Mind, Music, and Technology

The soundtrack nature of the music here lends itself to unique imagery for a listener. The project Legends is an invitation to share that imagery in prose, poetry, or pictures. It would be interesting to see what stories and art comes from this as people can see and consider others’ works.

On the site, I have embedded the first five tracks from the album Legends along with some pictures to begin a process.

I do not have an end date for the project presently in mind, rather I’d like to see what type of life it takes on.

This evening, I will be uploading “Dragon,” the first track of the Legends album, to theSixtyone.

As this site is seeing some increase in traffic, a more detailed description of its purpose is likely warranted.

“On Mind, Music, and Technology” has now been add to the side bar.

Well, I’m just ecstatic. The first review of Video Game Play and Addiction is in, courtesy of Adam Thierer, senior fellow of the Progress and Freedom Foundation.

I’m very happy that the book is receiving positive feedback.

The book began as the focus of my fellowship graduation paper. I had been growing tired of the nearly universal negative media reports on gaming, and it just felt like a natural thing on which I could study and report. Later, when several others said, “Well, why don’t you write a book?” - I did.

In working with games, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, music, and family, the book helps tie several things together for me. I think it would be an understatement to say I feel relieved with the book being published, even though the hard work of getting the book into the public sphere has really only just begun.

I hope that the book helps parents, kids, and just about anyone who thinks about games to consider what gaming means to themselves as individuals and as families. The text is about how people are different, how games are different, and how they may or may not fit. It is about learning, it is about play, and it is about community. All of these function together towards knowing what is healthy play and what is problematic.

Here’s a sample of the text.

Many huge amounts of thanks go out to everyone who has helped me, both directly and indirectly, in this adventure of putting a book together. You are wonderful.

Conducting therapy in SL was my intention when first joining a little over 2 years ago. But, after discussions with colleagues, I opted against, at least for the time being. Then, I discovered the possibilities of live music, and the course shifted quite notably.

At least as of this writing, I do not intend to conduct therapy in SL. The separation of psychiatric work in RL and musical endeavors in SL has been a useful one.

There is, though, some cross-over in meditation. I’ve occasionally taught and led a group on the subject of meditation. Also, the meditative improvised music provides its own therapeutic functions.

Still, the questions of how one would conduct therapy in SL, would it be possible, and what are the considerations involved have been on my mind. In this setting, I was asked to speak, over the last weekend, regarding mental health in SL.

The Second Life News Network has a report on the talk from Saturday. (One bit of clarification to the article: I do not presently do music-therapy work in RL.) I enjoyed meeting several of the therapists and discussing some of the issues involved. Contributers included Avalon Birke of Wellness Island, Ren Stonecutter who discussed PTSD treatment, Marly Milena who has a background in humanistic psychology, Amaya Summers who runs a suicide prevention and education group, and myself.

Resources I’ve found are provided below. If anyone has any thoughts about them, please let me know, as I have not involved myself with these locations enough to give a comprehensive discussion or evaluation.

** Please note, Second Life is still very analagous to the Wild West. If you plan to get involved with therapy, realize that virtual therapy does not replace real-world therapy and that any therapist you meet, especially in the virtual worlds, is worth investigating for credentials. Therapy is a process that involves the development of trust, not just with institutions, but also with the individuals of those institutions. Unfortunately, I cannot personally vouch for any online therapist as I have not been in RL contact with them or with their clients. **

Having said that, I do strongly applaud those willing to do the work in creating an environment where therapy can happen online. There has been a lot of work done from what I can tell, and it cannot have been easy. Here are some of the sites I’ve discovered:

Wellness Island

Wellness Island in SL
SL Counseling Online
SL Wellness Online

The SL location and the website have copies of a newsletter. The latest, for example, is about spirituality and mental health and includes an interview with Amaya Summers of Centering Place.

Centering Place

Centering Place in SL
Centering Place Online
Support for Healing Online

Heron Sanctuary

Heron Sanctuary in SL
Virtual Ability Online

There are also support groups that have formed in world as well.

This list is by no means comprehensive. If you are involved in providing mental health services and wish to be listed here, contact me.

Here are some interesting bits I picked up this morning:

• A game review of real-life. A quote:
  

  In terms of game play the game sets few, if any, goals: the major one is merely “survive”. What goals a player sets, are often astonishingly tedious to actually achieve, and power-ups and gear upgrades, let alone extra weapons, are few and far between. Some players choose accumulation of money, one of the many point systems in the game, as a goal, but distribution of this is often randomized and it can be hard to tell what activities will lead to gaining points in advance, and what the risks will be.

• Game Politics brings us the ESRB’s new widget for determination of game ratings. You can find the code on the ESRB site.

  It’s a neat idea. If you have a game and want to see a rating quickly, this can be a good way to get a synopsis quickly. I don’t even think there is a system to do so for movies, but drop me a line if I’m wrong about that.

Here it is in action:

• Music File Compressed 1,000 Times Smaller than MP3 - There are a couple of files on their site, but both run as 3.9 MB .wav (uncompressed) files. I assume it is because VLC does not quite play their proprietary format as of yet. I did hear a difference between the recordings and much preferred the less compressed version. Still, it’s a step forward and mp3s are already small enough to be relatively fluid on the Internet. It’ll be tremendously interesting to see how music evolves as the compression continues to improve.

The concerns of mental health know no boundaries. When we enter the virtual worlds, we still bring ourselves. Much as the adage goes about vacations, wherever we go, there we are.

As such, we can also bring the concept of therapy into these very same realms. In fact, it may even be more capable of certain types of therapy than would otherwise be noted in the therapist’s conventional office setting.

Stop by SL’ang Life in Second Life on Saturday, March 29th, 2008 at 1pm PST/ 3pm CST where I plan to discuss the issue.

“But it’s the interplay of the ‘real’ with the virtual that is the richest source for the possibilities of change. If we purely think of virtual worlds as separate, we’re ignoring the fact that they are NOT walled gardens. They may have walls - platforms like World of Warcraft erect as many barriers between the game environment and external realities and economies as possible. But there are always chinks in those walls - either cracks or with entire chunks missing. Commerce will always find a way to cross over where there’s money to be made. Intellectual property will always find a way to be disseminated as widely as it needs to be, no matter how much copy protection we try to employ. But more important still, the selves that people bring to virtual spaces are not turned off when they log off.”

Dusan Writer, quoted above, provides a compelling look at the issues involved in MMORPG living.

Dusan presents the concept that these worlds traverse each other. Boundaries can have varying levels of porousness. For example, his presentation of the concept of “balance” that surfaces in any discussion of RL/MMORPG co-existence highlights the concept of a certain quantum existence.

An attendee at last year’s Second Life Community Convention described the online environments as analogous to cities. People travel from one to another visiting and contributing to cultures evolving in each.

It is fundamentally the people visiting these worlds and their human characteristics, desires, needs, etc. that provide for the crossing and cross-pollinations of the other worlds spawned of collective human imagination. Some set up residence in one environment and never leave. Others drift through these ever-multiplying worlds.

Altogether, it may be something of a colonization of an alternate world. Having run out of land frontiers and outer space seemingly distant, despite the occasional shuttle flights and rumored commercialization of space travel, the growing abstract lands we create ourselves, in the meantime, seem a pleasant place to populate.

Abstractia (Metaplace?), the emerging and evolving collective of MMORPGs and social networking sites, offers a different type of colonization, however, than that provided by the traditional hardshipped boating voyage.

This new land offers a certain quantum existence. As opposed to moving physically to a new land where one is automatically disconnected from the previous land, here we can co-exist in several including that of RL.

In quantum mechanics, small objects, such as electrons, are described in probability clouds. There are certain areas within which a particular electron is likely to exist. Another way of formulating the concept is that the electron exists simultaneously in all of the locations of the cloud in varying percentages.

Now, some people have begun to assume a similar existence. We establish a presence in various MMORPGs and social networking sites simultaneously. Though our physical bodies may never be there, and though we may be logged on or off with differing frequencies, we do establish ourselves in these worlds with a certain periodic nodal existence.

Music is a powerful method of communication. With any type of speech, a person may feel the urge to censor the self. And yet, it is this musical suppression that forms a chasm between sounds heard near the soul and those felt distant.

Now, there is even brain imaging research to back up the notion: improvisation is a story of the self told in music without self-censorship.

“In jazz music, improvisation is considered to be a highly individual expression of an artist’s own musical viewpoint. … one could argue that improvisation is a way of expressing one’s own musical voice or story.” - Limb and Braun

An improvisation may be described as an effortless meditation of self in sound, as noted by the occasional stumbling into an improv state and “being in the zone.” It is often signified by a subsequent nearly universal statement, “hey, that was cool.”

After a series of sounds and a feeling that one somehow had little to do with it, at least consciously, it would seem natural to question the purpose of practice. If there are these moments where wonderful melodies emerge with little conscious effort, why practice?

Fundamentally, practice is the learning of a language in order to speak in one’s own unique voice. Even the practice of scales and theory can be a method of understanding the communicative abilities of sound. As the language is learned, the ability to reach those golden moments becomes more readily attained.

Where we see errors in practice is in the neglect of the latter half of the phrase - i.e. practice is a path towards speakng one’s own voice. After all, we have all seen those with a grasp of only small parts of a language who still say beautiful things and those with near perfect diction with little to say.

Practice is more than mere mechanics. One gains understanding of not only the instrument, but also of one’s anxieties and fears in order to navigate the instrument’s channel between self and audience. It is an understanding of the differences in the origins of anxiety’s chill winds from those of silent mirrored waters ideal for traversing the mind’s oceans.

Such a grasp of the mental climates requires several fundamental aspects of practice: presence, observation, and time. Whatever the point of focus in the language, be it chords, melody, song, rhythm, or an exercise made up entirely in one’s own style (my personal favorite), the musician must be present at the point of practice, observing with focused attention, and patient in the time it takes for natural growth to occur. These are the very same components found in a meditation.

It is along these lines, that practice shapes a goal of presenting good music. It is true that beautiful meanings can often still filter through broken speech. But a higher fidelity of soul is always nice to hear.

Practice is learning the art of allowing the self to present without conflict, censorship, fear, or desire. In so much as these aspects of self are filtered from the sound, what we hear, both as audience and as artist, becomes more pure, beautiful, and true.

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See also previous posts on the subject:

• Improvisation as Self-Analysis
• Why Write Music?

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Special thanks to Lucy Tornado for sending the article “Brain scans tune in to personal nature of improvising music”.

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Limb CJ, Braun AR (2008) “Neural Substrates of Spontaneous Musical Performance: An fMRI Study of Jazz Improvisation.” PLoS ONE 3(2): e1679 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001679

“… If a single function can be ascribed to every form of play, in every playful species, according to this way of thinking, it is that play contributes to the growth of more supple, more flexible brains.”

- NYTimes article, 2/17/2008

The feeling that play has steadily been removed from many aspects of life, not just for kids, but for adults as well, is steadily coming to societal consciousness. We have known ourselves to have long work hours, but the impact of this concept is only beginning to be understood.

Play is a state of mind that allows for many possible directions of growth. It can function as a fertile land of possibilities and as a ready state of focus upon the moment where the mind interacts and eagerly learns. Unfortunate depictions of the play in terms like “apparently purposeless activity” and “a frivolous luxury” completely miss the mark.

The article takes a more scientific bent than my tendencies towards romantic language, but the direction is overall the same:

“For all its variety, however, there is something common to play in all its protean forms: variety itself. The essence of play is that the sequence of actions is fluid and scattered. In the words of Marc Bekoff, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado, play is at its core ‘a behavioral kaleidoscope.’”

“… Animal findings about how play influences brain growth suggest that playing, though it might look silly and purposeless, warrants a place in every child’s day. Not too overblown a place, not too sanctimonious a place, but a place that embraces all styles of play and that recognizes play as every bit as essential to healthful neurological development as test-taking drills, Spanish lessons or Suzuki violin.”

An interesting aspect of the article creeps up toward the end - the idea that play has a “dark side.” It is a point where the author brings up her own past and hardships on the playground as a child. There is a certain danger to letting a child run about on the loose, perhaps especially amongst other kids.

But, it is precisely in play that a darker side of humanity may be brought to light for its understanding. There is a reason that the fairy tales of old, not the modified ones to which we’ve become accustomed, can be quite dark. Ignoring and supressing this aspect may be to our detriment:

“Brian Sutton-Smith, one of the nation’s most eminent play scholars, has seen eruptions like the General’s many times before, but they don’t worry him. In fact, he embraces them. In such an elaborate play culture, he wrote, where so many harsh human truths come to the fore, ‘children learn all those necessary arts of trickery, deception, harassment, divination and foul play that their teachers won’t teach them but are most important in successful human relationships in marriage, business and war.’”

Much of the article is focused on children, though it does mention something about adults towards the beginning. It likely could bear much more discussion on adults. For adults, Play may take the form of a meditation. It holds a place in the day where one practices a ready anticipation and awareness of the moment, in whatever form that may be.

See also previous articles related to Play:

• On Being More Childish
• Why Write Music
• Meditation, Fear, and Creativity
• Re-Mission - Gaming Towards Health

Though a common saying suggests the main resources with which we conduct our lives is time and money, there is another resource that is more primary than either of these - namely, Attention.

Focus is the only real tool a person has. The perception of the world is entirely encompassed by the mind. Life can be defined in the interaction and connection between world and mind, but the only method by which an individual can observe the internal and external is through the lens of consciousness. When focused, this lens is in the state of Attention.

Whether reminiscing upon the past, considering the future, or living in the present; whether spending time in work or play; whether enjoying a book or time with a loved one, the main resource is that of Attention.

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Meditation Is the Exercise and Cultivation of Attention.

A person’s focus can be spent in several ways. One can divide focus between several objects as one does when “multi-tasking.” A person can also decide to pay attention to a single task.

At one extreme, a person can completely diffuse her thoughts with barely any attention spent towards any single thing. This can be a trance-like state of mind just above sleeping. At the other end of the spectrum, she can focus strongly upon something well-defined, as with meditation.

When a person has learned how to focus well, that individual can then grow a more favorable world around herself. One can almost consider attention as a type of growth agent for the world surrounding the self.

Focusing on money matters, for example, can create optimal conditions for money growth. Though the world’s economic weather and soil may or may not always be favorable, at least the nutrition and care is provided by the person involved.

Without the ability to focus, one risks becoming lost in the torrents of the world. There is no anchor; there is no direction. Such a lifestyle is a viable choice, but I would think it a better choice if it were consciously made. Gaining the capacity to attain a solid state of Attention would allow for that consideration.

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The Practice of Meditation

Meditation, among other things, is the art of learning and moving with the natural contours and currents of one’s own mind. Learning the mind’s movements can present the conditions favorable towards Attention.

Its practice is simple - define an object and focus upon it. When you notice the mind has wandered, gently and kindly bring it back. For most intents and purposes, these above two sentences define meditation.

The rest, in all its variations, is really just the practice of defining the object. Some variables to consider would be:

• Time (how long to meditate) - 5 seconds, 5 minutes, as long as a particular task takes …
• Space (physical objects) - a leaf, a box, a sheet of paper, …
• Concepts - art, music, language, …
• Emotions - love, joy, sadness, …
• Activities - breathing, creating art, an exercise, …

Once the object is defined, the meditation is set - focus upon the object and when the mind wanders outside of the boundaries initially lined, gently bring the mind back to the task.

As a specific example, take a piece of music you enjoy. Find somewhere quiet where you feel you would not be interrupted. Close your eyes and listen to the piece from the very beginning to the last trailing sounds. If your mind wanders to some task or some thought, just bring it back to the sounds. Listen without assigning meaning. Just allow it to be heard. This meditation is defined by the boundaries of the sounds and the time the piece lasts.

The music does not have to be “peaceful” either. Just find something you enjoy. As a side note, during my high school years, I would do this to take a break from homework with, believe it or not, tracks from Metallica’s Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning. Listening to these on a tape deck, I would stop the player between tracks, so the next song would be ready for my next break. Though one may not necessarily hear the influence of these albums in my present musical writings, the practice of focus is reflected.

Today, improvisation of music has become my meditation. It is a type of free association, though it is a free association in the medium of notes rather than words. It is a focus upon the emotional connection between the unconscious, conscious, and sound; it is a focus upon the beginning, middle, and end of an entity; and it is an understanding of communication between self and others.

I do not intend to state a value of music over others as a type of meditation. It just happens to be a major realm of my own focus. Metallica is not exactly billed as meditation music, but that is the point - the object of meditation is really any object you define.

The decision of object may be a reflection of any number of aspects of a person. Some objects may be enjoyable and some may not be. If a certain object of focus is found to give unfavorable feelings, consider discontinuing that practice and trying another.

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Breathing as an Example of another Meditation

There are many types of meditation and each can have a larger impact than may be noted on first glance. For example, a breathing meditation can be quite powerful. Learning to focus on something as “boring” as the breath can make a person realize that it is not boring at all and that, in fact, focusing on its centrality to our being can have a large impact on a person’s perceptions and actions.

Breathing is a function ascribed to the part of our brain called the “brain stem,” which also works to regulate our heartbeat and circulatory system. We share this aspect of brain with just about every other centralized nervous system creature on the planet.

Yet, this ancient aspect of mind somehow allows an element of conscious control. Focusing on the breath can have the impact of realizing that there is more conscious control over the breath than one originally thought. As examples, one can hold his breath for a short period of time, a person’s posture can radically change the amount of air he can draw, one can breathe slowly or quickly on purpose, and one can change his rhythm of breathing.

Focusing upon the breath without the intent of modifying it and only watching, feeling, and experiencing it as it naturally exists becomes not only a meditation on breathing but also a meditation upon the interface of something conscious and something unconscious. One learns how conscious thoughts can affect the normally unconscious.

This practice, done routinely for several minutes daily over the course of years can abstract to other aspects of daily life and interaction. It is not just the realization that is important here, it is the practice itself that has the profound effects.

Analogously, though I may have consciously recognized that allowing music to flow instead of tightening with anxiety brings about a more enjoyable piece, actually creating music by these means can only be done through practice. The situation is similar to only knowing how to lift a 100-pound object versus having practiced weight-lifting and prepared prior.

In this way, a focused attention can provide growth prior unrealized. Meditation is a simple act though it requires dedication. In allowing and helping one to navigate life, it can be as important as a physical exercise. Meditation is a flexing of mind as Attention is a state of health.