Photo credit Dennis Jarvis 2016 Many of us have noticed the biblical connection between music and symptom relief in the story of David and King Saul of ancient Israel. More than some 2,000 years ago, David, the man credited with writing many psalms played a lyre for his king (See 1 Samuel 16). Apparently, the people had observed the connection between music and relief because they offered to find a musician for Saul. David was called into service based on his reputation. When he played the lyre or harp, Saul experienced relief from his torment attributed to an evil spirit from God. Although some Christians view Saul's distress as caused by a literal supernatural being, others view the story as an ancient way of understanding mental illness. Obviously, it's speculative to make a diagnosis on limited descriptions from thousands of years ago. It's tempting to view Saul's distress as a cyclical mood disorder. Regardless of Saul's biopsychological condition, the value ...
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