The gentle rhythmic pounding of a drum creates a vibration throughout the entire body. The
exhilaration in your soul wraps around the moment, and in the midst of it all-healing is taking
place. Drums have had their place in history for centuries, but even in the modern era, we get to
reap the benefits of their healing powers. According to psychology today, the effects on the brain
and body when banging a drum are beyond just a good feeling, but they go deep into our
brainwaves and do good for the state of both our body and mind.
“Alongside the plethora of research on the effects of music on the brain, studies have
found that drumming offers numerous health benefits. For women dealing with eating
disorders, children with autism, cancer patients, war veterans living with PTSD,
individuals with anger management issues, people with addictions, and even Alzheimer’s
patients, drumming offers physical and emotional benefits.”(Muller)
Emotions become heightened when listening to music, and even more so when creating it.
Beating on a drum has a different effect than plucking a guitar. It opens up the mind to tackling
the bigger fish, like processing trauma. In addition to a creative outlet to process those emotions,
it is a lot less judgemental and confrontational than conventional methods.
According to neurologist Barry Bittman “…group drumming and recreational music making
increases the body’s production of cancer killing t-cells, decreases stress, and can change the
genomic stress marker. Drumming tunes our biology, orchestrates our immunity, and enables
healing to begin.” (Bitman, Psychology Today) For many centuries, drum therapy has been a
practiced around the world, including in religious and shamanic practices. In the United States, it
is starting to pop up in group therapy sessions and hospitals.
One of the biggest questions people ask is: How does hitting your extremities against a piece of
leather create physical healing effects? Well, one huge indicator of the mind and body
connection lies in the power of endorphins. Endorphins are those things in your brain that have a
strong influence in physiological effects on the body. That little hormone that lies in your
pituitary gland also combats pain and creates a positive feeling in your mind similar to getting a
new tattoo or taking a motorcycle ride. So while you are feeling the distraction from your
problems while hitting a drum, you’re also releasing hormones that are doing these healthy and
healing things for your body. Participating in drum therapy is a great method for dealing with a
lot of different kinds of mental health issues, and some physical issues as well.
Drumming also produces a deep level of synchronous brain activity, which is very helpful for
people who have autism. In people who have Autism, it is often found that their brains are
asynchronous, and since face to face therapy is a difficult route for that population of
individuals- drum therapy is a great therapeutic route for somebody on the Autism spectrum.
“Drumming also synchronizes the frontal and lower areas of the brain, integrating
nonverbal information from lower brain structures into the frontal cortex, producing
“feelings of insight, understanding, integration, certainty, conviction, and truth, which
surpass ordinary understandings and tend to persist long after the experience, often
providing foundational insights for religious and cultural traditions.” (Drake)
Another perk to the synchronic effect on the brain, is the ability to function higher and release
emotions. Something that people on the autism spectrum have trouble doing.
So as you have read, drumming is an appropriate safe route for mental and emotional healing and
release. It isn’t as strenuous as a jog and appeals to all people and most body types. Whether you
want to take a class, buy a djembe and play it along to your own music, or join a local drum
circle; the healing options are endless. The Ambient feeling of a drum circle is psychologically
therapeutic and if your community does not have one, it might be a nice time and place to start
one.
Works Cited
Drake, Michael “Ancient Healing Approach, Drum Therapy” January 18th 2018. thoughtco.com.
Muller, Robert T, Ph.D. and Bittman, Barry. “The Heart is a Drum Machine: Drumming as
Therapy” January 15th 2018. Psychology today.