If you’ve ever found yourself crying to a song, smiling at a melody, or being transported to another time by a beat, you already know: music has power.
In therapy, in education, in our everyday lives, music works on us in ways words can’t always reach. That’s why Step 2 of The Blurred Lines Between Us is about letting music speak when silence feels safer and words feel impossible.
Because music doesn’t just entertain us it heals us.
Music as Therapy
Therapists have known for decades that music can do what talk alone sometimes can’t. Research shows that music:
- Regulates emotions. Certain rhythms and sounds can calm anxiety or energize a low mood.
- Accesses memory. A familiar song can unlock experiences and feelings buried deep, even in people with memory loss.
- Encourages expression. Lyrics and melodies allow us to “say” things indirectly that feel too risky to say directly.
- Creates connection. Sharing music builds intimacy and understanding without requiring perfect words.
That’s why music therapy is used with children, trauma survivors, people with depression, and families in conflict. It gives a safe, universal language when spoken language feels too sharp.
Why Music Matters for Mothers and Daughters:
Let’s be real: mothers and daughters don’t always know how to talk to each other. Pride, fear, history, and silence can stand in the way. But music cuts through all of that.
- A daughter may not be able to say, “I feel invisible,” but she’ll play the same sad song on repeat in her room.
- A mother may not know how to tell her daughter, “I’m proud of you,” but she plays the song she used to sing to her when she was little.
- Both may struggle to apologize — but they can find a song that captures regret, hope, or love.
In that way, music becomes a therapeutic tool in the relationship itself. It’s not about fixing everything in one conversation. It’s about creating a bridge that words alone couldn’t build.
Therapeutic Ways to Use Music in Healing:
Here are a few therapeutic practices (some directly from Step 2 of the journal, some from the field of music therapy) that you can start using today:
1. Memory Lane:
Choose a song tied to a childhood memory. Listen to it together with your mom/daughter. Afterwards, share the memory it stirs good, bad, or complicated.
This creates a doorway for stories and truths that often stay buried.
2. The Silent Apology:
If saying “I’m sorry” feels too hard, find a song that communicates it. Share it. Let the song carry the weight. Sometimes that’s the opening for the words to follow.
3. Calming the Body:
Instrumental music, especially with slow rhythms, can regulate the nervous system. Try 10 minutes of quiet listening together as a grounding practice before or after a hard conversation.
4. Shared Song Swap:
Each person chooses one song that feels like their truth today. Play them back-to-back. No commentary, no debating. Just six minutes of listening.
Afterwards, if you’re ready, share one sentence about why you chose it.
Why This Step Sets the Tone:
Step 2 isn’t about having the right words it’s about giving yourself permission to use a different language.
- It lowers defenses.
- It bypasses silence.
- It gives permission to feel.
- It creates new rhythms of connection.
Healing isn’t about perfection. It’s about willingness. And sometimes willingness looks like pressing “play.”
Hey, love.
I know silence has been your teacher. I know words have felt like weapons or weights. But music? Music has always been your refuge.
Don’t underestimate it. That song you keep playing on repeat? It’s telling on you. It’s naming what your mouth has been too afraid to speak.
So here’s my challenge this week:
- Stop ignoring the songs that move you. Pay attention to what they’re saying.
- Let your daughter hear the music that carries your truth.
- Let your mother know the melody that makes you feel seen.
Because sometimes three minutes of music is more honest than thirty years of conversations.
With rhythm and compassion,
Lily
Silence is heavy. It was passed down to us like an heirloom. But music has always been the rebel breaking through walls, cracking silence, speaking what our voices could not.
Step 2 is your reminder that healing doesn’t have to start with perfect sentences. It can start with a song.
👉🏾 Want to go deeper? The Blurred Lines Between Us includes a guided playlist activity that will help you and your mother/daughter uncover the songs that tell your story — and begin building a bridge note by note.
[Grab your copy today and let music begin the healing where words have failed.]
Comments ()