I am not. I must make a confession before I tell you



more. I have been a drummer since I was in elementary

school. Much of my time in high school was spent

playing in bands and orchestras. I still love to drum

on anything - chairs, tables, walls and of course

drums of all sizes and shapes.

The purpose of drumming is to have fun and feel

better. Drumming fulfills both aspirations

effortlessly. Everyone becomes young again.

The drum is a powerful force in healing. It:

Releases stress

Energizes the spirit

Heals troubling emotions

Releases anger

Creates euphoria

It is hard to beat this list, eh? The bodys ability

to heal is boundless. Drumming is a fundamental way to

support this ability.

Dr. Connie Tomaino has found that listening to

drumming gives people with Parkinsons better control

over their movements and helps to improve their gait

in stressful situations. Dr. Tomaino, DA, MT-BC, uses

drumming in her work with persons with Parkinsons.

Here is her report:

I once worked with a young person with Parkinsons

disease who had trouble initiating movement. I

explored different rhythm patterns with him. We then

made a cassette of different kinds of African drumming

that he seemed to find very stimulating and helped him

get moving.

Anytime he had to walk across a street,whereas in the

past he may freeze, he would put on his headphones and

listen to African rhythms to get to the other side

without freezing in the middle of rush hour traffic.

http://www.remo.com/portal/pages/health_rhythms/library_article9.html

What is Drumming?

You do not have to just listen to drumming. You can

drum yourself. Drumming is stress free and fun by

design.

No musical ability is necessary. No talent is

required. No sense of rhythm is necessary. No musical

training is a prerequisite.

The only requirement is to have a body. Everyone meets

this requirement. Right? The only agenda is to have

fun. Everyone is qualified to participate.

Any type of drum will do. Bongos, bass drums, snare

drums without the snare, tympani, hand drums, African

drums - you name it. If it sounds like a drum it

is a drum no matter what it looks like or how it is

made.

You can drum alone or in groups. If you drum with

others, someone in the group can volunteer to maintain

a steady beat - often like the beat of a human heart.

Everyone else in the group then beats away on their

drum to their hearts content with whatever beat calls

to them.

Some people make simple beats that are meditative.

Others are show offs. It is not the beat per se that

matters. Whatever way you drum is the right way for

you. The room rocks.

Let no one convince you otherwise. You may be one who

does not like to keep the beat. Good for you. Go for

it.

It is fun to sit around in a circle and drum together.

Even if you are not drumming yourself, it is healing

to feel the thump of the airwaves. The thumbs crawl

under your skin and sit on the lap of your soul.

What you get in return for having fun by just sitting

in the group is euphoria. What other remedy for

Parkinsons can beat that? You also receive the welcome

benefit of dopamine. Who could use a little more

dopamine today?

Why Drumming Helps Parkinsons

There is a marked tendency for persons with

Parkinsons to be hyper-vigilant. Mental activity is

usually turned up to the top notch.

Hyper-vigilance is a good trait. It is one reason why

people with Parkinsons succeed in whatever they

choose to do. But hyper-vigilance also takes a heavy

toll on the human body which has a foundational need

for rest and relaxation.

The body was not designed to pump out adrenaline 24-7

without registering loud complaints. You know the

story. People who are always working and never playing

have health problems.

People who are hyper-vigilant also have a much greater

chance of having no alfa brainwaves. Zero. Drumming

helps to jump start this deficiency by inducing alfa

brainwaves at 8-12 cycles per second.

The alfa state is that delicious, relaxed place that

ever so gently nudges the body into a state of pure

relaxation, the place where dopamine is manufactured.

The hyper-vigilant person has difficulty producing

dopamine because they rarely experience this state.

I suspect that what happens in transcendental

meditation is similar to what happens with drumming.

Twenty minutes (or so) of a 30 minute transcendental

meditation are spent floating in the alfa state.

Stress and trauma are embodied by a disconnection from

the earth. One good way to survive stressful

circumstances and trauma (especially when we are

young) is to disassociate from ourselves and from our

surroundings. We yank our roots up from the earth and

let them flop about in thin air.

Drumming helps to connect you back to the earth.

Drumming calls you back to the embrace of mother earth

where it is safe and exciting to be alive. Drumming

helps you accept everything and everyone - including

ourselves - just as you are.

Drumming invites the body to relax and unwind. Results

happen when you start. You do not have to wait weeks or

months for the therapy to take effect. Pretty neat,

eh?

Testimonials tell us that drumming helps people with

Parkinsons. We have no formal research to indicate

that it helps but I say why even bother.

Why not give it a try and find a drum today? You can

often find great drums at garage sales for a few dollars.

It certainly cannot hurt you.

It is bound to be fun.

You may laugh while doing it.

When you have fun and laugh ...

you give yourself the best dose of

dopamine that exists. It is all natural

and entirely free.

So be honest with me here. Do you think this is a

silly idea? If you do, please take this opportunity to

laugh at me. That will do you some good for sure!

As for myself, I am always on the lookout for a good

drum to beat. Euphoria is calling me.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.

Parkinsons Recovery