96 the rice diet renewal
visited neighbors. Amid the complexity of our modern lives, per-
haps we fi nd healing in the melodies and the lyrics that have stood
the test of time for hundreds of years.
When I fi rst started to use music with my meditation and jour-
nalizing sessions, I played only empowering, affi rming songs, but
more and more I recognized the healing that is inherent in songs
of suffering as well. I have come to appreciate that there is a good
reason for the large percentage of these darker songs that have sur-
vived to form the offi cial canon of traditional song; by entering into
them, a personal healing is available. Thank you, Mark and Julee,
for expanding my repertoire for healing!
Although we all have probably known on some level that music
is empowering and can shift us from feeling depressed and disabled
faster than just about anything we can think of, it is also inspiring
to know that the research supporting this activity is substantial.
And science is always more satisfying and affi rming when coupled
with a real - life resurrection story. Just imagining Julee ’ s angelic
voice prompting a socially isolated, nearly deaf and dying Katharine
Hepburn to move her feet and ask for more songs makes me very
happy and ever more convinced that music can help us all experience
more during our lives. It is freeing to know that any music you like
to hear will be health promoting, so surround yourself with sound!
Rather than checking out from a stressful workday with aggressive
or valueless television programming and unconscious consumption
of processed foods, why not pocket your mp3 player, downloaded
with your favorite songs, throw on your sneakers, and walk the dog,
for a free, calorie - burning, mood - uplifting, health - promoting good
time? Improving your mood and losing weight while you jam to your
top tunes is a winning combination for creating weight loss that is
sustainable.
Becoming Free of Diffi cult Emotions
The power of your body to process emotion and let go of diffi cult
or traumatic emotional experiences can often be expedited and