A researcher, Melinda Maxfield, who studied the Shamans discovered that the rhythmic drumming that the shaman’s assistants do is actually the vehicle that transports the Shaman into the right state of consciousness for his Shamanic rituals. Not only that, the drumming is done at a specific rhythm of four-and-a-half beats per second. Now, from our frequency table, we know that this rhythm is in the theta region and is related to states conducive to fantasy, imagery, creativity, planning, dreaming, switching thoughts, Zen meditation, extra sensory perception, cell regeneration (thus healing). And healing rhythmic drumming translates to isochronic beats (not binaural).

Ok. You’ve also probably heard about that already. Listening to rhythmic beats always has an effect on the listener. But what about the drummer?!

The drummer uses both hands to create the desired rhythm. If you recall that the left brain controls the right arm and the right brain controls the left arm, you will see how a drummer is actually exercising towards a more balanced coordination of his right and left brain hemispheres. For left hemisphere dominant people, drumming tends to strengthen the less dominant right brain, thus enhancing right-brain functions like intuition and creativity. Some researchers even say that aside from honing their motor skills, children who had music and rhythm integrated in their early years learn to read and write sooner than those who didn’t have such.

Rhythmic drumming seems to have found a lot of enthusiasts from circles that you wouldn’t think to connect with drums. In studying substance abuse victims, Michael Winkelman from The Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, reports: rhythmic “drumming enhances recovery through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization. Drumming produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, release of emotional trauma and reintegration of self.”

Stroke patients showed immediate improvements in motor coordination with the proper use of rhythm exercises. Thus says Professor Michael Thaut of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London: “Through the use of rhythm, we can stimulate the improvement of neurological processing and cortical reorganization in the injured brain. This technique is proving to be more effective than conventional physiotherapy.”

More and more reports about the magic of rhythm and drumming are sprouting up. Some attribute the relaxation brought about by drumming to have improved the lives of patients having Alzheimer’s disease and autism.

There is even a report from a Dr Barry Bittman, that “statistically significant increases in the activity of cellular immune components responsible for seeking out and destroying cancer cells and viruses were noted in normal subjects who drummed.”

So, go now and get a drum. If not, you could always use the palm of your hands to tap on your dining table the way those Jamaican drummers tap their bongos. Just don’t do it while your mom and dad are still eating.

[ Healing Rhythmic Drumming ]