People often plug in and listen to background music as they go about their daily existence. While it does alter your mood slightly, it isn't transformational as you haven't allowed yourself to fully engage with it.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Stevie Nicks play live. I was blown away by the experience and it lifted my mood for weeks. That's because when you are immersed in a sonic bath, you have the opportunity to experience yourself in a completely different way. It may help you engage more deeply with an emotion or transport you into a whole new world. Either way, you change.
A new book, Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, The Navy Seals And Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing The Way We Live And Work (HarperCollins, £15, amazon.co.uk), by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal examines how harnessing different states of consciousness can radically upgrade your life. They write, "One of the most dramatic effects of music's power is the induction of trance states in a communal group. People's brains sync to both the beat and therefore to the brains of those around them."
This month, go and find some live music. Savour it as you would good wine and notice how you no longer feel alone, but a part of something much bigger.
Get lost in music with others and you might just find yourself.
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