Between 2017 and 2022, we engaged in an enormous research project on the benefits of active listening, centred around our flagship music experience Listen Up, led by Dr Amanda Krause (James Cook University) and Dr Madelyn Pardon, alongside Indigo’s Mary Hoang and Rich Lucano.

For five years, we gathered each month by candlelight in our old Surry Hills warehouse space, and engaged in a sonic ritual; lying on the floor, giving ourselves over to the music. It sounds fairly simple, right? But something profound began to happen. People would report visual, psychedelic-like experiences. They would share stories of deep reflection, processing parts of their lives that they had not had the time, space or willingness to address.

Which led us to the question… Why was this happening?

Thanks to your years of feedback, we’re a little closer to understanding. The peer-review study (which you can read here) analysing almost 200 participants, was recently published in leading global music psychology journal, Musicae Scientae.

Firstly, why was this study important?

Says the study, “While recent research has begun to theorise contextual, everyday listening, little is known about focused listening in the contemporary, digital age… we present a case study, the Indigo Project’s Listen Up, to examine a modern, focused, listening experience.”

Dr Krause expands on the lack of research around everyday music-listening:

“Research has begun to explore music in healthcare settings and has focused on experimental, laboratory-based research. But little work has been done on everyday practices of listening to music.
“Research is needed to examine people’s experiences of music-based community events, to consider how these might impact upon people’s perceived mental health/well-being and these events are an important part of this.”

What did the study unveil?

1. Listen Up does more than chill you out – it can help you to heal:

Much research has been done on music’s ability to help us de-stress and relax – but this study found that this form of active listening led to more than just reductions in stress and anxiety, and improvements in mood. Listen Up created a sense of meaningful reflection and introspection, leading to catharsis; that is, participants felt they had healed or processed something, with lasting benefits.

“These deep musical immersions were not just mere enjoyment; they were seen as cathartic journeys leading to a serene state” – Neuroscience News

2. Most people had visual experiences during Listen Up Focused listening sessions, likening them to psychedelic experiences.

The majority of responses referred to one or more outcomes of listening mindfully, such as evoked emotions and memories; levels of arousal and consciousness; and physical responses, including visual experiences and physical sensations.

3. Listen Up can help you process complex emotions

Most participants felt they had used the Listen Up session to process often intense and challenging feelings as well as memories and relationships, and to consider future goals.

I had a HUGE cry… I have a lot of painful things going on in my life. It allowed me to be with the pain I’m feeling, including the anger at the things that have been happening . . . So nice to release it.

Peace, rest, pain, sadness, loss, hope, wonder, reflection, calm. Mainly calm, at the end, feeling more grounded to myself and the present and less overwhelmed by neurotic thoughts of recent, painful experiences. More at peace with myself and positive/hopeful about the present moment. – Listen Up Participant

4. Focused listening might be better for you than just listening to music in the background

Dr. Krause says that most everyday music listening takes place alongside other activities and it is rarely someone’s primary activity, receiving their full attention. But it is the act of focused listening that can lead to the most benefits.

“Our research provides evidence for the emotional and mental health benefits of focused music listening. This type of listening is unusual in today’s music landscape and provides opportunities for meaningful experiences”.

She said people may find they can better manage their own well-being by learning to use focused music listening techniques to complement their usual, everyday listening practices.

5. Focused music listening through Listen Up helps you to feel a broad range of strong emotions (including challenging ones) – which may be central to catharsis

JCU’s Dr. Madelyn Pardon, co-author of the study, said people experienced an increased mood and decreased levels of stress and arousal after taking part. But it was not simply a matter of people enjoying the music; the emotions evoked were varied and complex.

“We found people’s emotional responses across the range: negative, positive, evocative and expressive, and sad,” Dr Pardon says. “Some people reported the experience as being emotionally challenging, therapeutic, and physically uncomfortable.”

Even when participants had feelings of vulnerability, challenge, and/or other “negative” emotions, they typically judged their experiences as positive and/or having a resolution.

As a focused-listening experience, Listen Up provides participants with the opportunity not only to attend to music but also to reflect on and process their personal thoughts and feelings.

6. Listen Up can help you ~actually~ transform

“It is the act of listening intentionally that affords individuals the opportunity to reflect meaningfully on memories, and experience induced emotions and changes to their physical and cognitive arousal. We would suggest that… participating in Listen Up could bring about feelings of transcendence and transformation.”

7. Focused listening might help you find answers to some of life’s questions

Mindfully attending to music could be a way of untangling yourself from your mind’s fog and gaining clarity; “…participants’ free-text responses… echo the feelings of transformation and transcendence…. finding that peak listening experiences can lead to epiphanies”

8. Focused listening sessions like Listen Up can provide a “diagnostics” of yourself, which can be a first step to help-seeking, for those reluctant to find support:

“Our findings suggest that—as music-based therapies promote therapeutic engagement… especially for people who are ambivalent or resistant to seeking treatment… participating in a focused-listening session may be a good first experience of therapy. It would thus be well worth finding out whether, and if so how, intentions to (continue to) seek support for health and well-being are influenced by participating in Listen Up and similar interventions. This would help both individuals and health practitioners to make the best use of music listening to support health and well-being.