David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
How Music Moves Us
By Steve Nguyen
January 14, 2008
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Berthold Auerbach
In late fall of 1997, while living and going to school in Tyler, Texas (a beautiful East Texas town), I had one song that I played over and over in the evening time after dinner. That song was Leann Rimes? You Light Up My Life. For some reason, the words and especially the soothing melody were a source a great inspiration and comfort during that period in my life.
Although the words and song were about love, I found inspiration in it to help me through going back to school. What was so meaningful at that point in time was that it was shortly after I had decided to pursue my Master?s in Psychology. This came about after a long journey of dissatisfaction with my life and self-sabotage resulting in my being dismissed from law school.
I knew it was going to be a long journey but I was determined that failure and giving up were not an option this time around. With the help of that song ,You Light Up My Life, that year in Tyler became not only bearable, but therapeutic.
Instead of picturing a girl (well, the song had a guy), I would envision a guardian angel looking out for me. So many nights before heading off to bed, I?d play that song and picture this angel looking down on little ol? me and it had such a calming effect. My favorite part of the song was: ?And you light up my life/You give me hope to carry on??
Dr. Sacks reports that:
The power of music is unmistakeable. It doesn?t just move the heart or inspire the mind, it can literally move body parts (of people with medical conditions and in whom medical science could not help).
By Steve Nguyen
January 14, 2008
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. ~ Berthold Auerbach
In late fall of 1997, while living and going to school in Tyler, Texas (a beautiful East Texas town), I had one song that I played over and over in the evening time after dinner. That song was Leann Rimes? You Light Up My Life. For some reason, the words and especially the soothing melody were a source a great inspiration and comfort during that period in my life.
Although the words and song were about love, I found inspiration in it to help me through going back to school. What was so meaningful at that point in time was that it was shortly after I had decided to pursue my Master?s in Psychology. This came about after a long journey of dissatisfaction with my life and self-sabotage resulting in my being dismissed from law school.
I knew it was going to be a long journey but I was determined that failure and giving up were not an option this time around. With the help of that song ,You Light Up My Life, that year in Tyler became not only bearable, but therapeutic.
Instead of picturing a girl (well, the song had a guy), I would envision a guardian angel looking out for me. So many nights before heading off to bed, I?d play that song and picture this angel looking down on little ol? me and it had such a calming effect. My favorite part of the song was: ?And you light up my life/You give me hope to carry on??
You Light Up My Life
So many nights I?d sit by my window
Waiting for someone to sing me his song
So many dreams, I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now you?ve come along
And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
Rollin? at sea, adrift on the waters
Could it be finally, I?m turning for home
Finally a chance to say, ?Hey, I love you?
Never again to be all alone
And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
You, you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
It can?t be wrong, when it feels so right
?Cause you, you light up my life
Music has been shown to be good medicine. Perhaps one of its most famous, present-day advocate is Dr. Oliver Sacks (whose book Awakenings was made into a film starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro).So many nights I?d sit by my window
Waiting for someone to sing me his song
So many dreams, I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark but now you?ve come along
And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
Rollin? at sea, adrift on the waters
Could it be finally, I?m turning for home
Finally a chance to say, ?Hey, I love you?
Never again to be all alone
And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
You, you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
It can?t be wrong, when it feels so right
?Cause you, you light up my life
Dr. Sacks reports that:
[M]usic can animate people with Parkinson?s disease who cannot otherwise move, give words to stroke patients who cannot otherwise speak, and calm and organize people whose memories are ravaged by Alzheimer?s or amnesia.
Music ?elicit emotions and associations that had been long forgotten, giving the patient access once again to mood and memories, thoughts and worlds that had seemingly been completely lost.?
Music ?elicit
The power of music is unmistakeable. It doesn?t just move the heart or inspire the mind, it can literally move body parts (of people with medical conditions and in whom medical science could not help).