Sound Bath Sessions 315: Mindy Group Session- Depression

I returned to the hotel to rest for a bit before I made my way out to meet Mindy and the group she assembled for this recording: Calvin, Se-Yuen, Zelena, Clairice- all of whom where Mindy's previous students and friends. They had arrived early at the location to set up and I met them later for a quick lunch before we started what was to be a 7-hour recording session including group sessions as well as a block of individual sessions.

In the group sessions, they picked the songs that they liked and could sing. They had only rehearsed a few times before the recording, and it came together wonderfully- the imperfections balanced with the passion of their voices. The style was more of a kirtan group singing, with everyone singing and improvising with harmonies over a base rhythm and scale.

The second part was a multi-part interpretation of the 6 stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance, Integration.

Reviews

Rather evocative, this one. I actually started here in their stages-of-grief sequence, because it beckoned me with special relevance.

My closest friend of 35 years recently died in their sleep—suddenly, unexpectedly, and, tragically (it was an otherwise avoidable end of a life). So, these stages are familiar to me—especially also after having lost both parents, and not too far apart.

What was new to me was mention made of a sixth stage—that of “integration.” Here in the States, that isn’t commonly understood, and the popular notion is that the grief process concludes with “acceptance.” I’d be interested, therefore, in terms of behavioral health dynamics, to know more about this integration of which you speak.

Thanks for a moving, unique session. I’d say that it’s “unorthodox,” but that’s coming from an admittedly limited exposure to these kinds of Eastern art forms. I aim to enhance my understanding and appreciation of them, to be sure. ☮️