Music as Therapy

I'm a couple weeks into the Structured Educational Program, and a lot of journal writing has helped me recognize the changes in my life since my chronic pain began. One change I noticed was my listening habits. Music had been a huge part of my life since childhood. I enjoyed finding new artists and sharing that music with friends and family. I was always listening to music, whether I was driving, working out, cleaning, and even at work when my boss wasn't around. My life had a soundtrack. Since my chronic shoulder/upper back pain began around 4 years ago, music has been less and less important to me. I'm rarely "in the mood" for it. Instead, I notice myself listening to a lot of podcasts, mostly about sports, culture, news, and politics. They certainly quench my thirst for knowledge, but rarely ever help my mood. I'm determined to get back to enjoying these things in life. Music has always been a source of inspiration and hope for me. It helps me connect to my emotions and improve my outlook on life.

With that said, I'd like to hear about some music that puts you in a better mood, inspires you, makes you feel sentimental or romantic. I'll go first...

I heard this song about a week ago by the band "The Kinks" while watching a movie called "The Last Word". It inspired me to see the beauty around me and live in the present.



I heard this song while watching the miniseries "11.22.63" a few months back. I've always known Sam Cooke for his song "A Change is Gonna Come". This song is just about love, and makes me hopeful that I'll find someone who I will love this much one day.



- Matt

 

I love Sam Cooke, this is my favorite

 

What a great idea for a thread. There's so much great music, but two of my personal favourites are:

 

Thanks for the contribution Mike! Looks like we're compiling a TMSwiki playlist

 

Heard this one while watching the show Arrested Development tonight. It's John Hiatt's 1995 single "Cry Love"...

 

I love these two, which I find soothing, and beautiful. Kind of soulful love songs.

 

Any Hans Zimmer fans out there? He's done some fantastic scores in recent years. I love how simple yet powerful this piece is...

 

Resurrecting an old post: I'm finding this to be so helpful for me. I'm in a prolonged nasty sciatica flare up rooted in a stress overload and just playing some upbeat old disco has brought my pain level from a 3 or 4 to less than 1 instantly. Not a permanent fix of course but I highly recommend this to anyone who loves music.

 

Nice bump, @Sheesh!

So many uplifting songs over so many years... these are but a few on my current playlists:

"As" Stevie Wonder
"Feeling Good" Nina Simone
"Express Yourself" Madonna
"Freedom '90" George Michael
"Born This Way" Lady Gaga
"Stand Up" Cynthia Erivo (Harriet soundtrack)

And for just plain fun and energy:

"Hey Ya" Outkast
"Soul Sacrifice" Santana (preferably the live Woodstock version)
"Jump Into the Fire" Harry Nilsson
"Can't Hold Us" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)
"Single Ladies" Beyonce
"Music Inferno" Madonna