Can Music Expand Consciousness, Without Psychedelics Involved?

The use of psychedelics in healthcare has seen a revival in recent years and it’s no surprise. The effects can be powerful and life changing. They have been used to successfully improve symptoms of treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, addiction, and chronic pain, with numerous research trials underway for other conditions.

Given the potency of these interventions, they need to be handled with care. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Articles published in The New York Times and Wired have pointed out significant risks in using psychedelics, especially without the guidance of a trained professional. Risks can range from physical side effects like nausea and insomnia, to triggering psychotic episodes and suicidal behavior. These risks can be mitigated with thorough screening, preparation, and integration support, as well as noting contraindications for people with a diagnosis or family history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, heart conditions, seizures, or those currently taking antidepressant medication.

There’s another side to the psychedelics story, and that involves Helen Bonny, a music therapist who played a key role in creating music programs for psychedelic therapy procedures in the 1970’s. While music continues to play a key role in psychedelic treatment today, Bonny’s research revealed how the complexity and depth of music, used to enhance psychedelic work, is powerful enough to stand alone in generating transpersonal experiences for listeners. Today, music therapists are using the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music and related methods around the world, offering an alternative to psychedelics with the same transformative potential for personal and spiritual growth.

That’s not to say that music isn’t carefully selected or “dosed.” Music therapists are trained to screen clients to ensure that they will benefit from music imagery experiences and they select music that reflects a client’s goals for the session. Both the therapist and the music are there to accompany the client throughout their experience, to ensure safety and therapeutic benefit. Therapists take time to assist the client in integrating their experience afterwards, through drawing, writing, and discussion.

If you’re curious to learn more, a Focused Music Imagery session is a good place to start. While a Bonny Method session takes a broader focus with a music program lasting upwards of 30-40 minutes, an FMI session uses a single piece of music to support the client in deepening their awareness of a specific focus. This involves verbal guidance from the therapist to support the client in generating imagery in response to the music. Music imagery experiences can help bypass the analytical mind, bringing your emotions and inner wisdom to consciousness to uncover a deeper understanding of yourself.