The 3 to 5 minutes that act as music therapy for my brother with MG
Listening to songs improves Aaron's mood and lowers stress
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I noticed during my most recent video call with my twin brother, Aaron, that he was sorting through a pile of his old-school CDs and cassettes. I teased him about listening to outdated tech.
“The cassette player died years ago,” he said. He was checking song titles to see if they were available on YouTube.
Aaron said listening to his favorite songs helps him to escape the reality of his situation, even for just a few minutes. My brother was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) half his life ago, in 1999.
He said one of his favorite songs now is “Stressed Out” by A Tribe Called Quest featuring Faith Evans, who sings the chorus. The song is about never giving up, no matter how bad things may seem.
“I really know how it feels to be stressed out, stressed out/ When you’re face to face with your adversity/ I really know how it feels to be stressed out, stressed out/ We’re gonna make this thing work out eventually.”
An escape, 3 to 5 minutes long
Medical research suggests musical therapy can improve mood and significantly reduce stress, especially for those with neurological disorders.
Still, I ask my brother if a single song actually does any good. “A song is three to five minutes, tops,” I said. “Does it really help that much?”
“Those three to five minutes mean a lot,” Aaron said. “It helps me to close my eyes and rise above the pain, the rage.”
It was difficult to hear that. I’ve always looked at my twin as a kind of “Zen” person. Because of his MG, he needs to keep his emotions in check and should refrain from getting angry. He struggles with constant flare-ups and muscle weakness and is unable to work.
“I can’t wallow in that,” he said. “Music helps me to move on instead of lying to myself, sometimes. Sometimes it’s nice to get lost in Faith Evans’ voice, even for just a few minutes.”
“Don’t worry, we gon make it (gonna make it)/ … We gon make it (gotta make it).”
“I hear that, and the way Faith sings the chorus, even for a few minutes, it improves my mood. Reality seems less brutal,” he said. “Music helps me face that, sometimes, no one can help. And those that do can only do so much. It feels less heavy when I get lost in music.”
Aaron said he especially likes to listen to Tool to zone out. He also likes heavy metal and prog metal. It made me happy to hear him open up to me. He is usually stone silent about his emotions.
During our call, we also geeked out on some of the recent comic book movie trailers. I don’t always need to make MG the focus of our time together; Aaron is already focused on it. I can just listen.
Note: Myasthenia Gravis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Myasthenia Gravis News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to myasthenia gravis.
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