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From:	daiva (adsl-144-78-97.ard.bellsouth.net)
Subject:	harmonic tv channel
Date:	July 23, 2006 at 12:55 pm PST

REALLY cool TV channel on Comcast. Go to Video on Demand, MUSIC category, HARMONY CHANNEL.

Very relaxing and meditative music and visuals...trippy and interesting. Yay for cool stuff on TV!

Went to their website and found some great reading too:

http://www.harmonychannel.com

Taken from the website:

Living in a Digital Age – Cognitive Overload and Stress

In this digital age, our senses are increasingly flooded with information and distractions from a wide variety of media. In the workplace we deal with a fast-paced environment fueled by instant worldwide information and communications. In public spaces we’re bombarded by digital signs and eye-grabbing information. And even in the sanctity of our homes, television vies for our attention with highly stimulating, information-rich programming.

These excessive demands on our senses contribute to cognitive overload, a state of constant distraction leading to chronic stress. According to the National Consumer’s League, over 80% of Americans report problems with stress, and 63% claim that their stress levels are rising. Job stress is estimated to cost U.S. industry over $300 billion annually, with 40% of job turnover attributable to stress. In the U.S. alone, over 50 million people suffer from sleep and relaxation disorders, according to Hypnion Research. Studies by the NIH and others have clearly shown that clinical stress can lead to serious health concerns.

Television’s purpose has been to inform, entertain and advertise. However the needs of our culture are changing. The trend in commercial television has been to attract viewers with ever more information, titillation, distractions and stimulation – the antithesis of what many of us most need.

People need to chill out!

Scientific studies have shown that the intentional use of music and visuals can uplift, heal, and produce desirable moods that counteract the effects of cognitive overload. Harmony Channel turns that new television set, home theater or HDTV that you just bought into a digital spa.

We Need Harmony!

Harmony Channel is a boldly different kind of network: we engineer programming that actually reduces stress and enhances wellness. Rather than providing information about stress reduction, Harmony Channel delivers entertaining, restorative experiences designed to leave people feeling energized, relaxed, romantic or refreshed.

The Healing Power of Music and Art

Music is scientifically proven to be a powerful mood-altering agent. Viewing natural scenes has also been shown to lower stress and increase mental alertness. Harmony Channel’s programming combines the mood-elevating properties of uplifting music with positive visionary art, compelling nature footage, computer animation and special effects, to create a powerful set of “digital pharmaceuticals” that intentionally alter mood in a variety of positive, desirable ways.

In developing Harmony Channel, we performed extensive research into mind, music, art and healing. Here are some notable quotations from the many papers and studies that we researched:

“Music has well established psychological effects, including the induction and modification of cognitive states, moods and emotions.”
Dr. Norman M. Weinberger, “The Musical Hormone,” MuSICA Research Notes, vIV #2, Fall 1997

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“Music is one of the most powerful tools for changing brain chemistry. It alters our chemistry instantly, with no known negative side effects. If chosen well, music can be medicine for the mind and soul.”
Dr. Joel Robertson, Natural Prozac (San Francisco, HarperCollins, 1998), p. 152.

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"Visual exposure to natural settings has produced significant recovery from stress, as indicated by changes in physiological measures such as blood pressure and muscle tension.”
D. Felf, ed., The Role of Horticulture in Human Well-Being and Social Development, (Portland, Timber Press,1992)

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“Viewing nature scenes is associated with enhanced mental alertness, attention, and cognitive performance, as measured by tasks such as proofreading and by formal psychological testing.“
Environment and Behavior, 1991, vol. 23, 3-26; Cancer Nursing, 1993, vol. 16, 83-92

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The field of healing music is rapidly growing. Harmony Channel seeks to remain on the forefront of mood-elevating visual music for enhanced wellness, enjoyment, and improved quality of life.

• Harmony Channel on Comcast