The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit

Don Campbell, 1997, Avon Books, a Division of Hearst Corporation.

Book Review

Reviewed by Tonya Foust Mead

Much like the prologue to the book written by William Dyer, There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem,  Campbell begins his journey for this book by recalling a time in which he had a physical element (a blood clot formed in the right hemisphere of his brain). The protagonist, in this case, Campbell reached a point of no return in his life. Presented with three options by his vascular surgeon: (1) to undergo an operation as soon as possible, (2) to be admitted into a hospital for a period of six to eight weeks under constant monitoring, or (3) to wait for a few days to see what would happen Campbell had to make a decision- and quickly.

Campbell elected to wait to see what would happen, he surmised according to this account in his book, “I felt there was a good chance that my body, in its own natural, magnificent way, knew the secret of how to heal itself.” Even though Campbell decided to wait to see if his body would begin to heal, he took an aggressive rather than passive stance in helping the healing process progress.  For instance, after returning from the hospital, Campbell immediately contacted friends (who happened to be medical doctors and visionaries in the new field of holistic health and prayer). They in turn created a prayer circle across the country. Secondly, due to Campbell’s professional background in music, he began to instinctively hum. The next day, Campbell sought again the advice of his peers, this time he came across an expert in imagery and visualization techniques. For nearly two hours Campbell and the mind/body researcher delved into the depths of Campbell’s mind for clues for additional healing.  Finally, Campbell was drawn to another friend who for thirty years explored the connections between mind, myth and body. Healing hands were placed upon the right side of Campbell’s body.

After three weeks of quiet contemplation, active research and experimentation into holistic healing, Campbell completed a second series of medical tests. The results of the tests were astonishing. The doctors reported that the clot had shrunk in size from more than 1.5 inches to less than one-eighth of an inch.  At this time, Campbell knew within his soul that he had been healed by music.

Here then is a compilation of Campbell’s review of the research that attests to the healing power of music.

• Frances Rauscher, a researcher at the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory,  in Irvine, California found that undergraduates from the psychology department scored 8 to 9 points higher on the spatial section of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test after listening to Mozart’s ‘Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major’ for ten to fifteen minutes.

• A follow up study of the same research indicated that listening to Mozart helps the brain to organize improve its ability to concentrate and enhance intuitive abilities.

• Rauscher and Shaw observed pre-school children under three conditions (1) one group was given piano lessons, (2) another group was given computer lessons, (3) a final group was provided other stimulation. After six months these children exhibited dramatic enhancement in spatial and temporal tasks when compared with the other two groups.

• The ear is the first organ to develop in the embryo according to embryologists and listens actively from twenty-four weeks on while in the gestational stage.

• Music can decelerate and equalize brain waves.  In our waking state, the beta waves in the brain vibrate from 14 to 20 hertz. During sleep and meditation, the brain slows to theta waves at a vibration of 4 to 7 hertz. Deep sleep and deep mediation takes the vibration of the brain to an even slower delta wave pattern of .5 to 3 hertz.  Research has demonstrated that the slower the brain waves, the more relaxed and contended we feel.  Music with a pulse of 60 beats per minute can shift consciousness from beta toward alpha.

• Music affects breathing. On average man breathes at a rate of 25 to 35 breaths per minute. Listening to music with longer, slower sounds has an effect of deepening and slowing the breath- which in turn allows the mind to calm down.

• Hard rock music can increase the heart rate and lower the quality of physical workouts. Easy listening music has the effect of lowering the heart rate during exercise and entices one to train longer.

• A study at Colorado State University concluded that muscle strength, flexibility and tone are influenced by music.  Students in aerobics class reported that music increased the subjects’ strength and improved their ability to pace their movements. Additionally it was reported that increased mood and motivation was a by-product of listening to music while exercising.

• In 1996, the Journal of the American Medical Association detailed that half of the expectant mothers in their study who listened to music during childbirth did not require anesthesia. The researchers concluded that music increases endorphin levels (natural anesthesia in the body).

• Certain types of music can boost the immune function by stimulating the production of increased oxygen in the blood. Insufficient oxygen in the blood stream could be a major cause of immune deficiency and degenerative disease. 

• Mozart’s chamber music can give the listener a sense that he/she has more space to navigate or relax in the hustle and bustle of traffic jams, constricting deadlines and confining social situations.  Slower music contains more space within the tomes than fast paced music, as such, music gives one the perception that the environment is lighter and more spacious.

• New Age and romantic music can soften a stressful environment while classical and Baroque music stimulates a more ordered behavior. When completing a repetitive task or waiting in a hospital room, bright, positive music has the effect of making time pass faster.

• Light music composed by Mozart or Vivaldi in the background can help some people to concentrate for longer periods. In other studies, listening to Baroque while studying has been known to enhance one’s ability to memorize spelling, poetry and even foreign words.

• The University of Washington, in one study,  established that stenographers and typists, when listening to light classical music increased their accuracy.

• John Hopkins University researchers found that certain music changes the quantity of food people consume. For instance, rock music caused research participants to eat faster and to consume more food. Conversely, classical music had the opposite effect.

• Music with strong beats have been used on farms, in the fields (think sharecroppers and slavery), and in ships to give workers strength, fosters stamina and endurance.

• Hollywood film producers utilize music soundtracks to create and maintain tension, to add suspense. Likewise, music can also generate a sense of safety and well being by appealing to the listeners’ unconscious awareness of archetypal symbols and metaphors. Such music has been used also to give voice to societal and/or generational concerns (Race riots, Vietnam War, Recessions, etc).

• Certain music stimulates plant growth. A graduate student at Temple Beull College in Denver piped different types of music (a) Bach, (b) Indian classical, (c) loud rock, (d) country western into four greenhouses. The fifth greenhouse received no music. In the greenhouse with the Bach and Indian music, growth stirred dramatically and the vines grew toward the speakers.

In addition to the general research available on the effects of music on the human mind body and spirit, Campbell prepared in great detail an outline of some of the broad influences of different types of music. His work is summarized below:

Table of Various Music Genre and Influence on the Mind, Body and Spirit

Power of the Human Voice: Toning, Humming and Chanting

The second section of the book emphasizes not music, but the power of the human voice.

Throughout the literature, therapeutic benefits of organized melodies, emotion-laden phrases sung in harmony have been rarely disputed. In this book, particularly the second section, Campbell, broadens our understanding of music to present the position that the basic voice, at the lowest primal level can be very powerful and self affirming.  Wailing, toning, humming, the chanting of mantras and personalized raps can be a source for healing.

To make his point, the author notes that the voice, as ‘the most exposed organ of the body’ utilizes each breath to connect with a higher energy (God, Universal Mind, life force, etc). For instance, the Sanskrit mantra Om or Aum and even Amen in the Judeo-Christian religion represent the birth, maintenance and completion of the full cycle of life. The author posits that by making this simple Om sound, you can become one with all creation. He reports that practitioners of chanting, for instance, believe that chanting for long periods are more attentive and ‘better able to transcend the difficulties of life through the compassionate embrace of God.’

Conclusion

On the whole, this book was a pleasure to read. Sheepishly, though, I’ll admit after the first 219 pages, my brain began to numb. By the 220^th page, of which the author titles ‘Postlude: Miracle Stories of Treatment and Cure’ I decided then that I had read all that I needed to know to become minimally acquainted with the healing power of music and voice. Perhaps in the earlier pages, Campbell had already presented a convincing argument to sell me on the benefits of music, sound and voice.  Maybe while writing the book, the author strategically interspersed almost 30 pages of references and notes as well as ten pages of resources in this masterpiece unnoticed by me, the reader.

Dr. Mead, PhD, MBA, MA http://www.ishareknowledge.com/ is a consultant specializing in human behavior, school and social psychology. She can be contacted at: tonya@ishareknowledge.com