“When we surrender to sound and stillness,
we begin to remember the song of our soul.”
Glenn S. Cohen
@CenterForNI
I’ve loved music my entire life. But during some of my darker seasons, those roller coaster chapters that life throws our way I stopped listening. This is the story of how music came back into my life and became a guiding force in my latest awakening.
As a Neurological Life Coach for over twenty years, I’ve come to see humans as supercomputers. Our software is built from unconscious memories programmed by early sensory experiences, each holding energy and information. Music, to me, is one of the most powerful forms of sensory data we have. It moves through us, stirs memory, and awakens emotion.
Have you ever heard a song that instantly transported you to another time, complete with a vivid image or a visceral feeling? Or one that cracked your heart open, made you laugh or cry, or filled your soul with inspiration?
In our lifetime of laboratory moments, we get to experiment. We test strategies, tools, and techniques to heal, grow, and evolve. During a recent personal challenge, I found myself in the lab again, this time, guided by music.
In our darkest moments, some of our most profound lessons emerge. In the winter of 2024-25, I found myself deep in a healing process, one I’ve long suggested to my clients: to pause, sit in stillness or take mindful walks, and simply allow the energy in their body to move through. Exhale it with intention. Witness the "barking brain", the chaos of internal commentary and choose to observe and not engage.
I took my own advice. And then added something more.
I converted my gas fireplace to wood-burning, a desire I had carried for years and with the help of friends, it was done in one day. I began making fires nightly, sitting in stillness with the twinkling flames as my companion. I started building a playlist on Spotify, searching for songs that resonated with my journey. That playlist eventually grew into 79 hours of music.
Each night by the fire, I practiced being present with the discomfort in my body, nonjudgmentally, with loving kindness. I’d adjust the logs, gaze into the flickering flames, and let the music wash through me. I often repeated Jon Kabat-Zinn’s words as a gentle reminder:
“Mindfulness means paying attention, in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
As this ritual deepened, I began a daily walking meditation with my CNI – Spiritual Soulful Healing Playlist. During those walks, I’d shift the song order. A certain lyric would land differently one day, and I’d move that track forward. Over time, the playlist evolved alongside me, becoming a mirror of where I was on my spiritual healing path.
What I was doing through music, fire, mindfulness, and movement was slowly returning home to myself.
Here’s what I learned:
· Observe the noisy narratives of the mind, but don’t engage them.
· Be with the energy of activation in the body until it softens and flows.
· Sense what’s missing in your soul and give yourself the experience of safety, certainty, and trust.
· Soften the armor around your heart with patience, compassion, and love.
· Shed your protective layers and come home to the one thing that matters most: Neurological Freedom.
Imagine your healing journey as a fire-lit cabin in the woods. The wind howls outside, but inside, music hums through the room, the flames crackle, and your breath softens. With each log placed on the fire and every lyric that touches your heart, you melt another layer of protection, warming your way back home to yourself. So, what’s a song that has cracked your heart open, or brought you back to life when you needed it most?
If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your story. Visit my website centerforni.com to schedule an initial interview session. You can also tune into my bi-weekly podcast, Lessons of Life, Love, and Healing, on Apple or Spotify. Subscribe to my Substack for daily reflections and as a gift, enjoy my CNI – Spiritual Soulful Healing Playlist on Spotify.
With big hugs and lots of love,
God bless,
Glenn 🙏🌻
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