UNDERSTANDING INDIAN TRADITIONS IN MUSIC THERAPY
UNDERSTANDING INDIAN TRADITIONS IN MUSIC THERAPY

Summary/Abstract: The hypothesis according to which music can be used to cure, comfort or stimulate has a special echo for any expert or student who is interested in Asian music. Some of the oldest Indian sources regarding the theory of music have provided information about the tight relations between music and medicine or physiology, especially aspects related to the genesis of the musical sound. The aesthetics of the Indian music strongly focuses on psychology and the structural aspects of music. The way an Indian musician inspires a listener can provide ways to comfort pains or any other therapy related actions. There are experts in music therapy both in India and outside the Indian subcontinent. There are doubts whether they apply either the theory or their therapeutic methods as related to the classical Indian tradition. It really seems surprising that both the literature about the traditional Indian musicology and the indigenous Indian medicine of Ayurveda have little to say with reference to this issue. Nevertheless, the Indian medicine refers to music therapy. Although there is no clear evidence as regarding this issue, it is pretty obvious that the Indian medical treatments involve magical-religious related phrases and incantations - mantras - related both to the preparation of medicines and to the cure of some diseases.

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