The Harp of the Soul: Neuroacoustic and Psycho-spiritual Mechanisms of the Ethiopian Begena as a Therapeutic Modality for Grief, Anxiety, and Spiritual Dryness
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Abstract
Grief, anxiety, and spiritual dryness represent interconnected forms of human suffering with limited culturally grounded interventions. The Begena a 10-stringed Ethiopian lyre associated with King David has been used for centuries in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church meditation as "food for the soul." This paper advances the thesis that the Begena constitutes a neuroacoustic and psycho-spiritual intervention, not merely music, for grief, anxiety, and spiritual dryness. An integrative review synthesizing biblical scholarship (1 Samuel 16:14–23), Ethiopian Orthodox liturgical tradition, Polyvagal Theory, neuroacoustic research on low-frequency resonance, resonance, electroencephalography (EEG) studies of alpha/theta oscillations, and psycho-spiritual theories of holding environments and meaning-making. The Begena produces low-frequency resonance (80–250 Hz) overlapping vagus nerve optimal band (100–200 Hz), inducing parasympathetic tone (HRV +73%) and theta/alpha enhancement (4–12 Hz, +140–175%). Inter-note silence (≥3 seconds) decouples default mode network activity by 65%, reducing rumination. Psycho-spiritually, the instrument provides non-verbal containment for grief, companions’ spiritual dryness, and facilitates metanoia (repentance) as cognitive reappraisal. The Begena is a dual-mechanism therapeutic modality meriting clinical investigation. Pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing Begena listening to white noise and silence for prolonged grief disorder.
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Asfaw, K. D., Nigussie Mamushet Degeif, Belay Sitotaw Goshu, & Arifulhak Aceh. (2026). The Harp of the Soul: Neuroacoustic and Psycho-spiritual Mechanisms of the Ethiopian Begena as a Therapeutic Modality for Grief, Anxiety, and Spiritual Dryness. LingLit Journal Scientific Journal for Linguistics and Literature, 6(3), 206-225. Retrieved from https://mail.biarjournal.com/index.php/linglit/article/view/1475
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References
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Solomon Daniel Yohanes on Begena as "God speaking in his own voice." (2025, March 14). The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2025/03/14/ethiopias-ancient-instrument-finds-new-life-healing-through-timeless-melodies
St. John of the Cross. (1959). Dark night of the soul (E. A. Peers, Trans.). Image Books. (Original work published 1618)
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. A. (2016). What is alexithymia? In G. J. Taylor, R. M. Bagby, & J. D. A. Parker (Eds.), Disorders of affect regulation: Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness (pp. 26–48). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511526831.004
Thayer, J. F., Åhs, F., Fredrikson, M., Sollers, J. J., & Wager, T. D. (2012). A meta-analysis of heart rate variability and neuroimaging studies: Implications for heart rate variability as a marker of stress and health. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(2), 747–756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.11.009
The Ethiopian Herald. (2022, June 23). Begena: A spiritual instrument that soothes soul, regains vitality. The Ethiopian Herald. https://press.et/herald/?p=56120
Trost, C. (Ed.). (2024). Monochrome string instruments in outpatient and clinical settings. Reichert Verlag. https://medialibrary.reichert-verlag.de/en/9783752002584_monochrome_saiteninstrumente_in_ambulanten_und_klinischen_settings/
Weisser, S. (2012). Emotion and music: The Ethiopian lyre bagana. Musicae Scientiae, 16(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864911416493
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Begena. Retrieved April 6, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begena
Winnicott, D. W. (1965). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development. International Universities Press.
Biruktawit Tasew on Begena as "medicine for the soul"; Natnael Hailu on heart rate and blood pressure; Solomon Daniel Yohanes on "God speaking in his own voice"; Ermias Haylay on Alzheimer's, dementia, and autism; ten strings symbolizing Ten Commandments. (2025, March 6). Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) (AFP). https://bssnews.net/international/252351
Biruktawit Tasew on Begena as "medicine for the soul"; Natnael Hailu on heart rate and blood pressure; Solomon Daniel Yohanes on "God speaking in his own voice"; Ermias Haylay on Alzheimer's, dementia, and autism. (2025, March 6). EWN (AFP). https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/03/06/ethiopias-ancient-instrument-begena-healing-souls
Boyce, R., Glasgow, S. D., Williams, S., & Adamantidis, A. (2016). Causal evidence for the role of REM sleep theta rhythm in contextual memory consolidation. Science, 352(6287), 812–816. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aad5252
Brewer, J. A., Worhunsky, P. D., Gray, J. R., Tang, Y. Y., Weber, J., & Kober, H. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(50), 20254–20259. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1112029108
Burton-Christie, D. (2020). Acedia, spiritual dryness, and the search for the living God. Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, *20*(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1353/scs.2020.0000
David's ministry to Saul: 1 Samuel 16:14–23. (n.d.). Ligonier Ministries. https://learn.ligonier.org/devotionals/davids-ministry-to-saul
Ellis, R. J., & Thayer, J. F. (2010). Music and autonomic nervous system (dys)function. Music Perception, 27(4), 317–326. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2010.27.4.317
Farb, N. A. S., Segal, Z. V., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., Fatima, Z., & Anderson, A. K. (2007). Attending to the present: Mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2(4), 313–322. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsm030
Goshu, B.S (2025b) Mathematical Modeling of Vibrational Modes in Polygonal Musical Instruments: A Comparative Analysis of Triangular and Square Geometries. KOS J Sci and Eng. 1(1): 1-9.
Goshu, B.S., (2025a), Saint Yared’s Cosmic Harmony: Music, Astronomy, and Philosophy in 6th-Century Ethiopia, Konfrontasi: Jurnal Kultural, Ekonomi dan Perubahan Sosial 12 (4), 242-258
Goshu, B.S., and M. Ridwan, (2024a), Ancient Ethiopian astronomy: Cultural foundations, indigenous timekeeping, and scientific contributions, Lakhomi Journal Scientific Journal of Culture 5 (4), 242-264
Goshu, B.S., and M. Ridwan, (2024b), Naming the Days: The Influence of Ancient Astronomy on Modern Religious and Cultural Practices, LingLit Journal Scientific Journal for Linguistics and Literature 5 (3), 115-141
Gross, J. J. (2015). Emotion regulation: Current status and future prospects. Psychological Inquiry, *26*(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781
Klimesch, W. (2012). Alpha-band oscillations, attention, and controlled access to stored information. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(12), 606–617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.10.007
Kolacz, J., Kovacic, K. K., & Porges, S. W. (2019). Traumatic stress and the autonomic brain-gut connection in development: Polyvagal theory as an integrative framework for psychosocial and gastrointestinal pathology. Developmental Psychobiology, 61(5), 796–809. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.21852
Natnael Hailu & Ermias Haylay on Begena calming heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and extraordinary changes in Alzheimer's, dementia, and autism patients. (2025, March 6). New Vision. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/world/ethiopias-ancient-instrument-begena-healing-s-NV_206336
Olimbovo, S. S. (2024). An evil spirit from God? Historical-cultural interpretation of 1 Samuel 16:14-23 with its relation to mental health. PASCA: Jurnal Teologi dan Pendidikan Agama Kristen, *20*(1), 31–41. https://doi.org/10.46494/psc.v20i1.287
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
Porges, S. W. (2021). Polyvagal theory: A science of safety. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 15, Article 778684. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2021.778684
Reitsma, L., Killikelly, C., Müller, H., Larsen, L. H., Nijborg, L. C. J., Boelen, P. A., & Lenferink, L. I. M. (2025). Prevalence and correlates of positive and negative psychological effects of bereavement due to COVID-19: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, *378*, 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.02.078
Sitompul, A., Nainggolan, B. D., & Hutagalung, S. (2021). Menjangkau orang gangguan jiwa dengan konsep Daud dalam 1 Samuel 16:23 [Reaching people with mental disorders using David's concept in 1 Samuel 16:23]. Jurnal Gamaliel: Teologi Praktika, *3*(2), 86–99. https://doi.org/10.38052/gamaliel.v3i2.68
Solomon Daniel Yohanes on Begena as "God speaking in his own voice." (2025, March 14). The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/culture/2025/03/14/ethiopias-ancient-instrument-finds-new-life-healing-through-timeless-melodies
St. John of the Cross. (1959). Dark night of the soul (E. A. Peers, Trans.). Image Books. (Original work published 1618)
Taylor, G. J., Bagby, R. M., & Parker, J. D. A. (2016). What is alexithymia? In G. J. Taylor, R. M. Bagby, & J. D. A. Parker (Eds.), Disorders of affect regulation: Alexithymia in medical and psychiatric illness (pp. 26–48). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511526831.004
Thayer, J. F., Åhs, F., Fredrikson, M., Sollers, J. J., & Wager, T. D. (2012). A meta-analysis of heart rate variability and neuroimaging studies: Implications for heart rate variability as a marker of stress and health. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(2), 747–756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.11.009
The Ethiopian Herald. (2022, June 23). Begena: A spiritual instrument that soothes soul, regains vitality. The Ethiopian Herald. https://press.et/herald/?p=56120
Trost, C. (Ed.). (2024). Monochrome string instruments in outpatient and clinical settings. Reichert Verlag. https://medialibrary.reichert-verlag.de/en/9783752002584_monochrome_saiteninstrumente_in_ambulanten_und_klinischen_settings/
Weisser, S. (2012). Emotion and music: The Ethiopian lyre bagana. Musicae Scientiae, 16(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864911416493
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Begena. Retrieved April 6, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begena
Winnicott, D. W. (1965). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in the theory of emotional development. International Universities Press.