The art in multi-tasking is knowing how to use it as a benefit to the mind, rather than a splitting or degrading of attention so more can be accomplished. Never is it more powerful than when an individual multi-tasks while listening, singing, and creating artistic renditions all happening simultaneously.
The practice, known as Sound & Art Immersion Therapy has proven to be successful in treating symptoms of PTSD, or working with children who exhibit behaviors of ADHD. This fun, and profoundly positive therapy is very effective in helping children or adults who are on the Specturm, or adults who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s. Immersion into sound using hands-on artistic expression is remarkably effective in recovery from traumatic brain injuries or strokes.
What is this remarkable therapy? In some ways, it is a process that was learned by all children in elementary school. In classrooms, it was a way for teachers to quiet their students and help them become more creative. Not only that, but beginning long before a child went to school, they had been doing their own immersion therapy since they were old enough to hold a crayon. Singing or humming while drawing, or crafting something opens both sides of the brain, and, in that state, heightened creativity pulls the mind into other dimensions of thought and behavior; thus creating new neural pathways and the firing of more neurons during thought processes. This results in more brain processing power. In all ways, the marriage of music and art is a perfect therapy for anyone wishing to heal, expand the mind, or rebuilt cognition.
In some cases, just listening to the music introduced for purposeful stimulation, rather than singing it, can enhance the artists’ abilities to express artistically and freely. It has been proven that those who practice while listening to classical or other profoundly complex melodies have the ability to reach deeper areas of thought and expression in their work. A new sense of freedom is experienced not consciously, but through the subconscious mind, where a more vast percentage of knowledge and understanding reside.
Writers who play music in the background are reported to be measurably more productive and expressive in their writing. In a meditative state, the conscious mind is able to bypass the “monkey mind” phase and “travel” to other realities; thus encountering more open awareness of themselves and the universe that supports them. The same thing happens when music is part of an artistic practice. The artist is able to let the “chattering” mind be held in the music while the pioneering, exploring, curious, expressive mind becomes occupied with the reflection of their own creative expansion.
Sound & Art Immersion Therapy is a special practice offered by Shara and Natural Tune. Not only has she spent a lifetime expressing musically, but also as an artist and writer. Through this therapy, new frontiers of healing are revealed as she guides the process like a music conductor, using her musical and artistic expertise. None of this practices is random. The music and abundant art supplies are selected for a specific therapeutic sound journey. With intentions and goals established, the time is completely “hands-off” to discussion or talk therapy. It is honored as a session of pure expression. A typical session lasts up to one hour, and at the end, the artist is able to speak about their creation, explore the nuances of meaning, and reveal a new understanding about themselves. This therapy is beneficial for behavioral modification, personal growth, and gaining control of life choices.
