Iman’s New Single Therapy:
Funky Track Keeps It Real About Our Personal Struggles
By Akello Stone
Iman, you got me thinking hard and deep about mental health issues. No, not yours...mine.
His new single recently dropped on the ‘net, rightfully named Therapy, which both skillfully and groovily invites listeners into a rhythmic, public dialogue, asking, ”What are you doing to keep it all together? What is it that you need?” He serves as our proxy (his “I” is really a shared “we”) when he proclaims, “I need some therapy.” He then melodically discloses pieces of his own personal history with examples of externally-influenced torment, self-imposed head games and self-administered panaceas, some of which have worked and others which have not.
We (I am referring to all people) must collectively and openly discuss the fact that we need to find ways to get through modern life when things are falling apart. We must stop stigmatizing the various modalities that comprise our search for personal betterment. Therapeutic approaches for meeting human mental and emotional needs, are as old as people have congregated into groups. Therapy will remain with us as long as we are beings on this planet (however long that may be). Expanding the very idea of your perception and interpretation of what constitutes therapy is a big step toward achieving wholeness and healing on your own terms.
Some seek out therapy in a belief system, a deity or deities, or in sacred practices like yoga, prayer or meditation. Some seek it out through individual counseling sessions or weekly meetings or groups. Still, others lean into the support of a loved one; or in rare but true scenarios, seek relief by confiding in a complete stranger. Therapy can happen during a personal communion with nature or it can happen by efforts enacted within your mind. It can also happen with a spot of herbal tea or the ingestion of a mind-altering substance. There are also some folks for whom music itself is the divine healer, the soul-feeder, the cosmic sound energy of our shared human existence and the most profoundly effective form of therapy there is. What results from such interventions is as diverse as troubles can be long - but it’s up to you to decide what works for best for you.
Iman is the trifecta of a true artist: an extraordinary musician, a vocalist with a smooth and savory sound, and a writer of lyrics that are consciously penetrative, raw and relevant. Sending messages as critical and timely as those embedded in the lyrics of Therapy, while simultaneously making it sound “oh-so-good,” is a selfless accomplishment that should be acknowledged. I can’t wait to listen to my second therapy session (translated - Iman’s next release).
Welcome back to our listening ears and props for listening to yourself and hopefully finding some peace and clarity, of your very own, along the way.
Funky Track Keeps It Real About Our Personal Struggles
By Akello Stone
Iman, you got me thinking hard and deep about mental health issues. No, not yours...mine.
His new single recently dropped on the ‘net, rightfully named Therapy, which both skillfully and groovily invites listeners into a rhythmic, public dialogue, asking, ”What are you doing to keep it all together? What is it that you need?” He serves as our proxy (his “I” is really a shared “we”) when he proclaims, “I need some therapy.” He then melodically discloses pieces of his own personal history with examples of externally-influenced torment, self-imposed head games and self-administered panaceas, some of which have worked and others which have not.
We (I am referring to all people) must collectively and openly discuss the fact that we need to find ways to get through modern life when things are falling apart. We must stop stigmatizing the various modalities that comprise our search for personal betterment. Therapeutic approaches for meeting human mental and emotional needs, are as old as people have congregated into groups. Therapy will remain with us as long as we are beings on this planet (however long that may be). Expanding the very idea of your perception and interpretation of what constitutes therapy is a big step toward achieving wholeness and healing on your own terms.
Some seek out therapy in a belief system, a deity or deities, or in sacred practices like yoga, prayer or meditation. Some seek it out through individual counseling sessions or weekly meetings or groups. Still, others lean into the support of a loved one; or in rare but true scenarios, seek relief by confiding in a complete stranger. Therapy can happen during a personal communion with nature or it can happen by efforts enacted within your mind. It can also happen with a spot of herbal tea or the ingestion of a mind-altering substance. There are also some folks for whom music itself is the divine healer, the soul-feeder, the cosmic sound energy of our shared human existence and the most profoundly effective form of therapy there is. What results from such interventions is as diverse as troubles can be long - but it’s up to you to decide what works for best for you.
Iman is the trifecta of a true artist: an extraordinary musician, a vocalist with a smooth and savory sound, and a writer of lyrics that are consciously penetrative, raw and relevant. Sending messages as critical and timely as those embedded in the lyrics of Therapy, while simultaneously making it sound “oh-so-good,” is a selfless accomplishment that should be acknowledged. I can’t wait to listen to my second therapy session (translated - Iman’s next release).
Welcome back to our listening ears and props for listening to yourself and hopefully finding some peace and clarity, of your very own, along the way.