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Call & response - Emotional Check-In
One at a time around the circle people play how they are feeling – often we use this at the start or end of a session. They create a short phrase on their drum that expresses their feelings (call) and the group
validate that by echoing it back to them (response).
Dr Peter Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off. Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard if they survive, they often send a shiver through their body before going about their business. Shaking can help release repressed feelings and the associated tension that is held in the body.
Shake in the Break
Practice shaking, starting with the hands and then extending though the whole body.
Divide the group in two - one half will shake while the other half play in double-time during the break.
Practice playing in double time - like a rumble on the Tone notes at around 300 bpm
The group play a foundation rhythm e.g., B O B O
And this is interrupted by a break (4,3,2,1) where:
· One side keeps playing (double time) while the rest shake
· Then come back together
· Then another break and reverse roles
Points for best shaking!
Also see - Parable of The Old Mule in the Well
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying' -or-whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathised with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbours together and told them what had happened ...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery. Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbours continued shovelling and the dirt hit his back ... a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up! This he did, blow after blow. "Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on shaking it off and stepping up! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
If we face our problems, respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to benefit and bless us.
These exercises are designed for people who have challenges with physical stability, vulnerable feelings of weightlessness and difficulties with balance.
Challenges with proprioception are common for people who have experienced trauma, people who were born prematurely, those with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, and other sensory perception challenges.
PART 1 – 4 Part Breathing. Practice the Heartbeat Rhythm slowly with a push into the ground during the count rest between the Bass notes. Sit forward on the chair. Add breath synchronisation – breathing out as you push down with the feet. Play the heartbeat rhythm at the crest of every in-breath (inhale) and end of every out-breath (exhale). Extend the length of the breath over a number of sessions.
The Heartbeat grounding breath exercise is used to focus people's attention on the present moment and specifically using their connection to the ground as a means of providing stability and avoiding losing touch with the present - these exercises are taught with the purpose of people utilising them in moments of need and the drumming is then done on the body. Grounding exercises that people can draw upon to keep their mind and body connected and working together, particularly for those times when they are becoming overwhelmed with distressing memories, thoughts and feelings.
PART 2 Then ask participants to stand up, in front of their chair and position their legs at shoulder width, with knees slightly bent - take them through a brief breathing exercise with a focused push into the floor on the outward breath. “As you breathe in focus on breathing low in the belly and as you breathe out push into the floor imagining your feet connecting to the earth, as though roots are growing down from your feet and cementing your connection”. After a couple of minutes of this ask people just to push lightly on the shoulder of the person standing next to them to see how well balanced they are.
Note – Emphasise balance & grounding over force. When we are balanced, we are stable and can better resist change and instability around us.
The use of bilateral rhythmic exercises on the drum can assist people improve coordination, balance and reduce emotional distress, improve regulation and lessen the vividness of traumatic memories. Here we present a range of exercises suitable for one to one and group work.
1. Crossing the midline
2. Circular arm rotations
3. A Rhythm wave
4. Figures of Eight
5. The Tree
6. The Butterfly tap extended to the drum
7. Soothing techniques with hands and wrists.
Hold onto your Rhythm - Hold onto your Values
An exercise exploring 'Peer Pressure'
Part 1
Name one, two handed, rhythm (B OoO) as something you want to hold onto e.g., respect for others or staying clear headed.
Then name another, two-handed, rhythm (B OoOoO) as something you don’t want to get drawn into such as being disrespectful or drinking too much.
Note: These examples are best coming from the participants themselves - what's relevant to them.
One person has to hold onto the positive rhythm while the rest play the destructive rhythm. If they can hold onto their part explore what strategies they used.
Part 2 - If it is hard for one person to do this, try pairing them up with another person, so two or three are trying to resist together – it can make a big difference to get support when trying to resist peer influence.
Examine these exercises in relation to the way people get pulled in (influenced) emotionally and behaviourally by others around them, sometimes into situations that they might be better off avoiding. A key learning in holding your rhythm is knowing it first – knowing what you want to hold onto – your values.
Also, remember that peer pressure can be a positive influence - you can do this same exercise with the group pulling someone away fro a destructive behaviour towards something more responsible.
What do Taylor Swift and Dr Peter Levine have in common?
Dr Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off. Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard; if they survive, they often send a shudder through their body before going about their business. Often people feel that same shuddering release through their body when they have a near-death experience.
Dr Levine also postulated that talking about trauma risked ingraining it further.
Emphasise not everything can be shaken off, but some small things like resentments or disappointments can. This was the message in Taylor Swift’s song – ‘Shake it off’
SHAKE IT OFF
Write up two verses on the white board – then practice shaking the hands and encourage full body shaking
If you're feeling down
Turn your life around
Shake it Off, Shake it Off
If you wear a frown
Turn it upside down
Shake it off, Shake it off
Practice the rhythm 2 x OoOo BBBBBB followed by 2 x OoO BBBBBB until fluid.
Then divide each group in two and allocate one verse to each
One will sing & play while the other side shakes and then swap roles
Do this three times, and then finish by repeating the rhythm on its own twice more, just singing the chorus.
Note – start by shaking the hands and extend through the body if people are comfortable – many people are self-conscious when it comes to their bodies and movement, so be sensitive and encouraging.
Extension – Participants can be put in groups and come up with additional versus of their own that look at ‘Shaking off unnecessary negative thoughts or feelings’.
Sit with the Silence - In this exercise the drumming represents the noise & busyness of life and this is interspersed with periods of silence where we focus on the resonance of the chimes. In each break the length of the stillness increases.
Discuss the need in our modern lives to escape the constant pressure of information, noise and worry; to regularly find a place of stillness and rest in order balance the frenetic pace of life. To find a balance between the outer and inner life. What ideas have people got for ensuring they get that balance? How hard is it to make time for quiet reflective time - do you think it is important? What might be some of the benefits for people who do make this time?
Pass out four Tonal chimes to random people scattered evenly around the circle and number them 1 to 4 (the chimes should be in a corresponding scale)
Everyone else plays an improvised rhythm and then the facilitator calls down to stop - 4,3,2,1 Stop! On the stop the first chime sounds, at the completion of its resonance the second chime rings out etc. After the fourth chime has resonated fully the facilitator calls the rhythm back - 1,2, let’s all play.
Three more breaks as above each time getting longer
2nd break – repeat the chime sequence twice before resuming drumming
3rd break - repeat the chime sequence three times before resuming drumming
Final break - repeat the chime sequence four times and finish.
Questions: How are you feeling? Did the breaks impact the intensity of your drumming? Do you find work or school more relaxing when you are having regular periods of quiet time? How important is balance in your life
Pre-exercise Discussion
Many communication and relationship problems start because we react to stimuli from
others around us. Our reactivity often stems from our primal survival mechanisms reacting to
perceived threat. Our sympathetic nervous system reacts immediately and thoughtlessly to
real or imagined dangers in our environment. When the danger is physical this is often a
useful response - we may not have time to contemplate a thoughtful response, but when the
danger is psychological and emotionally charged, these reactions can often worsen a
situation.
• Firing off an email you wish you never sent
• Responding to a text
• Belittling a partner
• Blaming a colleague
• Abusing another.
Rumble if you have ever reacted and said something you wish you could take back.
Rumble if in hindsight you recall overreacting to something someone has said about you.
In this next exercise we are going to practice a mindful pause.
Pausing before we react allows our feelings to settle a little and for us to be more conscious
of what we are feeling and why.
It gives us a better chance of evaluating a situation and responding appropriately
Pause Before You React Exercise
Start a simple rhythm and get louder as if an argument is brewing! Count down to a break
(4,3,2,1 PAUSE) and ask people to:
• Take some deep breaths
• Becomes conscious of any physical tension & relax it
• Come back to the rhythm in their own time, at their own level
Restart the rhythm and wait for people to join you, then repeat one or two more times.
Question - Did you notice any change in the way you re-entered the rhythm and
connected with others during this exercise? How important is it for you to determine
how long your pause needs to be? What are some strategies we can use to bring ‘the
pause’ into the way we respond to others when we or they may be upset?
The Rhythmic Wave - This is a key exercise in the R2R model - primarily utilised to
improve emotional regulation. This exercise can be transferred to the body, (tapping the
thighs) so that in times of anxiety people can use it to calm themselves.
The group or individual oscillate between high energy drumming and fading to a soft, slow
Bass pulse at between 60-80bpm. During the slow drumming people are asked to slow and
deepen their breath and relax any tension in their body. This change represents changes in
emotional intensity with participants learning how to transition gradually between these
extremes. Do this, three times before fading to nothing or entering into a mindfulness
exercise – see below.
For younger client’s the impact of this exercise is primarily through the change in drumming
intensity. For adult individuals or groups this exercise can be extended into mindful breathing
and other focused meditations using the Bass pulse as a focal point.
Mindfulness Breath Focus: Once the individual or group have mastered the rhythmic wave
oscillation technique, the drumming become the back-drop to the introduction of mindfulness
routines. The single Bass pulse is slowed to between 40 and 60 bpm (replicating & inducing
Alpha brainwaves), If possible, use a large Bass drum. In the initial sessions, the
practitioner helps the individual focus on aligning their breath to the pulse and maintaining
that focus.
“Relax now, relax your body, loosen any tension and find a comfortable position in your chair
- if you prefer to, you may stop drumming” pause “Focus on, and relax any tension in your
neck, shoulders, chest, arms hands, back, hips, thighs, lower legs, feet” pause “Now turn
your focus to your breath - starting with one breath in on a pulse of your choice and
releasing that breathe some 3 to 4 pulses later” pause “Slowing the breath to the beat of the
pulse and focusing on filling the lungs and emptying them slowly and evenly” pause “Being
aware of other thoughts, as they come or go, but always returning to the breath, & its
alignment to the pulse, grounding you”. Breathing in warmth and calm - breathing out
tension & worry, becoming still. In your own time return your focus to the Bass note & join
me in the rhythm - fade away. Adapt this script & make it your own.
Note: Mindfulness exercises need to become a regular and consistent practice to be
effective – 20 minutes per day is the recommended minimum period. Many facilitators
make this a regular part of their sessions.
Play it loud, Play it Soft
Everyone starts a simple rhythm at a low, soft level, and one person is tasked with staying
soft, while the other group speed up and get louder.
Examine these three exercises in relation to the way people get pulled in (influenced)
emotionally by others around them, sometimes into situations that they might be better off
avoiding. A key learning in holding your rhythm is knowing it first – knowing what you
want to hold onto – your values.
Discussion: How can we better resist this pull? How important was focus? How important
was self-belief? What other strategies did you use? How big a difference would it make if
you were not alone? (if time permits try one exercise with 2 or 3 people trying to resist in the
face of the rest of the group). How do the emotions of others impact you? Are there people
around you who impact your emotions for better or for worse? How do your emotions impact
others?
'Fade to nothing'; the group gradually decreasing volume until the sound
disappears.
Note: over time, these exercises, when practiced regularly, in conjunction with simple
metaphors around holding onto your values, beliefs etc. can powerfully impact an individual’s
level of emotional control.
The use of bilateral rhythmic exercises on the drum can assist people improve coordination, balance and reduce emotional distress, improve regulation and lessen the vividness of traumatic memories.
Here we present a range of exercises suitable for one to one and group work.
1. Crossing the midline
2. Circular arm rotations
3. A Rhythm wave
4. Figures of Eight
5. The Tree
6. The Butterfly tap extended to the drum
7. Soothing techniques with hands and wrists.
Dr Peter Levine looked at the way animals release trauma through the body, literally by shaking it off.
Examples - bird caught by a cat or a deer by a leopard if they survive they often send a shiver through their body before going about their business.
Dr Levine also postulated that talking about trauma risked ingraining it further.
2-Way Learning
Indigenous cultures around the world have used dance and movement in their healing rituals and ceremonies.
Rhythmic movement and dance releases tension in the body and is also good physical exercise.
Unfortunately western culture has often repressed issues related to the body and left people uncomfortable and self-conscious around their physical self.
Shake in the Break Exercise
In this exercise we introduce an eight count break in the rhythm where only a Bass pulse continues.
So we play together, then count down to stop (4,3,2,1 stop) and the facilitator continues to play a Bass rhythm through the break.
The rest of the group shake - note shaking is a more comfortable term than ‘dance’.
After the count the group rhythm resumes.
1st Break - shake your hands and arms
2nd Break - shake your legs and feet
3rd break - shake all over.
Using the drum to represent arousal and learning strategies to calm oneself. Then transferring this same technique to the body.
Part of the R2R soothing technique for the drum that can be used by parents or teachers to calm a child, by transferring to the body
Part of a series of soothing or calming techniques using the drum that can also be transferred to other mediums including the body
Part of a series of soothing techniques that can be used to calm distress in young people & adults, both using the drum and transferring to other mediums, including the body.
The self-control game 'Rumble in the Jungle' being used to look at the precursors of aggression. In many of the self-help groups I do with men, where uncontrolled anger is a real issues, 'Shame' is one of the main areas we focus on in this exercise - how even the smallest humiliations can give rise to extreme anger.
: Rumble if you have ever been drawn into conflict you didn’t really want to get caught up in, by friends or within your family.
Start the exercise by reminding people of this fight - a very important one in Mohammed Ali's career. Ali was a rank outsider to beat Foreman, the current world champion and a much bigger and stronger man. Ali won the fight by avoiding conflict until Foreman was exhausted. The best way to win a fight is to avoid it in the first place.
Ali also stood up for his values and refused to fight in Vietnam.
Discuss – how easy it is to be drawn into conflict with others and why. Who has ever found themselves getting drawn into some conflict situation not of their own choosing?
Play 'Call and Response' but with the proviso that a loud rumble represents aggression - the aim of the game is not to be pulled in by other people's aggression. So, if you hear a loud rumble you must respond with a very soft rumble. Every other call you respond to normally.
This exercise requires a degree of regulatory control.
A one to one version of the anger management exercise.
how easy it is to be drawn into conflict with others and why. Who has ever found themselves getting drawn into some conflict situation not of their own choosing?
Play 'Call and Response' but with the proviso that a loud rumble represents aggression - the aim of the game is not to be pulled in by other people's aggression. So, if you hear a loud rumble you must respond with a very soft rumble. Every other call you respond to normally.
This exercise requires a degree of regulatory control.
The Echo-wave done one to one.
An emotional regulation exercise
Just focusing on moving between high intensity drumming (arousal) and soft slow drumming (calm)
One at time, around the circle, we repeat a very simple musical phrase (try BbB) - each time getting softer until it almost disappears, then reversing it so that each time it gets louder.
The challenge is for the increments to be as even as possible.
This is challenging as each player has a different technique and each drum a different resonance, so it can take quite a few goes to get even changes in volume - usually done across several sessions with a group or client.
Start a simple rhythm at a low, soft level, and try and maintain that low volume while speeding up.
Examine this in relation to the way people get pulled in (influenced) emotionally by others around them, sometimes into situations that they might be better off avoiding. A key learning in holding your rhythm is knowing it first – knowing what you want to hold onto – your values.
Discussion: How can we better resist this pull? How important was focus? How important was self-belief? What other strategies did you use? How big a difference would it make if you were not alone? (if time permits try one exercise with 2 or 3 people trying to resist in the face of the rest of the group). How do the emotions of others impact you? Are there people around you who impact your emotions for better or for worse? How do your emotions impact others?
Both people start a simple rhythm at a slow pace, and one person is tasked with staying slow, while the other slowly speeds up – similar to staying calm when others around you get excited and emotional.
What helped you hold steady?
A one to one example of this exercise where the challenge is to hold on to your rhythm (what is good for you) in the face of other people's influence.
Often aligned to holding onto your values in the face of someone trying to get you to compromise them.
It is always beneficial to name the two parts (rhythms/actions) with concrete examples of different choices relevant to the individual being tested.
In this exercise, the facilitator takes the client or group through a storm sequence on the drum and links this to the rise of our emotions when we get upset or angry:
• What triggers your storm?
• How do we get control of the storm?
• What allows the storm to pass by?
• Remember - All storms eventually end – what helps your emotional storms dissipate?
Releasing feelings through the drum can be done at any stage and replaces the question ‘How did that feel” with ‘Play how that felt’.
It can be particularly useful at the beginning of each session to run an exercise – “Play how you are feeling’ over the top of a foundation rhythm as a way of checking in on the group.
EXAMINE
• Triggers for emotional arousal
• Calming strategies
Ask the group to walk in a circular route, in around the circle the same direction, in time to a slow Bass pulse played by yourself, and focus as much as possible on their walk, and the connection to the floor – “move slowly and in time to the pulse”.
“Start off by standing still & regaining that connection you had before”, “ Now walk slowly, and focus on your walk, how your feet touch the floor”, Notice the transference of weight between your feet” Notice the bend in your knees and the movement of your hips”, “If other thoughts come to mind, acknowledge them & bring your focus back to your feet”, Notice any sensations from their connection to the ground each time you step”, Notice the different pressure of each part of the foots connection”.
Each time the drums stops I want you to focus on being strongly connected to the floor.
Avoid turning this into a competitive exercise.
In the middle of the circle, one person (the spotter) should stand at one end facing away from the centre and another one, two or three individuals should stand at the other end. Place a small percussion instrument immediately behind the spotter.
The idea is for the two (or three) individuals to sneak up on the person who is facing away from them without being spotted moving – if the person turns and catches them moving, they return to their chair. If they turn and are stationary the spotter turns back again.
The remaining drummers should play their Bass notes each time one of the people sneaking up moves. The aim is to grab the percussion instrument without being spotted.
If they succeed they take it back to their chair and can use it in the next exercise.
What motivated you to play this game? How do these things relate to motivations in other areas of your life? What stopped your progress? What type of things reduce your motivation to move forward in your life? How can teamwork influence motivation?
Practicing emotional regulation - moving from high arousal to calm states replicated on the drum. This exercise is initially done on the drum but should also be transferred to the body (thigh).
The group or individual oscillate between high energy drumming and fading to a soft, slow Bass pulse at between 60-80bpm. This change represents changes in emotional intensity with participants learning how to transition gradually between these extremes. Do this, three times before fading to nothing or entering into a mindfulness exercise – see below.
For adult individuals or groups this exercise can be extended into mindful breathing and other focused meditations using the Bass pulse as a focal point.
One at time, around the circle, we repeat a very simple musical phrase (try BbB) - each time getting softer until it almost disappears, then reversing it so that each time it gets louder.
The challenge is for the increments to be as even as possible.
This is challenging as each player has a different technique and each drum a different resonance, so it can take quite a few goes to get even changes in volume - usually done across several sessions with a group or client.
In this exercise, the facilitator takes the client or group through a storm sequence on the drum and links this to the rise of our emotions when we get upset or angry:
• What triggers your storm?
• How do we get control of the storm?
• What allows the storm to pass by?
• Remember - All storms eventually end – what helps your emotional storms dissipate?
Releasing feelings through the drum can be done at any stage and replaces the question ‘How did that feel” with ‘Play how that felt’.
It can be particularly useful at the beginning of each session to run an exercise – “Play how you are feeling’ over the top of a foundation rhythm as a way of checking in on the group.
EXAMINE
• Triggers for emotional arousal
• Calming strategies