About The Facilitator

Facilitated drum and dance circles for health, personal growth, and community

Julian Douglas

Julian Douglas is a Remo Health Rhythms trained facilitator and a recipient of the Indiana Arts Commission On-Ramp Fellowship with 25 years of experience facilitating drum and dance circles, as well as a world percussion teacher and a performing percussionist. Raised by a jazz pianist Julian’s childhood was an immersive education in music with a strong emphasis on rhythm. His studies have included elements of the music and traditions of various cultures including those in the African diaspora, the Middle-East, Eastern Europe, and India.

As a composer and drum/dance circle facilitator, Julian’s focus has been to draw inspiration and knowledge from traditional music while holding a sustained value for the creative impulse of the present moment and the centrality of the individual as the source of living creativity.

Julian has performed and taught lessons and workshops throughout the Eastern United States. More information on his music can be found at JulianDouglas.com

Natalia

While his ability to express music is a high mastery, he makes music so accessible, allowing to understand, to feel it as something so innate to all of us! What i love the most, one does not need to be a musician to benefit from his ways of sharing musical experience! You will for sure discover the art of listening to music. — Natalia

Beth

he has a talent for developing a collaborative space for creative expression. I have enjoyed participating in circles where he has facilitated space for everyone to tune in the the rhythms being played by others and contribute in their own way. — Beth

Leymis

As a collaborator, I found Julian engaged with a passion and drive for music and dance. Throughout my time working with Julian I appreciated his global perspective with an interest in exploring the power of music and dance. His creative approach was indicative of this...

Maalika

I strongly recommend any being wanting to connect deeper, authentically, to their own natural rhythm -empowered, to partake and co-create in a transformational journey facilitated by him for a profound exploration and deep inner experience. — Maalika

Edward

He has a unique ability to inspire people with his percussion playing, getting people on their feet, and feeling the joy of life through music, movement, and dance. — Eduard

Dustin

Personally I have not only developed as a percussionist, but as a person thanks to meeting Julian and all the others in the drum/dance circle. — Dustin

Amy

I felt especially interested in joining because of the way he prepares and guides participants by pointing out what we should pay attention to in the process and also opening up for group feedback. By doing this and by offering a consistent weekly practice he shows lots of wisdom and experience to lead this kind of practice. — Amy

Jill

Julian's rhythms move like water in all its manifestations. The dance is effortless, the dancer is buoyed and transcends. -- Jill

Publications and Articles On the Benefits of Drum and Dance Circles

Neuroscience reveals how rhythm helps us walk, talk — and even love

Rhythm is of course a fundamental part of music. But neuroscience is revealing that it’s also a fundamental part of our innermost selves: how we learn to walk, talk, read and even bond with others. From heartbeats heard in the womb, to the underlying rhythmic patterns of thought, rhythm — as one researcher puts it — is life.”

From: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/neuroscience-reveals-how-rhythm-helps-us-walk-talk-and-even-love-1.5550722

Drumming Program helping Vietnam veterans affected by PTSD

A groundbreaking study in suburban Melbourne is using simple drum beats to help Vietnam veterans heal the emotional scars of combat.

https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-15/drumming-program-helping-vietnam-veterans-with-ptsd/7718226?pfmredir=sm

Social-emotional learning through drumming intervention

Scores on the seven social development domains ranged from 7.2 to 7.8, indicating positive change during the 10-week period for most students. Across all domains, teachers rated between 3% and 13% of students with no change. Using the total score, more than 93% of students were rated with some degree of positive change.in the module Advanced settings.

Source: http://approaches.gr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Approaches_FirstView_a20181112-stgeorge.pdf

Learn More

The traditional healing properties of the drum merge with the latest research from the fields of neuroscience and trauma informed care.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/traditional-healing-properties-drum-merge-latest-from-simon-faulkner/

Group Drumming Bangs Away at Anxiety and Depression

Study shows that making music can be a powerful tool for promoting mental health.

An “exploratory examination” found 10 weeks of group drumming provided significant benefits for a group of people who had sought help for mental-health issues. What’s more, the improvements persisted for at least three months after the sessions concluded.

https://psmag.com/social-justice/your-unemployed-friend-was-right-all-along

the Study: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/related?id=10.1371/journal.pone.

Recreational music-making modulates natural killer cell activity, cytokines, and mood states in corporate employees.

group demonstrated enhanced mood, lower gene expression levels of the stress-induced cytokine interleukin-10, and higher NK cell activity when compared to the control.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17261984

Transcendent Experiences

A 2004 study published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis revealed that drumming enables participants to go into deeper hypnotic states, and another 2014 study published in PLoS found that when combined with shamanistic instruction, drumming enables participants to experience decreased heart rate and dreamlike experiences consistent with transcendental experiences.

https://www.rhythmresearchresources.net/

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Reduce Emotional Distress

A powerful 2001 study published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that low-income children who enrolled in a 12-week group drumming intervention saw multiple domains of social-emotional behavior improve significantly, from anxiety to attention, from oppositional to post-traumatic disorders.

https://www.rhythmresearchresources.net/

Improves Our Immune System. Reduces Cortisol, and Boosts Two Types of Cancer Fighting Cells

A 2001 study published in Alternative Therapies and Health Medicine indicates that drumming circles boost the immune system. Led by renowned cancer expert Barry Bittman, MD, the study demonstrates that group drumming actually increases cancer-killing cells, which help…

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Regrows Brain Matter

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Huntington’s Disease found that two months of drumming intervention in Huntington’s patients (considered an irreversible, lethal neurodegenerative disease) resulted in “improvements in executive function and changes in white matter microstructure, notably in the genu of the corpus callosum that connects prefrontal cortices of both hemispheres.” The study authors concluded that the pilot study provided novel preliminary evidence that drumming (or related targeted behavioral stimulation) may result in “cognitive enhancement and improvements in callosal white matter microstructure.”

https://www.rhythmresearchresources.net/

Reduce Blood Pressure, Anxiety/Stress

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine enrolled both middle-aged experienced drummers and a younger novice group in a 40-minute djembe drumming sessions. Their blood pressure, blood lactate and stress and anxiety levels were taken before and after the sessions. Also, their heart rate was monitored at 5 second intervals throughout the sessions. As a result of the trial, all participants saw a drop in stress and anxiety. Systolic blood pressure dropped in the older population post-drumming.

https://www.rhythmresearchresources.net/

Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery

The findings provide support for the conceptual notion of ‘creative practice as mutual recovery’, demonstrating that group drumming provides a creative and mutual learning space in which mental health recovery can take place.

From: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13612-016-0048-0

African drumming: a holistic approach to reducing stress and improving health?

Djembe drumming may improve cardiovascular health, without the cardiovascular risks to unhealthy or older populations that are associated with higher intensity exercise, and at the same time may decrease stress and anxiety levels. Furthermore, participation in drumming did not result in acute hypotension in normotensive individuals.

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24983262

Study: Therapeutic Potential a Drum and Dance

Participants described diverse benefits, including increased exercise tolerance, stress reduction, feelings of group support, and beneficial spiritual experiences.

From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4523073/

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(812) 269-2103

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info@RhythmArise.com

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2626 S Bryan St, Bloomington, IN 47403

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About The Facilitator

Facilitated drum and dance circles for health, personal growth, and community

Julian Douglas

Let's explore opportunities for Shared Rhythm Experiences in your community

Publications and Articles On the Benefits of Drum and Dance Circles

Neuroscience reveals how rhythm helps us walk, talk — and even love

Drumming Program helping Vietnam veterans affected by PTSD

Social-emotional learning through drumming intervention

The traditional healing properties of the drum merge with the latest research from the fields of neuroscience and trauma informed care.

Group Drumming Bangs Away at Anxiety and Depression

Recreational music-making modulates natural killer cell activity, cytokines, and mood states in corporate employees.

Transcendent Experiences

Reduce Emotional Distress

Improves Our Immune System. Reduces Cortisol, and Boosts Two Types of Cancer Fighting Cells

Regrows Brain Matter

Reduce Blood Pressure, Anxiety/Stress

Making music for mental health: how group drumming mediates recovery

African drumming: a holistic approach to reducing stress and improving health?

Study: Therapeutic Potential a Drum and Dance

(812) 269-2103

info@RhythmArise.com

2626 S Bryan St, Bloomington, IN 47403