Healing Sound of the Drumbeat

The pounding sound of a drum can help us to take notice of our own heartbeat. It is our heartbeats that keep us alive and vital. Drumming can also be very therapeutic in getting in touch with our inner selves. A low, steady beat can create a calmness whereas a stronger upbeat can stir us into action or frenzy.

Over the past few years there have been a growing number of men gathering in groups to engage in drumming rituals. I recently learned that Richard Feinman (renowned late Nobel prize winning physicist) became an accomplished bongo player. However, men are not alone in taking to the drum to find inner peace and relaxation, women too have discovered the healing power of the drumbeat.

In his junior year at college my oldest son would relax while alone in his efficiency apartment by hand slapping his drum. His drumming sounds would often be answered by another drumbeat from the adjoining apartment. He seldom had reason to converse with the woman who lived down the hall but he communicated with her often this way.

In 1997 I had the opportunity to attend a druming presentation "Different Drummers/Common Heartbeats" featuring Layne Redmond, author of When the Drummers Were Women: A Spiritual History of Rhythm. After the show I was able to get my copy of it signed by Ms Redmond. If you ever get the opportunity to attend one of her workshops, I wholly recommend it.

Learn more about therapeutic drumming