Improving Your Mental Health with Group Drumming

Many people are now turning to music therapy as a way to soothe their pain instead of looking to other forms of traditional treatments. Group drumming in particular, an ancient practice people have been doing for thousands of years, is proving to have a profound and positive effect on people with mental health issues, particularly with depression and anxiety. As well as being beneficial for your immune system and physical health, it has a way of relaxing any tensions, energizing the mind and healing those with emotional trauma. Read on to learn more about the ways in which group drumming can improve mental health.

An alternative way to alleviate effects of depression and anxiety
A study examining participants of group drumming for 10 weeks found that it had psychological benefits and suggested a therapeutic potential for mental health. Said the researchers: "By week six there were decreases in depression, and increases in social resilience. By week 10, these had further improved, alongside significant improvements in anxiety and mental well-being." In addition to this, after a three-month follow-up, all of those profound changes were maintained.

A path to greater connectedness
For many people, the mental and emotional benefits of group drumming come through creatively collaborating with one another to make something meaningful. They feel a sense of belonging and community, a need which is often unmet when dealing with mental health issues. For others, group drumming is a way of connecting to themselves, delving inward to the underlying issues perpetuating their mental health struggles and providing a medium for self-realization. Drumming is a physical act, but it is also deeply spiritual and can be an emotional experience for many people in many ways.

A beacon of hope for the troubled
Group drumming creates a sense of hope for those who are seeking it while at the same time enhancing their social well-being and resilience. For those with addictions, group drumming has proven to be an effective tool as it provides a healthier alternative to their addictions. It also reduces isolation and alienation as it naturally encourages people to seek healing within the group. For at-risk youth who are removed from their school system, group drumming provided a way for them to control their emotions, improve relationships and increase their self-esteem, particularly when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. If you are struggling mentally or emotionally, online counselling platforms such as BetterHelp provide affordable, professional and licensed therapists who can help you along your journey to well-being.

A way to express emotions
Group drumming can promote healing as emotions are enhanced and brought to the surface while creating rhythm. When mindfulness of emotions is combined with drumming, it makes for a potent treatment - it allows people to process trauma and express difficult feelings that they would not have been able to do otherwise. People have also found that there is something liberating about dealing with their feelings of depression, anxiety and trauma in a non-conventional, non-judgemental and creative way.

With music therapy becoming more popular in hospitals, counselling settings and stress workshops, it is hard to see group drumming slowing down, and it is easy to see why. It is raved about in studies as profoundly beneficial, healing and restorative, not just for the physical body, but also for the mind. Group drumming may be unconventional and intimidating at first, but it is a deeply meaningful ritual worth looking into and trying out. 

Bring drumming to your organisation, check out our Drum Therapy Facilitator Training