Tension and Resolution
Dear Patient,
In music theory there’s a principle called tension and resolution—it’s the thing that moves a piece forward and tells a story. Even if you’ve never studied music theory you understand tension and resolution on a gut level. It’s the emotional magic of music.
Tension and resolution can be conveyed in many ways. A good example is the last stanza of the Star-Spangled Banner. Tension starts to build with “Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…,” then reaches its height with “land of the freeeeee…,” and finally resolves on the last word, “brave.” It’s why singers love to draw out those last lines—more dramatic effect! It’s why Olympic gold medalists are brought to tears on the podium. If they just stood there without any music, it wouldn’t be nearly as emotional.
I bring all this up because recently a patient made this analogy after a treatment. She rested for an hour with the needles in, and for most of the time she felt like she was in that tension phase of a piece of music. Finally, in the last ten minutes, something within her shifted to resolution. What a relief.
In a musical composition, tension and resolution are carefully crafted to draw you in, elicit an emotional response, and make you fall in love with the song. But in our own bodies, tension and resolution happen in their own time. If we try to force the resolution or get impatient, it may never come. Can you imagine how unsatisfying the Star-Spangled Banner would be without that last note?
It’s important to give space to the unfolding of tension and resolution—through rest, through surrender, through acceptance. It’s hard to do when we’re anxious for the resolution. To allow it to unfold on its own, sometimes we have to be brave.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist