I Can't Get That Song Out of My Head (Part 2)
by Marcia Breitenbach
Music Can Change Those Beliefs
We all know music can be powerful, but can a song really
change your life? Absolutely. It does so in two ways.
First of all, music is composed of sound waves,
vibrations that move into you without your permission.
Remember the uninvited guest? You can't shut it out, the
way you could close a book. It is this aspect of music
that gives it the power to change your beliefs in ways
that any amount of positive thinking or affirmation
using can't. Have you ever had the experience of saying
an affirmation, such as, 'I truly love and accept myself
just the way I am.' Then, you try to block out that
little screaming voice in your head that's saying,
'That's nonsense! I don't love myself, as a matter of
fact, I'm pretty darn unworthy, and if I accepted myself
just the way I am right now, I'd have to kill myself!'
This happens because the conscious mind has a radar
screen, a s't detector that says, 'Nope, I don't believe
that affirmation, it doesn't fit with my deeper belief
about myself.' And the affirmation is totally or
partially blocked from its purpose.
Think of your thoughts, statements about yourself, and
your beliefs about how the world works as the software
that runs your life. Unfortunately, much of this
software lies hidden within us and we don't realize how
we continually choose to keep running it and allow it to
interfere with all our hard work and the steps we have
been taking towards our goals. If you have a computer,
you know that you have to take time now and then to
clean it up, and get rid of the stuff that you don't
need or that may hinder its effective functioning. You
need to do that for your brain too!
Music Bypasses Your 'Keep Things the Way They Are' Radar
Music has the ability to get past our intellectual
radars, the ones that keep really good information from
getting to our core, to that place that makes or breaks
us. You, like me, have a part of you that wants things
to stay the same, the part that resists change. We all
have beliefs and habitual patterns of response built up
over the years, making it difficult to make lasting
positive changes. No matter how hard we try! It isn't
enough to read about these things and to listen to the
experts giving us tools to change our beliefs. We have
to get past our cognitive 'filters' because they are the
gatekeepers to our subconscious. Music, riding on its
little sound waves, thumbs its nose at the gatekeepers
and slides right into its destination.
The second way music changes beliefs is through the
lyrics of a song. Through repetition of words that
support you and your goals, the song can make new belief
and thought pathways in your brain. If helps if you
actually like the song because then you are more likely
to play it often. Beliefs are formed through repetition
of thoughts and words. By choosing consciously to use a
song that will saturate your brain with positive
messages, you utilize a natural tool for creating new
thought patterns that support your desire to change.
Also, the subconscious mind absorbs this information
better when you are more relaxed and the brain is in an
'alpha' rather than 'beta' state. The addition of the
musical accompaniment to affirming messages can help to
induce this receptivity, thereby increasing the
likelihood of the positive messages gaining access to
the place where the beliefs reside.
You Can Use Music Like a Prescription
I sometimes give my clients a song, on a prescription
pad, to use faithfully, the way they take their
vitamins, or prn, when they notice their morale has
dropped. It depends on the song. I've written songs
about facing fear, letting go, shouldn'g on yourself,
loving yourself, changing beliefs, having enough time,
stress, the complexities of life and wanting to
simplify, and about a hundred more issues that have
stopped me in my tracks. (I haven't written my hot flash
song yet'my pen keeps melting!)
What kind of songs are you listening to? Listen to the
lyrics and choose to listen more to the ones that are
supporting living your best life, and bringing out the
best in you. You can even put some on your ipod and have
it handy when you are relaxed, like right before bed, or
when you first get up. Tell yourself, 'I am
intentionally using this music to create some healthy
new thought and belief patterns in my brain.'
You deserve to live a magnificent life. We all do. So,
take this step, it's as easy as hitting the on switch,
and open up to the beauty of change. I wish you many,
many repeating songs of beauty, empowerment, and
whatever else your heart desires!
About the Author:
Marcia Breitenbach is a songwriter, speaker, therapist
and devoted mother whose songs are traveling across the
globe. You can download her songs for free by joining
her unique ezine, the Songletter, at
www.thesongletter.com
Read Part 1 of this article...
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