Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68012
A LIFE OF MUSIC: PETER KATER "My theory is that sound absolutely affects not only the emotional body, but the physical body. It feels good and it draws me to this place of peace and relaxation. It affects the physical body—the cluster of harmonics, the melody. I think it communicates in a real way toward a person's being." Whether you're conscious or unconscious of it, Kater says healing music has the effect of slowing you down, disabling the stress, and unraveling the layers of protection. "We have to put up layers in this world to protect ourselves and to not Now considered a leader in the therapeutic music genre, Kater says his music is not only to facilitate the experience of the massage client, but the therapist, too. "Like anything else, if I perform at a concert and I'm not really present with myself, then I'm just playing notes, and people are, at best, hearing a pretty song. But if I can get in the moment and come from an essential place inside myself, then people in the audience will have a deep experience as well." That's especially true with bodywork, he says. The more he can I am trusting my creative, intuitive process." It's also his best advice for massage therapists and anyone striving to stay successful in their work. "I need to be in the moment and I try to live in the moment." He says that includes being present, embracing where he is, allowing people around him to be themselves, and not having any second thoughts about it. That, combined with a simpler lifestyle and philosophy, can breed success. With a beautiful family that Just as aromatherapy can get past those barriers and create change, so, too, can music. be overwhelmed," he says. "But those layers are harmful and blocking if you can't drop them when you have to." Just as aromatherapy can get past those barriers and create change, so, too, can music. When in the massage room, getting past those layers of protection and touching the client's core is when the best work can be done. Kater's appreciation for integrated medicine even inspired him to become a reiki master along the way. He says he's been just as interested in the healing arts as he has been in music. "While music has always been an expression of my life, massage, diet, yoga, etc., have been more of my lifestyle." help bring therapists back to center, and help them come from a place of wholeness, the more that will impact the people on whom they are working. TRUSTING THE PROCESS With close to 60 albums under his belt, thousands of concerts to his credit, and having worked with countless musical talents, Kater is at peace with the journey of his life. "My work today is extremely intuitive," he says. "Over the last four to five years, I've really kind of dropped into the zone. When I'm recording, composing, or in concert, I've always told myself not to think, but to trust my creative process. These last few years, that's become more of a natural thing. I'm playing, discovering, and enjoying all at the same time, and includes wife Gabrielle (a massage therapist by trade) and 4-year-old son Nathan, Grammy nominations and awards of every kind, the honor of performing for presidents and foreign heads of state, and even finding himself on the famed stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City, Kater is ever mindful of what got him to this place. He says it's the need and instinct to continually return to the moment, to the self, for no other purpose than to just be there. "Music has always been an expression of my life," he explains. "It has always been really personal to me. I never went about making music a business until it became one." Kater says he tries always to follow his heart and follow his instinct. "The funny thing is, that still works for me. I enjoy the fact that I can do music and that's my livelihood. That's a wonderful thing." Massage & Bodywork magazine. Contact her at karrie@abmp.com. Karrie Osborn is contributing editor for visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 75