Healing singing

Abstract

This study confirms the hypothesis that healing singing leads to positive emotional experiences in relation to other people through social resonance and a strong shared bond. People who have had negative interpersonal relationship experiences that have led to depression and fear respond favourably to healing singing, because it makes a positive encounter possible. Even if their resonance ability is limited by their illness, they can be reached through music, which allows them to slowly start perceiving the feeling of togetherness in the group and to oscillate again. Patients suffering from an acute severe depressive episode are the exception. The group relationship that ensues can be thought of as a therapeutic relationship. It fulfils the basic human needs of attachment, appreciation, understanding and self-determination, which are the prerequisites for a therapeutic process. It also quite noticeably facilitates pleasure, which influences the participant’s commitment. Addressing the patients’ individual sense of responsibility while focusing on their abilities and potential engages and exploits their resources, so that their growing self-confidence helps them to begin to change their daily lives and relationships. The observed transfer is evidence of successful learning effects and points to how profound the therapeutic effect of healing singing is.