In praise of moaning... (within certain parameters and such... :smile: )

Of great interest to me over some years has been (what one could call) human pre-verbal sounds. The sounds themselves and their relationship to both emotional and physical balance, and even illness. The visceral need to moan, groan, hum, whimper, sigh, or purr is sometimes quite cathartic. This seems related to the general sounds associated with the emotions. Anger - yelling, sadness - crying, happiness - laughing. It is possible that the groan constitutes an additional fourth category, such as pain - groaning. Or perhaps, moaning and such are some even deeper version of preverbal sound that can take on characteristics of yelling, crying, laughing, and anything in between or even beyond.

The occasion of hearing a recording of the chanting of Tibetan monks awakened an interest in such topics. Tuvan throat singing has similar qualities. On further investigation, I found that this area had a whole school of yoga devoted to it: Nada yoga. The somewhat controversial primal scream therapy seems to be part of the picture. But I am not very familiar with its specifics. Also relevant is the general topic of music theory, but the aim here is more therapeutic than artistic. But there is definitely some overlap.

The theories and traditions are all very interesting, and provide a little background and context. But there is no substitute for actually allowing oneself to let the sounds out. The non-verbal nature of “moaning therapy” (for lack of a better term) is its defining quality. This gives it its deep and primal feeling. However, it could present somewhat of a mental block. Since the sounds may have no specific meaning, they might be construed as therefore “meaningless” or just silly. I guess you just have to jump in the pool and try it out, to see if there are any benefits. One may feel self-conscious about it, which is understandable. I try not to scare the neighbors with loud wails :scream: ... a little sonic privacy is a wonderful thing!

I feel that most of us are walking around carrying the burden of strong feelings. Feelings without name or perhaps even a definite cause. By allowing the expression of these feelings, one may experience a sense of relief. In my experience, it seems doing so often keeps me from blaming my feelings on others and outside events. I find it better to not even worry about naming the feeling, let alone blaming someone for it. Just letting it out, like some kind of psychological gas bubble, is enough! Perhaps by letting it all out, one can let other things in. Like peace of mind, for instance. And it may need you to spend some time, but you need not spend a cent to get some benefit.

Please share your thoughts and experiences related to this practice. What methods do you use? Has it helped? Or share any links to articles or studies of such therapies. Thank you very much for reading. Sigh on, you crazy diamond... and give peace a chants! :victory: :wink: