Whether you’ve had a bad day, lost money, lost love or felt ill, at some point we’ve all experienced the magical effect that music has to lift us out of depression instantaneously.
How is it that music has this magical power to change your mood instantaneously? If you look at recent studies such as one published in The New York Times by the Cochrane Collaboration, a not-for-profit group that reviews health care issues, we find that music therapy offers a real clinical benefit to depression sufferers.
In the study the reviewers found five randomized trials that studied the effects of music therapy. Some studies looked at the effects of providing music therapy to patients who were receiving drug treatment for depression. Others compared music therapy to traditional talk therapy. In four out of five of the trials, music therapy worked better at easing depression symptoms than therapies that did not employ music, the researchers found.
�The current studies indicate that music therapy may be able to improve mood and has low drop-out rates,� said lead author Anna Maratos, an arts therapist for the National Health Service in London. �While the evidence came from a few small studies, it suggests that this is an area that is well worth further investigation.
Ms. Maratos notes that music therapy might be particularly useful for adolescents who may reject a traditional form of counseling. Some older patients also may not be comfortable talking about their feelings, �but do tend to express themselves through song,� she said.
While some these studies measure the benefits of both music in general and the application of music with a trained therapist, what is available to the masses is �main stream music.� Currently there are several notable artists working towards bringing this type of music to the masses, most notably is a band called Shaka Buku, a Fusion of Reggae Funk & Soul out of San Diego California.
Shaka Buku is a band out of San Diego California, which has been reported to have made huge inroads to alleviating depression for thousands of devoted listeners.
Shaka Buku’s music is created using words, language, beats & instruments that create a sense of uplifting joy, confidence and inner power. Currently the band has a tour called Enlightened Entertainment where songs are performed with intertwined spoken word to elevate people even higher. The band has three albums, the latest of which called �Feel Different,� was co-produced by JB Eckl who also produced Santana, Mary J Blige, Ozomatli and many other major artists of today.
The sound is new, fresh and gives hope to many who suffer from depression or just want to alter the course of a bad day in an instant.