How to forget negative memories? Take the advantage of the RAV steel pan drumming therapy

“Oh God, if only I could forget it!” – how many times have you thought like that? Although scientists didn’t have a chance to create a memory eraser from “Men in Black” yet, there’s a thing you can use to relieve negative emotions and anxiety you have because of the bad memories. Handpans and tongue drums are widely used in different kinds of therapies and you can take the advantage of playing these amazing instruments to get rid of negative feelings. You just need to know how. And here we are to tell you.

What negative emotions can I have: making a mistake in a social situation, freezing during a performance, being rejected in a romantic relationship, losing a close friend, or a part of a family.

How playing the RAV drum can help

In 2012, scientists at the University of Cambridge found that suppressing a memory involves shutting down parts of the brain that are involved in the recall.

But is suppressing is actually what you need? Remember the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' where the main characters decide to erase some memories but in the end, they understand that these memories are precious. The most frustrating thing in bad memories is not the event that took place, it’s the reaction you have. And instead of suppressing it, you can change the vector and try to admit it. Easy to say but hard to do? This is where playing the RAV drum can be involved in raising your awareness. What is the RAV drum? It is a “memory eraser” that will help you to switch the focus and concentrate on the present moment, getting the feeling of “here and now”. And the tongue drum/hang musical instruments are just perfect for that purpose.

Steel pan drumming: what instruments to choose

Both the RAV Pan and the RAV Vast will work for the therapy. The choice depends on your personal taste and your experience in playing music. What is a handpan? It’s a membrane instrument with a more percussive kind of sound. If you are a professional musician or someone with a solid musical background, you can opt for the RAV Pan. We recommend choosing the D Celtic Minor RAV Pan as the scale with the most harmonious and calming sound and the best option for meditation. It has a neutral mood so you will be able to concentrate on your mental state.

If you have little or no musical background or you are simply in love with the sound of the RAV Vast, take the advantage of playing the most meditative and lush RAV Vast scales like the B Celtic Double Ding, D Celtic Minor, or E Low Pygmy. If you are an advanced player, the A Integral RAV Vast will be great for you. However, if you feel connected with some particular scale available for sale in the RAV online store, listen to your heart and it won’t let you down when you make the decision to buy the drum.

How to play the RAV drum to get rid of negative emotions

Meditation with playing the RAV drum will help to get mindful and pay full attention to the present moment. The following technique will help you to relax and get control over your thoughts, memories, and feelings without judgment, but with acceptance.

To get mindful you need to concentrate your attention on playing the drum. This will make the anxious part of your brain busy and will switch the focus from a negative to a positive experience.

Find a comfortable place, take the RAV drum, and start improvising. You can choose some simple patterns and keep playing it again and again. If you play the RAV Vast we also recommend trying the mallets to get a louder sound and make it easier to play the drum. 

The greatest thing is that it’s actually doesn’t even matter what you are playing. You will get a positive result, in any case, feeling your bad memories becoming less important for you. Watch them vanishing away and dissolving in a time flow and leaving some room for new exciting and positive memories.