I want to start out by acknowledging that, given the political implications from the past week, emotions may be rather heightened at the moment. While you may, understandably, be experiencing a wide range of emotions, I would like to encourage music as a potential tool for navigating them, whether that be to assist you with regulating and coping with them or with energizing and empowering you, specifically through the use of playlist creation.
In the field of Music Therapy, there is a widely used technique known as the iso-principle, which relies on the psychological and physiological responses that we naturally have to music. It is implemented by musically matching the current emotional state of the client and then gradually shifting the musical elements to move the client to a desired emotional state. With playlists, this means the first song will match your current mood, the last song will match what you want your mood to be, and the songs in the middle will gradually help you to transition from your current mood to your desired mood.
So, let’s say you’re feeling sad, scared, and powerless right now, but you want to tap into a sense of justice, anger, and empowerment instead. Here’s an example of a short playlist incorporating a number of popular genres that you could use to facilitate this:
“Rise Up” by Andra Day
“Trouble” by Yusuf / Cat Stevens
“Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley and The Wailers
“We’re Not Gonna Take it” by Twisted Sister
“American Idiot” by Green Day
Hopefully this gives you an idea to play with. Please feel free to share any songs that are helping you to get through this time - we’re going to need all the collective support we can get. And, above all else, know that you’re not alone.
Kim Johnson, LMHC, MT-BC, is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and board certified music therapist (MT-BC) who graduated with her master’s from Lesley University in 2017. She has experience with adults and adolescents in group private practice and community mental health settings. The levels of care she has worked in are outpatient, with both individual and group therapy and in partial hospital programs for mental health and substance use disorders. Additionally, she has had intensive training in dialectical behavioral therapy and cognitive processing therapy for PTSD.
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