Yet so often the common choice: putting
on a movie—actually stresses kids out more.
That’s because most mainstream
children’s media is over stimulating. Instead of relaxing children,
it winds them up, makes them anxious or zoned them out—the exact
opposite of what’s intended.
In choosing children’s media that
will positively benefit kids, three elements are key according to Dr.
Steve Koc, an Oregon chiropractor who’s worked for 40 years helping
clients of all ages relax, de-stress and heal.
“Nature, music and humor are powerful
healers,” said Koc. “Each element by itself is a natural
de-stressor that creates physiological and hormonal shifts in the
body. When you combine them together, you have a powerful agent for
relaxation and stress relief.”
It’s not the
first time the healing properties of nature, music and laughter have
been noted by the scientific and holistic communities.
A Japanese study found that those who
practiced shinrin-yoku (walking and staying in forests)
experienced greater stress reduction. Dr. Masura Emoto, author of
Messages from Water, gained
worldwide acclaim for his research in vibrational sound, and Dr.
Mitchell Gaynor documents his findings in The
Healing Power of Sound. The
acclaimed Norman Cousins researched the healing power of laugher in
his book The Anatomy of an Illness,
to name a few.
Koc became so intrigued by the idea of
using these three elements—nature, music and laughter—for stress
relief, he created Gnomies World, an award-winning animated
children's movie designed to help kids relax.
The film follows the adventures of the
Gnomies, a merry band of characters who live deep in the woods, go on
peaceful adventures in nature, and bring laughter to all.
“On the one hand, Gnomies World
is light and frivolous,” said Koc. “Yet there is an underlying
science in the making of this movie that is designed for deep
healing. As one gets immersed into the world of the Gnomies, the
brain and body are affected in uplifting and healing ways.”
“In my four decades of clinical
practice, I’ve always sought out natural ways to assist the healing
process. I've found very good results using breathing exercises,
along with visual images that create a state of inner peace, and
sound healing,” Koc said.
“Gnomies World uses all of
these modalities in addition to the laughter response, to create a
state of relaxation in the body.” Koc said. Because of this, the
film differs from most children’s media in several key ways:
Peace and kindness
“There’s no violence in the film,”
said Koc. “The Gnomies are kind and respectful to each other.
Nowadays, popular children’s shows are loaded with sarcasm, witty
put downs, and attitudes of “me, me, me. This negativity disguised
as humor trains children and adults to think and act in ways that
lead to negative outcomes.”
“There is an intention to create
peace and harmony through this film. There is an intention to leave
the audience in a state of higher vibration or attunement. There is
an intention to uplift those who watch it,” Koc said.
“What we watch and listen to feeds
our thoughts and feelings. When we focus on positivity, we reap the
benefits in physical and emotional health,” he noted.
Interactive nature
Nature also plays a starring role in
the film.
“Without doubt, nature heals,” said
Koc. “The studies are clear about the benefits of being in natural
settings, with practices like forest bathing, earthing, green spaces
and being outside. From a healing perspective, the benefits of
exposure to nature are pretty much the same as the benefits from
laughter itself: stimulation of the immune system, reduction of
stress, and relaxation of the muscles.”
Gnomies World is designed to
bring real-life, non-commercialized, actual nature to children. It
was filmed on 12 private acres in the Oregon forests south of
Portland. “I spent a lot of times outdoors,” said Koc. “I spent
hours wandering amongst the trees, moss and mud with a camera.”
Reviewing the footage, Koc was
surprised to see unexpected nature show up: “Out of nowhere, a frog
jumped onto one of the Gnomie’s heads, and a curious hummingbird
dropped by. A bumblebee showed up unexpectedly. Nature is always
interacting with us in wonderful ways.”
Sound therapy
The soundtrack is specifically designed
to create a healing response in the body.
An expert in sound healing: Koc has
produced four award-winning healing music CDs, and has used sound
healing in his clinical practice for forty years.
“Sound therapy is well-documented as
a healing modality. The way we choose beats, tones and vibration
creates changes in the physiology.” he said. The movie is imbued
with original music that helps relax and release tension.”
Laughter—the best medicine
“Plain and simple, laughter heals,”
said Koc. “The mind and body let go of stress when we laugh—and
this true for both children and adults.
“The feel-good chemicals of the
brain, endorphins and the like, are enhanced while at the same time
the stress-related chemicals such as cortisol and epinephrine are
reduced. It’s well-documented that the immune system also gets a
healthy boost as a result of laughing, and our breath and circulation
are affected in positive ways.”
In
2016,
Gnomies World
won Best Animated Film at the Northwest Comic Fest, and Official
Selection at the Oregon Independent Film Festival.
Gnomies
World
is available on DVD from Beyond Words Publishing. For information,
visit www.gnomiesworld.com
How to choose children’s media
that relaxes instead of revs up.
Here are five key elements proven to
create physiological shifts in the body, and help your kids relax.
• Healing nature. Studies
show that observing nature creates a shift in the body’s
physiology.
• Sound therapy. Music is well
known to shift mood. Look for music that creates relaxation in the
body.
• Laughter and humor. The
laughter response is well documented as an effective way to relieve
stress and release feel-good endorphins in the body.
• Peace and positivity:
Snarky sarcasm may seem funny, but this type of "put down"
humor loads kids with negative thoughts.
• Slower pacing: Modern media
is over stimulating to kids. Look for slower, more organic pacing
that doesn’t keep kids on edge.
Additional Sources
The benefits of nature, music and
laughter are well-documented for stress relief. Here are a few.
National
Geographic: This is your brain on nature
University of
Minnesota: Changes in health care setting: how does nature impact
healing, reducing stress by adding nature images
Healing Images:
Company places nature images in medical settings for healing
Publish
Health Journal, University of Kyoto: Psychological
effects of forest environments on health
Science
Magazine: View through a window may
influence recovery from surgery
Chopra Center:
Healing through nature
Norman Cousins:
Anatomy of an Illness
About the author. Sara Wiseman
is a Nautilus award-winning author. She writes the Daily Divine
blog and is a frequent contributor to national and regional
publications in spirituality and holistic health.
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