88 the rice diet renewal
nervous system, stilling the mind and body. ” She also noted that
singing produces vibrations in the body much like an internal mas-
sage, vibrations that can help release blocks in the body and allow
for a more vital fl ow of energy.
The benefi ts of listening to, moving to, or creating music or song
can be enjoyed alone or with a choir. Findings suggest, and your
common sense will concur, that the music you listened to when
you were seventeen to twenty - one years of age will have the greatest
effect for you. Not only are there more neurological pathways that
were developed during those years from replaying these songs, they
hold signifi cantly more emotional connections for you, which can
assist you in shifting your mood from frustration (and wanting to
numb out with your food or drug of choice) to empowerment, plea-
sure, and wanting to go after your life again. It makes no difference
whether you can carry a tune or not; benefi ts have been found with
humming; lip trills; chanting a specifi c word or phrase ( “ let it be ” or
“ I can ’ t get no satisfaction ” ); singing inspiring songs that encourage
joy, peace, and enthusiasm to persevere and take your life on as if
it really matters; and singing along with a singer whose voice repre-
sents a quality and a way of being that you wish to embody (tender,
strong, grounded, resurrected).
Plugging into a positive sound is a powerful pathway to heal-
ing that will especially appeal to people who are auditory learners,
those who already appreciate music, and others who are in need
of “ changing the channel ” from depressing news or talk radio to
affi rming and empowering music that will elevate them throughout
the day. Yet incorporating music into my groups at the Rice Diet
Program has taught me that you can never predict who will best
respond to this sensory approach.
After giving participants a quantum physics description of the
power of consciously thinking, feeling, and intending what one
desires, I often facilitate groups in which I have them meditate,
then journalize on what comes up for them while empowering
music is played. Not only does the listening modality approach and
reach us from a new sense (hearing), thus affi rming the message
to a different set of neurons, its empowering words can move the