The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as a ‘state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’ (World Health Organisation, 2014). Throughout many of my life experiences thus far, the importance of effective management of emotional stress has been pivotal in my ability to overcome setbacks and redevelop the motivation to plough forward. Although trauma is experienced in unique ways by individuals, McCann and Pearlman (1990) have identified similar dimensions of resilience that have served as coping mechanisms for survivors of traumatic experiences. These dimensions include self-capacities, such as the ability to tolerate humility and comfort oneself in order to regulate self-loathing, as well as ego resources, such as a positive self-image and desire for personal growth.
Music Therapy provides a platform where individuals can communicate their feelings through creative expression as a way to ‘reorder perspective, regulate emotions, control impulses and delay gratification’ (Parr, Montgomery and DeBell, 1998, p29). In particular, listening to and connecting with the messages communicated through musical compositions has helped me to express my feelings more articulately, regulate emotions through the human connections established with the artists and essentially develop my perseverance in overcoming challenges. As such, I have created this playlist for the purpose of developing my inner strength, galvanised by the interaction with ten distinct songs, to overcome adversity and continuously enhance resilience. Key theories in music therapy which contribute to promoting the purpose of this playlist include mindfulness practices in healing, identity narratives depicted in ballads, the preservation of self-esteem, spiritual connection with a higher power, anticipatory and motivational qualities in music to elicit physiological arousal and reward circuits in the brain, as well as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.
The order of the playlist encapsulates the natural cycle of overcoming internal conflict through maintaining a positive outlook on life and appreciating the opportunity for personal growth. The first (Faded) and second (Remedy) songs facilitated in comforting my sorrows and provoking subsequent discharging of those feelings. The third (Bad Day) and fourth (Let it Be) songs served to remind me of the significance of accepting the setback with a sense of humility yet optimistic outlook whilst the fifth (The Voice Within) and sixth (Fight Song) songs motivated me to move forward in setting new goals through the projection of inspiring messages designed to fuel tenacity. Embracing a re-energised attitude, the seventh (Wings) and eighth (the Greatest) songs depict the climax of having achieved a short-term goal by encapsulating its intense pleasure as a reward mechanism. The ninth (Viva La Vida) and tenth (Dear Life) songs represent the completion of the playlist with its intuitive reflection of life as a thrilling journey of fluctuating emotions and lessons learned about the importance of grit in the ultimate success of having triumphed the debilitating effects caused by adversity.
My experience with this song is mainly one of finding consolation at the initial confrontation of an unexpected shock. The constant lyrical repetition of ‘Eternal silence in the sea, I’m faded’ encapsulates the breath-taking loneliness and sense of confusion that fills the void of an indescribable sense of paralysis. Eckhardt & Dinsmore (2012) highlight the importance in recognising anxiety and/or depression symptoms, and engaging in mindfulness practices to induce an altered state of consciousness that enables balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system response. In this song, the steady rhythm and consistent beat perpetuated by the electronic dance music modulates and calms the panic of a metaphorical ‘monster running wild inside of me’ (epitomising the initial disbelief of the delivery of an unpleasant news).
In this song, Adele positions herself as a non-patronising support figure who wishes to be a ‘remedy’ to treat the sorrow that is ‘cut[ing] [me] deep’. McFerran and Saarkallio’s (2014) research illustrates music’s ability to regulate an individual’s mood by likening it to a tool which affords health possibilities. The context of musicking in this ballad is one in which a support figure actively lends comfort to the character that is in pain which enables me to identify with a similar narrative arc. This particular music is beneficial for identifying emotions of anguish and pity but is also nuanced in a way that encourages the seeking of support from a therapist or trusted friend to help manage pain in a healthy manner, rather than allow an isolated and futile ‘rumination’ ((McFerran and Saarikallio, 2014, p93) to exacerbate the conflict.
Daniel Powter wrote this song partly based on his life as a struggling musician, describing the song as being more about phonics than elaborate lyrics. As such the moderate tempo and beat serve to reinforce a sense of acceptance toward the simple repetitive message of having a ‘bad day’. In doing so, my self-esteem is restored such that my perception of a setback is adjusted to a universal occurrence through the normalisation of failure, rather than a harmful criticism of my capabilities. Hargreaves, Miell and MacDonald (2002) state that self-image is established via monitoring and comparing our situation with that of others which has the potential to lead to psychological distress when such comparisons suggest a mismatch between our ideal self-image and actual-self. Fortunately, Powter’s relatively upbeat tune and inclusive message combine to lead to positive outcomes of social comparison.
This song begins with Paul suggesting that a higher power, ‘Mother Mary’, consoles him during times of hardship with ‘words of wisdom’ telling him to ‘let it be’. Paul draws on spirituality as a universal experience involving access to a deity to elicit development of extrasensory perceptions. This lifted out of my meaningless dwelling on the events that led to the conflict and instead, encouraged me to accept the course of events that have followed. One of the seven predominant patterns emerging from exploration of literature is that music both creates avenues of communication amongst people as well as with the divine in such a way that grounds seemingly abstract concepts such as ‘hope’ and ‘purpose’ in a person’s lived experience in order to establish paths for healing (Lipe, 2002).
This ballad encouraged me to recognise the need to experience the unpleasant emotions associated with encountering adversity and failure in order to develop and improve. The wonder of metamorphosis is captured by the allusion of an identity narrative that is continually shaped by our response to conflict. Ricoeur’s (1992) theory of narrative identity establishes the need for a balance between harmony and dissonance in modulating the memory of lived experiences as a way to be both a reader and writer of an individual’s life story. Christina’s imploration to ‘trust the voice within’ despite the vulnerability of experiencing ‘one’s walls falling’ serves to empower the listener to overcome experiences which may have prevented them from succeeding in their pursuits, which resonates with the concept of temporality of identity in suggesting that our identity can be reinterpreted in the light of new experiences.
An anthemic creation, Rachel Platten describes Fight Song as a culmination of her determination to overcome obstacles and dismiss limitations of the past in the form of many rejections from record labels. According to the Flow Theory as a model for enhancing a student’s resilience, those who are willing to take risks will learn more than those who restrict themselves, and therefore deepen their experiences and potential for growth (Parr & Montgomery & Debell,1998). Implicitly, the gradual crescendo of the tempo throughout the song and climax at the chorus ‘I will scream aloud tonight…this is my Fight Song’ mimics external rhythms and patterns in stimulating the entire body in neurophysiological responses (Karageorghis, 2006), engendering feelings of hope and confidence in the form of ‘fire burning in my bones’ to accept failure and try again.
The lyrics ‘sunlight comes creeping in, illuminates the skin’ commences the song via Birdy’s fragile and heart-warming voice. Feelings of romanticism and nostalgia seep through the rather melancholy melody as the consistent rhythm reminds me of joyful times I have spent with a loved one in an almost bittersweet fashion. The construction of the relaxing tune and beats enables me to picture a past memory with a significant person at an event during my life where the music acts to connect me to feelings of affection. This effect is typical of the therapeutic technique known as the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) which was originally designed for the treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder through drawing upon stimulating music to allow access to subconscious emotions and memories (Blake and Bishop, 1994).
This song alludes to the Pulse Shooting earlier this year where individuals battled cultural antagonism, encapsulating their unwillingness to give up being able to live free of the expectations of others. Sia delayed the chorus with beats that gradually increase in tempo and anticipatory words ‘running out of breath, but I got stamina’ which serves to engender an emotional catharsis when the eventual climax is reached. Empirical research shows a stimulation of the caudate area of the brain preceding a chill experience as an intensely pleasant emotional response. This served to amplify the experience of the chills whereby dopamine is released in association with motivation and drive (Salimpoor et al 2011).
I listened to this song when I wanted to reward myself for the achievement of short term goals and also remind myself to keep a steady pace going forward. The triumphant percussion beats in the background heightens the intensity of the listening experience. Poetic devices and symbolism is present in the image of ‘castles’ representing ‘power’ in depicting the story of someone who felt like they had everything but lost it all due to a self-absorbed ego. Ken Wilber (2007) suggests that an individual’s moral development grows from ‘me’ (egocentric) to ‘us’ (ethnocentric) to ‘all of us’ (worldcentric) as the three stages focusing on the body to the mind to the spirit. I connected with the epiphany of the main character in understanding that the ‘spiritual’ is common to all sentient beings and therefore to be appreciative of diversity and its charitable implications to the divine.
This ballad echoes the message that ‘time will change you’ and engenders a sense of shared humanity through personal experiences and encounters with conflict. The elegant instrumental combination of piano strings, guitar and rhythmic beats enables Delta’s lyrics to be clearly articulated. Ricoeur’s (1992) theory of identity narratives is employed to highlight the temporality aspect of identity as a self-construct made up of memories of past events and relationships that are influential in shaping identity. The feelings of euphoria and accomplishment associated with declaring to ‘life’ that ‘I’m a survivor’ in a chanting vibration serves as a means toward revitalising and sustaining my life spirit which Lipe (2002) suggests as essential in reaching the self-actualised stage in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
In essence, the songs in the playlist have been strategically organised to serve as tools for calming an individual at the initial confrontation of conflict in providing a support network to help effectively manage the emotional trauma before instilling a sense of optimism and motivation to overcome the adversity following an acceptance of the failure and/or misfortune. On this basis, the playlist can be appropriated for therapeutic outcomes in benefitting the mental wellbeing of young people.
I have been very careful in only including music that presents some degree of hope and opportunity for growth as opposed to purely despairing and sorrowful tracks. This ensures that I am encouraged to move forward by treating a setback as an opportunity for learning and development, rather than remain fixated on my losses. Nonetheless, a potential limitation of the inclusion of certain sorrowful songs similar to ‘Remedy’, in the construction of a playlist similar to mine, could be such that individuals who are unable to recognise the intrinsic hope and support offered may tend to ‘ruminate on negative experiences and deepen [them] into negative emotional states’ (McFerran and Saarikallio, 2014, p93). That is, McFerran and Saarikallio (2014) stress the importance of young people taking responsibility in being an agent of their own health as well as the need for therapists to guide vulnerable individuals during challenging times to ensure that the emotional trauma is not amplified.
Due to the universal need to overcome adversity in order to continually adapt to the challenges of everyday tasks and stresses of life, a playlist similar to this one is highly applicable for all young people due to its comforting and motivating nature. The capacity to ‘bounce back’ from difficult experiences is imperative in the growth of young members in a community and this playlist employs the practice of music therapy in fostering and sustaining such resilience. Cumulatively, when the whole community of young people are encouraged to develop their perseverance, a community of interest will be established which promotes mental health benefits beyond the individual to the collective. Such a phenomenon is known as collaborative musicking and serves to open inclusive pathways for the entire community to engage in the promotion of health (Ansdell, Denora and Tia, 2014).