Drums, Health and Fitness

Drumming gives us an experience where we can be free to connect with ourselves and others, in order to release, restore and heal. It is a universal language where all people can be a part, free from words and concepts so we can experience life with an open heart. Drumming supports individuals, families and communities during times of joy, sadness and change. As we drum together the rhythm can bring us closer to one another with respect and courage as we move towards healing wounds and restoring hope.

Therapeutic Effects

Current research now shows the therapeutic effects of drumming techniques. Research indicates that drumming accelerates physical healing, boosts the immune system. In addition specific studies conducted by professionals in the fields of music therapy and mental health show us that drumming:

• Reduces tension, anxiety and stress
• Helps control chronic pain
• Boosts the immune system
• Releases negative feelings, blockages and emotional trauma

In a specific study conducted by Barry Bittman, MD, group drumming actually increases cancer-killing cells, which help the body combat cancer as well as many other viruses.

Life Quality Effects

Drumming induces deep relaxation, lowers blood pressure, produces feelings of well-being, a release of emotional trauma and reduces stress. Stress, according to current medical research, contributes to nearly all diseases and is a primary cause of such life-threatening illnesses as heart attacks, strokes and immune system breakdowns. Chronic pain, which many of our veterans experience, has a progressively draining effect on the quality of life. Research suggests that drumming serves as a distraction from pain and grief. Specifically, drumming promotes the production of endorphins and endogenous opiates, the bodies own morphine-like pain killers, and can thereby help to control pain.

Community Effects

Drum Circles also provide an opportunity for participants to feel connected with others and gain a sense of interpersonal support. A drum circle provides an opportunity to connect with your own spirit at a deeper level. Group drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation and alienation. There are great benefits to feeling connected to others, especially those in similar situations. Specific studies show:

• Creates a sense of connectedness with self and others
• Helps us experience being in resonance with the natural rhythms of life
• Provides a medium for individual self-realization

What Drums actually do to you

Drumming is a great workout for your brain and actually can make you smarter because when you drum you access your entire brain. Research shows that the physical transmission of rhythmic energy to the brain actually synchronizes the left and right hemispheres. So, when the logical left hemisphere and the intuitive right hemisphere of your brain begin to pulsate together, your inner guidance system – or intuition – becomes stronger. And listening to drum sounds regularly can have the same effect as drumming itself. The sound of drumming generates new neuronal connections in all parts of the brain. The more connections that can be made within the brain, the more integrated our experiences become. This leads to a deeper sense of self-awareness. Drumming also appears to synchronize the lower areas of the brain (non-verbal) with the frontal cortex (language and reasoning). This integration produces feelings of insight and certainty. For these reasons therapeutic drumming may be a powerful tool in helping retrain the brains of people who have some level of damage or impairment, such as with Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD) after a stroke, or where there is neurological disease such as Parkinson’s. Finally, drumming can induce a natural “high” by increasing Alpha brain waves.  When the brain changes from Beta waves (concentration) to Alpha waves, you feel calm and relaxed. As such, Alpha waves can also produce feelings of well-being and even euphoria, which may help people who suffer from mental illness, such as as depression and anxiety. This same Alpha activity is associated with meditation and other integrative modes of consciousness.

10 Health Reasons to Start Drumming

Drumming can have positive effects on your health and may help with many conditions from stress, fatigue, and anxiety, tohypertension, asthma,chronic pain, arthritis, mental illness, addiction and even cancer. Here’s why drumming is good for you:

1. Makes you happy. Participate in a drum circle or take a cardio drumming class and you will see how happy it makes you. Drumming releases endorphins, enkephalins and Alpha waves in the brain, which are associated with general feelings of well-being and euphoria.

2. Induces deep relaxation. In one study, blood samples from participants who participated in an hour-long drumming session revealed a reversal in stress hormones.

3. Helps control chronic pain. Drumming can certainly serve as a distraction from pain. And, it promotes the production of endorphins and endogenous opiates, which are the body’s own morphine-like painkillers.

4. Boosts your immune system. Studies show that drumming circles boost the immune system. Scientists have shown that group drumming actually increases natural T-cells, which help the body combat cancer as well as other viruses, including AIDS.

5. Creates a sense of connectedness. Drumming circles and group drumming classes provide an opportunity for “synchronicity” in that you connect with your own spirit at a deeper level while also connecting with other like-minded people.

6. Aligns your body and mind with the natural world. The Greek origin of the word “rhythm” is “to flow.” Drumming allows you to flow with the rhythms of life by simply feeling the beat.

7. Provides a way to access a higher power. Shamans often use drumming as a means to integrate mind, body and spirit. They focus on the whole body and then integrate the healing at both the physical and spiritual level by drumming, which connects spiritual forces.

8. Releases negative feelings. The act of drumming can serve as a form of self-expression. You can literally drum out your feelings. When held, negative emotions can form energy blockages. The physical stimulation of hitting the drums can help remove those blockages. Drumming has even been used therapeutically to help addicts deal with their emotions.

9. Puts you in the present moment. While drumming you are moving your awareness toward the flow of life. When you are flowing with the rhythm of life you cannot be caught up in your past or worrying about your future.

10. Allows for personal transformation. Drumming stimulates creative expression. When you drum in a group, you not only get to self-express, but you get feedback from the other drummers.  It’s the equivalent of talk therapy! Drum circles provide a means of exploring your inner self, and expanding your consciousness while being part of a community.