Is a love of dark moody music healthy?

[William Wyatt]

PLEASE READ WHOLE POST OR DON'T REPLY. I am a 20 year old male with quite a horrible upbringing, I was a 1 night stand to 2 teenagers. My mother was an ADD diagnosed girl with extreme emotional and anger issues and a traumatic childhood herself. Her parent's divorced at a young age. Her mother re-married and she was sexually assaulted by her step brother. Though I am not to product of such events, it obviously sparked sexual promiscuity within her and she birthed me at 15My Father at 17 was a reckless, angry bogan (Australian redneck), very quick to snap to anger and his teaching me to play sport involved lots of yelling and intimidation when I dropped the ball at the age of 6-8. He is very snarky, and short, even to this day. His biological father left him before birth and his mother quickly married another man. an introverted railway worker. Both parent's beat him as a child and young adult. So he grew very street smart, yet highly aggressive.  My parents were never together, yet I would see my father most weekends... Through my teenage years my headphones were a sanctuary. I would listen to lots of alternative rock music mainly. the more emotional, the better. I was like a mix between an emo and hippie. At around 16-27 my interest in bands like Pink Floyd, The Doors and most notably Tool sparked a philosophical tick in my brain. It also led me to Bill Hicks who seems a bit of an unstudied left-libertarian, but that sparked my deeper interest in politics and how the world should work. Which ultimately led me here.I am now a singer-songwriter and guitarist and I earn a tax free living from busking and gigging. But in the process of developing my voice I learned that I am more of a mid range crooner, not a super high pop or rock wailer.....  I'm probably more of a baritone, which often play darker, emotionally complex, villainous or comedic roles in opera.  They were very popular in 80s new wave and gothic rock bands that I have taken a deep liking to recently. I would consider my style a mix of The Cure, Tool, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Tea Party. People often call this music depressing, but I think it's essential, deep, and the biggest artistic expression of romantic realism. It's great to feel the intensity, cry to, and even work out to... How do I know If I'm working through trauma, or just wallowing in melancholy? Here are some of the sounds I love right now, followed by my own music. 

https://soundcloud.com/will-wyatt-4/reveal-william-wyatt-original 

[MMX2010]

How do I know If I'm working through trauma, or just wallowing in melancholy?  

 

Wrong question. 

 

Right question: "How do I design a multi-faceted system - comprised of therapy, multiple conversations with others, and multiple explorations into other kinds of music - which maximally allows to me to simultaneously test both conclusions, so that the correct answer will spontaneously emerge?" 

 

Best of luck; hope that was helpful.  Please tell me if it wasn't. 

[ParaSait]

Music doesn't create emotions. A song can't make you feel sad if you're not already sad about something inside.

So I see music as a way to help us connect to our own existing emotions better. And it's hard to recover from any trauma if you're disconnected from your emotions.

[MysterionMuffles]

We've discussed this in a couple of threads on self-knowledge. Without having to reiterate our cumilitive findings, tell me if these two threads are useful:

 

Is Music Therapy or Escape?

 

Identifying With the Music You Listen To

Through my teenage years my headphones were a sanctuary. 

 

Oh man, they still are for me!

 

What was it about Pink Floyd and Tool's music/lyrics that struck a chord with you?

 

Also, sorry to hear that you had overgrown children for parents...that must've not felt as stable as you needed to be free to be a child. 

 

And what kind of music do you want to write with your band? More emotional stuff or political stuff? Hell, both?

[Drew.]

.... 

 

 

Music doesn't create emotions. A song can't make you feel sad if you're not already sad about something inside.So I see music as a way to help us connect to our own existing emotions better. And it's hard to recover from any trauma if you're disconnected from your emotions.

 

 

This was basically what I was going to say. Liking moody music is an effect of what is going on inside. Especially when I was beginning my journey in self-exploration, I would often listen to music to me find the words and feelings of things that were going on inside of me that I couldn't rightly express. If a song really resonated with me, something was there that I could learn from it.

 

And sometimes a beautiful work is a beautiful work, and it's great to be sad.

 

And I'm sorry about your childhood. You deserved better.

[William Wyatt]

We've discussed this in a couple of threads on self-knowledge. Without having to reiterate our cumilitive findings, tell me if these two threads are useful:Is Music Therapy or Escape?Identifying With the Music You Listen ToOh man, they still are for me!What was it about Pink Floyd and Tool's music/lyrics that struck a chord with you?Also, sorry to hear that you had overgrown children for parents...that must've not felt as stable as you needed to be free to be a child. And what kind of music do you want to write with your band? More emotional stuff or political stuff? Hell, both?

[Spleanicus]

Man, I've grown up seeing my fair share of bogan families (live next door to one that has a yard full of beat up cars and revs engines way too much) and the way they treat their kids (and spouses) is just terrible. Sorry ya had to grow up under one.