“I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.” – Albert Einstein
Music is what feelings sound like. This is a blessing for autistic people.
The autistic brain is hard wired to be mental/intellectual without any ability to feel emotions as they happen. We who are autistic process our emotions intellectually, a process that can take 24 hours, by which time the opportunity to feel anything has long passed.
Music is instantaneous emotional expression that bypasses the intellect. These six autistic people have relied on instrumental music to bring emotional balance into their lives: Anthony Hopkins and David Rowland compose melodies they hear in their heads (as did Mozart and Paganini). Isaac Newton played the flute for enjoyment. Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein played the violin.
For those autistic people who do not play an instrument, listening to music brings emotional balance; but it has to be instrumental music. Lyrics distract by interjecting conscious thought patterns that block the flow of emotion.
