Empowerment Drumming
It is not surprising that drumming, one of the oldest healing rituals is now receiving heightened interest as a complementary therapeutic strategy in the conventional medical arena. We define “EMPOWERMENT DRUMMING” as a comprehensive whole-person, evidence-based therapeutic approach based on an emerging discipline we call, “RHYTHMACOLOGY.”
This approach is recommended as a complementary strategy that can be incorporated into an individual’s WHOLE PERSON APPROACH for maintaining and reestablishing the gift of a healthy life, for all ages and abilities.
Guided by Laurie Martin, an experienced, trained HealthRhythms Drum Circle facilitator we gather in a circle, starting with a Wellness Exercise to relax, settle into the space and feel our inner rhythms - our heartbeat, our breath, our circulation – feeling ourselves grounded on the earth, appreciating who and where we are. From there we move through a medically proven protocol using Rhythm as a healing and empowering strategy to improve our own health and well-being.
Each person in the circle benefits according to what they are experiencing and what their bodies and spirits are seeking. We let go of our thinking and create rhythms from the inside out. As the rhythms evolve, the group becomes entrained - “when we come together and drum, are hearts begin to beat as one!” - and there is a palpable sense of joy and well-being. This process takes an hour guided by the facilitator who tunes in to the individuals in the circle and offers them opportunities to lead and share what is moving them. In closing, we return to our inner rhythms and share a word or beat of how we are feeling as we get ready to head out into the world.
This approach not only benefits individuals in treatment and recovery, it also is beneficial for health care personnel and caregivers to reduce stress and burnout and to improve mood states. Research has shown this protocol can produce health benefits including: strengthening the immune system, reduction in stress, and improvements in mood states. HealthRHYTHMS is currently being utilized as a well-accepted, cost-effective strategy in a host of clinical outcome-based programs for individuals facing the challenges of many common diseases and for employee wellness. We hope you will join us in helping others to enrich their lives by discovering their own personal rhythms!
A full body of research on the health benefits of HealthRHYTHMS Empowerment drumming is available on the Remo Drum Company website: www.remo.com/portal/hr/
“When our hands connect with a drum that vibrates with our energy, vitality, emotion, exhilaration, hope, sensitivity, giving, sharing and unity, we become whole again. For music gets through where words do not pass, when barriers separate us and when the odds are against us. It uplifts us when hopelessness darkens each day, when communications break down, when we yearn for common ground and when we need each other the most.” -Dr. Barry Bittman, Neurologist, HealthRHYTHMS trainer