  specific attributes in their behavior
• from a rehabilitation school)
• One child who was very aggressive and self
  injurious was found
• responding to music in a positive manner. He
  became calm and
• attentive.
• Another child with repeated body movements and
  producing unusual
• sounds became attentive to particular music. He
  became silent and
• calm whenever the music is played out to him.
• Three children who had problems with coordination
  of activities could clap to the rhythm of music.
  This shows that the music can help
• them in learning if physical activities are
  taught to the rhythm.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Possibilities in Medical field

• Simple iterative musical rhythms with low pitched
  swaras, are capable of relaxation, as observed
  with the alpha-levels of the brain waves. They
  may also lead to favourable hormonal changes in
  the system.
• There is a growing awareness that ragas could
  complement or even be a safe alternative for many
  medical interventions.
• For this purpose, it is necessary that exponents
  in Indian ragas join experts in medicine to help
  evolve a scientific system of raga therapy for
  the various illnesses of modern times.

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Psychological approach through music to enable
people with special needs
Conclusion

• The influence of Music on mind and the power of
  music to integrate the body and mind can be
  effectively utilized for the enabling of people
  with
• Special needs.
• The healing effect of music needs intense
  research in coordination with experts in medical
  field and music.

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References

• Study reports in internet on music therapy.
• Dr. Saji. S Vakra Ragas of South Indian Music
  Thesis submitted to Sree Sankara University of
  Sanskrit in the year 2007.
• Dr. Saji. S The Relation Between Melody, Text
  and Tala In The Compositions Set To Desadi Tala
  Nadamritham Vol. 3 The journal of Music by
  University of Kerala.
• Dr. Saji. S The Relation Between Melody, Text
  and Tala In Rupaka Tala Nadamritham Vol. 4
  The journal of Music by University of Kerala.
• Dr. Saji. S References About Tana in Lakshana
  Grandhas Nadamritham Vol. 4 The journal of
  Music by University of Kerala.
• Manorama Sharma Special Education Music
  Therapy APH Publishing Corporation 5, Ansari
  Road, Darya Ganj New Delhi-110 002.

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Thank you
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Questions?
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