Product Description

The Healing Power of the Drum is an authoritative yet easy to read book that shows how everyone can achieve health benefits from the increasingly popular activity of hand drumming. The raison d'etre for the book is to raise awareness of the hand drum from merely a musical instrument to a tool that can be used by individuals to attain psychological, physiological and spiritual well-being.

The book explores the drum from a multidimensional perspective, explaining the drum's ability to release anger, create joy, alter brain rhythms, induce trance, and create empowerment. Research and anecdotal reports provide validation of the benefits of personal drumming.

The Healing Power of the Drum provides a springboard for readers to use the drum in exciting and innovative ways to enhance their own wellness. The book reflects the very qualities of drumming. It is easy to read and non-technical, fun, and yet it provides depth, meaning and purpose for the reader. As the drum provides seemingly limitless ranges of emotions from deep relaxation to extraordinary aliveness, the book accordingly explores the vast range of experiences offered by drumming, from its ability to create euphoria to its deep and sacred power to heal.

Contributors of world renown include:

Dr. Michael Thaut, Director, Center for Biomedical Research and Music, Colorado State University.

Dr. Kenneth Aigen, Co-Director of Research for the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy at New York University. Dr. Connie Tomaino, Director of the Department of Music Therapy, Institute for Music and Neurologic Function, affiliated with Albert Einstein Medical Hospital, Bronx, New York.

Barry Bernstein, Music Therapist.

Christine Stevens, Music Therapist.

Jim Greiner, Latin Percussion™ artist and drum facilitator, who shares some of the most eloquent stories of the hand drumming experience ever written.

Heather MacTavish, founder of New Rhythms Foundation, who discusses how hand drumming helped her survive and heal from Parkinson's disease.

Arthur Hull, leading drum circle facilitator.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #197589 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review
"Robert Lawrence Friedman demonstrates that drumming can have a profound effect on one's emotional and spiritual well-being. A wonderful book." -- —Dan Cavicchio, author of Gardens From The Sand and founder of SpiritSite.com.

From the Publisher
Drums and their rhythms have brought joy and self-expression to mankind since the dawn of time. In The Healing Power of the Drum psychotherapist and drum facilitator Robert Lawrence Friedman weaves an extraordinary tapestry of personal experience, fascinating anecdotes and compelling research, demonstrating the hand drum's capacity to provide significant health benefits for everyone. This breakthrough book examines the use of hand drums in treating at-risk adolescents, stressed-out employees, Vietnam veterans, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis and more. Find joy and self-expression in the Healing Power of the Drum.

About the Author
Robert Lawrence Friedman, MA, Remo Artist, drumming facilitator, psychotherapist, Certified Psychosynthesis Practitioner, is affiliated with the St. Mary's Hospital Complementary Therapy Department in New Jersey. He has provided his programs to major corporations, hospitals, nursing homes, detention enters and conferences and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows.

Customer Reviews

An Insightful Look at Drumming for Health and Wellness
This is a must have book in any person interested in the field of percussion, music therapy, or wellness. As a drummer and psychotherapist Robert Friedman guides the reader through the experience of using the drum as a tool for therapy and healing. What has been known for centuries by other cultures of the world comes to life in Friemdman's book. He uses stories from expert percussionists such as Layne Redmond and Babatunde Olatunji as well as noted music therapists Barry Bernstein and Christine Stevens among many others to convey that the drum is a powerful and useful tool in therapy. Friedman inculded many helpful sections such as drumming with specific populations such as At-Risk Adolescents, Senior Citizens, Autism, Down Syndrome, and many others. A section on specific drumming activities is included as well as an extensive list of drum related resources. This book is a pleasure to read and learn from. On a personal level I appreciate that several times in the book Friedman recommends consulting a music therapist to assist with therapeutic drumming interventions. He clearly recognizes and supports the use of music as a vital part of the therapeutic process and guides the reader to many sources where they can explore their rhythmic spirit. This book should be required reading for anyone entering the healthcare field. I personally recommend this book to my percussion students and fellow music therapists and know that many more would benefit from reading this wonderful work.

Good Drum Medicine
A compelling and well written book for anyone interested in mind-body-heart/soul interaction. Robert Friedman does well integrating medicine-science with the deeper rhythms of our being. Mr. Friedman taught me that the drum is no toy but a cross-cultural healing tool. Since reading the book I have begun incorporating Mr. Friedman's music-therapy drumming exercises with my patients;allowing them a new way to express both negitive and positive emotions in their sessions. I found the book to be a wonderful, scholarly (but very enjoyable) treatise.

the magic drum
I first met Robert Friedman at a Drum Away Your Stress workshop in New York. I actually went more as an observer since I was in the process of leading similar programs. Robert quickly realized that I was also a drummer and so we initiated a connection between us which has led to much fun and shared information. The Healing Power Of The Drum has become my number one resource book. Last week I led a rhythm circle in a nursing home. I consulted Robert's little gem and was totally inspired by the research and stories about his work with the elderly and more specifically Alzheimer's patients. He talks about brainwave study and drummings effects on attention span. Reading his accounts filled me with hands on information and also totally inspired me to working with these magnificent people in a very meaningful way. Whether it is working with school children, corporate executives or simple community events,Robert's book always has something very useful and motivating for me. The drum is so much more than I ever imagined it could be. I used to see it as a musical instrument to have fun with and entertain others. In actuality it is so much more. After reading The Healing Power OF The Drum one is left with a sense of how truly sacred this simple hand drum really is. It's power to communicate, open the heart, summon the divine and heal the inner self is quite miraculous. Robert Friedman has us discover this truth with writing that is eloquent yet practical. The book invites you in and once there you can feel the rhythms jumping right off of the pages. I recommend this book to everyone, since the strongest rhythm in existance,the heartbeat,is inside all of us.