The music in our minds

This week I finally had the chance to finish a book entitled, "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," by Dr. Oliver Sacks. Dr. Sacks is a neurologist from London who has a particular fascination for the connections between music and the mind. He has written several books relating some of the more unusual cases and conditions that he has come across in his career and I've now read both "The Man Who Mistook..." as well as his "Musicophilia." I found both books to be enlightening, entertaining, and informative, without overwhelming the reader with loads of confusing medical jargon. It was refreshing to read between the written lines of both books to see the passion that he has, not only for his chosen profession, but also as a lover of music. 

The mind is incredibly powerful. It can be a source of incredible intelligence and can simultaneously entrap a person in an inescapable prison. While most mathematicians and scientists would love to insist that math is the universal language, Dr. Sacks fills his books with examples of how music has the power to influence regardless of intelligence level. It can provide an organized outlet for minds that are overwhelmed by the fierce passions and outbursts associated with Tourette's syndrome. It can provide peace for those who deal with the sensory overload that can be associated with autism. I was also intrigued by the cases where people were suddenly afflicted by music constantly playing inside their heads (and not music of their choosing), as if there were a radio that only they could hear, yet could not turn off. Their lives were completely disrupted by the inability to "turn off" the music in their minds due to seizures in a particular part of the brain. On a more personal level, I am slightly mystified by the fact that when I am hit with a migraine one of the few things that will actually help with the pain is for me to play. It's not always the solution, and can sometimes make things worse, but there have been countless times when I had no choice but to attend a rehearsal or lesson and was migraine-free by the end of it. Is this a result of mental immersion in what I'm playing, allowing me to simply "forget" the migraine? or is it instead a result of the back pressure from the physical act of playing putting pressure on the right parts of my brain, effectively cutting off the migraines where they start?  I am certainly not a neurologist, but I can say that music has the power to influence our thoughts and emotions in a way that few other things can. Any child can listen to a piece of music and tell you if it made them feel happy, or sad, or scared. 

Our society focuses so much on our physical appearance that the power of the mind is overlooked far too often. Music can exercise the brain more completely than almost anything else. Music is language (both reading foreign languages as well as reading the music itself), math, physics, anatomy, physical exercise, communication, self expression, creativity, and so on.  And it encompasses all of these things at the same time. I am unaware of anything else that has this kind of power to engage so many different parts of the brain simultaneously. Music can teach, heal, calm, excite, engage, inspire happiness, and be a catalyst for peace. 

Now if only I could find a musical cure for insomnia...

Author's note: I do apologize for the somewhat spastic nature of this post. The distinct lack of transitional material probably made it a more difficult read, but I hope that my passion for and interest in the subject matter was clear. I highly recommend reading both of the aforementioned books. I also hope that my next insomnia-induced post is a bit more coherent. Ciao!