BENEFITS

There are many healing benefits to a drum circle. Some are deep, personal healings, some are physical healings, and some are for the community. Playing within the context of a drum circle is an example of the concept of teamwork at its highest level. As the rhythms come together and grow, we quickly realize the need for trust and dependence amongst our fellow drummers. Many of the lessons we learn in the drum circle can be directly applied in our homes, our schools,
our workplaces, and our lives.

Workshop @ Moomba Festival 2014

Drumming can help people express and address emotional issues. Unexpressed feelings and emotions can form energy blockages. The physical stimulation of drumming removes blockages and produces emotional release. Sound vibrations resonate through every cell in the body, stimulating the release of negative cellular memories. “Drumming emphasizes self-expression, teaches how to rebuild emotional health, and addresses issues of violence and conflict through expression and integration of emotions,” says Music educator Ed Mikenas. Drumming can also address the needs of addicted populations by helping them learn to deal with their emotions in a therapeutic way without the use of drugs.

Provide a medium for individual self-realization

Workshop @ Moomba Festival 2014

These are important lessons. The beauty is that, when learned in the proper environment, the actual learning process becomes invisible. The transition between these elements is seamless and transparent, and the concepts become as natural as breathing. Not the individual rhythms, of course – many of those take years to truly master – but rather our awareness of ourselves and our role in the bigger picture

Releases negative feelings, blockages,
and emotional trauma

Workshop @ Moomba Festival 2014

Drumming helps reconnect us to our core, enhancing our sense of empowerment and stimulating our creative expression. “The advantage of participating in a drumming group is that you develop an auditory feedback loop within yourself and among group members - a channel for self-expression and positive feedback - that is pre-verbal, emotion-based,
and sound-mediated.”

Each person in a drum circle is expressing themselves through his or her drum and listening to the other drums at the same time. “Everyone is speaking, everyone is heard, and each person’s sound is an essential part of the whole.” Each person can drum out their feelings without saying a word, without having to reveal their issues. Group drumming complements traditional talk therapy methods. It provides a means of exploring and developing the inner self. It serves as a vehicle for personal transformation, consciousness expansion, and community building. The primitive drumming circle is emerging as a significant therapeutic tool in the
modern technological age.

Beyond the individual health and wellness benefits of drumming, a group of drummers provides its own benefits that enhance the healing properties of the drums and rhythms. Drumming with others can help establish community bonds and allow people to connect together on a level that does not require awkward small talk or allow other insecurities to surface that can inhibit interaction with new people.