What is
the history of Musical Massage? |
Musical Massage evolved out of Sammie Thompson's
personal and professional experience as a pianist/vocalist performing live
music in numerous and diverse venues in the U.S. and abroad. The most
often heard comments were universal: "Your music is beautiful! It's so
soothing and healing!" Once, while performing at a world-class resort, one
young woman stated, "I had such a headache when I came in here, I really
didn't even feel like hearing any music, or even eating dinner. Now, after
listening to your music, my headache is gone, and my appetite has
returned. I feel so much better! Your music is really
healing!"
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While Sammie appreciated the feedback, and noted the
same wording repeating time and again, she states, "It was never a
conscious intent to do music that was healing. I do music because I love
it. My only intent was to play and sing every note with
love."
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Years later, during a lengthy stay care-giving with her
father, he began to ask her to play the piano and sing for him. "It's the
only time I get any rest. It's the only time I can really relax.." So she
would sit at the piano, play and sing a combination of his favorite
standards and her originals. Within a few seconds after the first note, he
would be stretched out in his recliner, snoring deeply. He stayed totally
relaxed and pain-free as long as she kept the music going. As soon as she
stopped, he awoke again, glowing with new energy. It was during this time
the term 'music ministry' began to come to her. Although she knew
something very special was developing, she did not know at that time what
it was, or where it would take her.
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In another incident, she went with other family members
to visit their uncle, who was hospitalized, resting after surgery in an
Intensive Care Unit. He had a pink, healthy color, but was non-responsive
to any verbal communication. When she had the opportunity to be alone with
him, she looked at the monitors he was hooked up to, noticing how rather
angry and jagged their lines were. She touched his hand, began to caress
it, and started to sing a little song she made up in the moment, about how
much she loved him. Almost immediately, the lines on the monitors changed
from harsh, spiked peaks to smooth rolling waves, and tears rolled down
her uncle's cheeks. Even in an unconscious state, he was able to hear and
respond to her music and her love. This was her second strong instance of
an inner knowing that something very important was occurring with the use
of music in a health-care setting.
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A third insight came while sitting in on classes as a
visitor to the Chalice of Repose school in Missoula, Montana. She saw that
the students of music thanatology were being taught to play harp and sing
every note with pure love, to help dying individuals cross over in peace
and tranquillity. In the experience of being in the midst of that healing
vibration, she knew she had found her life's calling, her "music
ministry." But she would not be able to get into that program for another
two years, and she further came to understand her need to work with the
living as well as the dying.
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A series of "coincidences" led to her finding and
enrolling in the Music for Healing and Transition Program on Vashon
Island, Washington. In 1996, Sammie Thompson graduated from MHTP, became
the first Certified Music Practitioner in Washington state. She took up
the harp and began to compose new music created especially for use in this
new field: musical care-giving at the patients bedside. She began her
music ministry in local hospitals, rehabilitation centers and retirement
homes, applying live music applications, documenting her patients
responses, and doing independent research.
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In response to requests from patients and visitors to
take her music home with them, Sammie recorded the first two instrumental
harp albums. One evening as she was playing for a very tense, rigid and
emotionally distraught woman whose husband had recently succumbed to a
lengthy ordeal with cancer, she became aware of the particular ebb and
flow of the music, as intuition guided her which songs to play, in what
sequence and manner. The term "Musical Massage" came to her and she
recognized this as the term for what she had been doing for several few
years as a Certified Music Practitioner. She remained silent, continuing
to play particular melodies for the woman, who had entered into a state of
deep, total relaxation - within a few minutes, her head tilted back, her
mouth was wide open, and her body had gone from a bolt upright position to
a 45 degree angle, almost to the point of sliding out of the chair! When
Sammie completed the music, several minutes passed before the woman
gradually came back into the present moment, slowly pulled herself back
upright in the chair and declared, "I feel like I've just had a massage!"
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This gave clarity to the new modality that had been
evolving over a period of several years and confirmed the new terminology,
"Musical Massage." In October, 1998, Music Lady released two innovative
albums "Journey to the Ocean" - musical massage by instrumental harp, wind
and sea (recorded live at the ocean!), and "Journey into the Heart" -
musical massage by instrumental harp (100% pure harp!). (For an updated
listing of available releases, go to the recording link.)
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| Sammie Thompson, Music Lady, continues her work as a
Certified Music Practitioner while giving concerts, workshops, lectures
and performances. |
