Bilateral Music Is Helpful for Anxiety
What a wonderful tool
I woke up this morning at 5:30 with a full-blown panic attack.
After crying for several minutes, I put on a meditation and some nature sounds to try and calm down.
My 2 cats were glued to me, one on either side, and it felt comforting.
I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I got up at 6:45 to feed them and make some coffee. Coffee and daylight help everything.
About mid-morning, my anxiety got intense again. I was surfing YouTube, and came across a video titled, EMDR Bilateral Music to Calm Fight-or-Flight.
I figured I had nothing to lose, so I grabbed some headphones (a must for this type of music) and pressed play.
Within about 10 minutes, I began to calm down and feel more grounded. It was quite amazing, and I knew I had to share this in my newsletter.
What is it?
I’m familiar with the idea of bilateral stimulation, but, I had never listened to bilateral music before.
The idea is simple. Bilateral stimulation is supposed to be regulating for your nervous system. Left to right sound (or movement) helps your brain integrate tough emotions.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation to help trauma victims, but listening to this music is not the same thing as doing EMDR. The bilateral stimulation used when doing EMDR is much faster, and done while recalling a traumatic memory.
Never, ever try to do EMDR without the help of a qualified therapist.
EMDR did not work for me, at all. I found it overstimulating and re-traumatizing.
Bilateral music is completely different, and is one of the most helpful tools I’ve found so far for my anxiety. It’s a primal, somatic therapy.
I like it because I can just put the music on and let it work its magic. There’s no formula to follow, or rules to remember. Just listen and relax.
Where can I listen?
You can find bilateral music on most music streaming services, and in many meditation apps. Just search for bilateral or EMDR music.
The YouTube channel I found is excellent. These songs were created by a therapist. Her channel has videos with 40 and 60 beats per minute. The lower the beats, the more relaxing the music will be.
Try both to see which you like better. It may vary, depending on your current state of mind. I’m going to share the same piece of music at 40 bpm and 60 bpm, respectively.
You MUST wear headphones for this to work.
Try both, and let me know in the comments what you think. If, for any reason, it makes you feel more anxious, stop listening.
Everyone is different. I cannot stress that enough.
40bpm
60bpm
Did it make you feel calmer and more grounded? Which one did you like better?
This may not completely heal your anxiety, but it will help. And, we need as many tools as possible.
Wishing you peace,
Lisa
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How kind of you to share this, especially your thoughtful insight! THANK YOU very much!