Business
As we explore many areas relating to self-development and self-care, the topics I’m trying to focus most on relate to building habits, productivity, and health. While there is some strategy involved, these are things that can be more related to tactics - specific things to do or not do. There are other things that are more like glue, holding everything together. One of those things is music. A lot of people listen to and enjoy music, but the truth is that most people don’t really think about how the music is affecting them. So, today, I have Bill Protzman here today to talk about music, specifically in relation to self-care and self-development. Bill opens by saying that going without music is like going without food. He speaks about feeling suicidal, and how listening to music uncovered wells of emotion. Bill talks about how many music therapists are formally trained in the nature of the therapeutic relationship. In “vocal psychotherapy,” a therapist helps you unlock things through playing musical instruments and singing. Music care, on the other hand, is self-care using music. And music can be used intuitively to accomplish whatever goal you want. He also talks about the different ways people actually use music, and how those uses actually benefit us. For example, listening to songs about gratitude can actually draw up gratitude in you, which is ultimately a net positive, a reward. Bill has worked a great deal with the homeless and encourages people to reach out to their local organizations to seek information about how to engage and help the homeless. We also talk about: Why is music important? What’s the difference between music therapy and music care? Music can animate genuine emotion in us. Music also brings you into physical “alignment” with your emotions. The spiritual rewards of allowing music to animate emotions. We understand the power of voices, and we need them. Bill’s books—moral injury and best spiritual practices. Key quotes: “The sounds around us are a fundamental part of who we are.” “Being isolated from all sound? That would be like starvation.” “Change your awareness, change your life.” “Who wouldn’t want to be appreciated by someone with an elevated consciousness?” “It’s not the person we know, it’s the vibration.” “[The homeless] are facing humanity in the same way that we are.” Connect with Bill Protzmann on his website at www.quest.musiccare.net