Creating Unity in the Community with Drum Circles™

We are all born with a heartbeat that connects us as a Global Family

http://www.drumstrong.org

http://www.drumstrong.org Annual drumming event to beat out the cure for cancer

We are all born with a heart beat that sends out our pulses to the World.  When we all listen to our hearts we can all come together and begin to synchronize with everyone around us and even the universe.  There is nothing more powerful than connecting with everyone during a Community Drum Circle.  When we listen to each other we are able to better communicate with one another. You can feel the combined energy that emanates from the hearts of each person.

There’s always something healing, unique, inspirational ,exciting or hilarious that we take away from every drum circle. It has been proven that pure percussion activities are interesting and enjoyable to all, regardless of ethnic and cultural background, musical preferences, or age range making these activities useful in creating groups that are fun and positive for a wide variety of people.

Group Drumming on the Beach

I have often said that drumming by yourself is doing something that is personal and very rewarding. You can be taken by the rhythms that you share with the universe to another place in time and space.  And when you drum in a Community Drum Circle your feelings of  that are magnified by the cumulative energies created by the entire group.   Each of  you get to add to the universe what you are all feeling at the same time.  I think the universe listens and conspires to help give you what you ask for.

Make drumming a part of your life so you can be in touch with yourself, with others and the Universe.  The power of drumming changes you and everything around you.

Drumming affects Left Brain and Right Brain

BENEFITS OF DRUMMING
Drumming synchronize left and right brain

The reason rhythm is such a powerful tool is that it permeates the entire brain. Vision for example is in one part of the brain, speech another, but drumming accesses the whole brain. The sound of drumming generates dynamic neuronal connections in all parts of the brain even where there is significant damage or impairment such as in Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). According to Michael Thaut, director of Colorado State University’s Center for Biomedical Research in Music, “Rhythmic cues can help retrain the brain after a stroke or other neurological impairment, as with Parkinson’s patients…” The more connections that can be made within the brain, the more integrated our experiences become and the best part it is fun too.


Drumming Induces Natural Altered States of Consciousness

Rhythmic drumming induces altered states, which have a wide range of therapeutic applications. A recent study by Barry Quinn, Ph.D. demonstrates that even a brief drumming session can double alpha brain wave activity, dramatically reducing stress.  The brain changes from Beta waves (focused concentration and activity) to Alpha waves (calm and relaxed), producing feelings of euphoria and well-being.
Alpha activity is associated with meditation, shamanic trance, and integrative modes of consciousness. This ease of induction contrasts significantly with the long periods of isolation and practice required by most meditative disciplines before inducing significant effects. Rhythmic stimulation is a simple yet effective technique for affecting states of mind and the best part you feel wonderful.

Drumming Creates a Sense of Connectedness with Self and Others

In a society in which traditional family and community-based systems of support have become increasingly fragmented, drumming circles provide a sense of connectedness with others and interpersonal support. A drum circle provides an opportunity to connect with your own spirit at a deeper level, and also to connect with a group of other like-minded people. Group drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation.
Music educator Ed Mikenas finds that drumming provides “an authentic experience of unity and physiological synchronicity. If we put people together who are out of sync with themselves (i.e., diseased, addicted) and help them experience the phenomenon of entrainment, it is possible for them to feel with and through others what it is like to be synchronous in a state of preverbal connectedness

Parts of this blog have been taken from an article by: Michael Drake (Therapeutic Effects of Drumming)