Thanksgiving is approaching, and with it comes the entreaties to express gratitude and “be thankful” in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. I think we’d all admit that some days it’s easier than others to be thankful. If you’re looking at the checkbook’s dwindling balance, facing a tough medical diagnosis, dealing with difficult family relationships, experiencing […]
Normally, the alarm clock on my husband’s phone goes off at 5:30am. So when I rolled over and noticed my bedside clock said 6:23, I knew our morning would be off to a difficult start. I shook him awake, told him the time, and climbed out of bed to wake up our daughter. For me, […]
This past week I read a statistic that stated only 7% of all Americans who have mental health care coverage through their health insurance plan use it. That means 93% of us are skipping out on available mental health care! Let’s think about this– Every year we schedule our annual checkup at the doctor’s office. […]
It’s a question I get asked several times a year– which came first, the sad music or the blue mood? It’s an excellent question, and one I’m not sure has a definitive answer. Were we feeling blue when we chose the song that’s a little on the depressing side because we wanted to hear something […]
So how does music therapy help with depression? Do you just listen to sad/happy songs until you feel better? Music therapy involves a lot more than just listening to music! For those times when we’re having a rough day, or things aren’t going well, or we’re just feeling a little down in the dumps– listening […]
Another question I get asked fairly often is how music (and music therapy) can help in coping with anxiety and stress. Many of us experience everyday stress on a regular basis, and using music can be an easy way to cope. Listening to relaxing music: ~lowers blood pressure ~returns heart rate to normal range ~slows […]
On most days I’m a fairly well-organized person– got my to do list, created my agenda for the day, have a general plan for my schedule and all its’ moving parts. And then there are other days. Those days when my mind simply refuses to pay attention to the to do list…. or the agenda… […]
In November, I’ll be co-presenting a continuing education course for other music therapists at our national conference. One of the main components of the course is mindfulness, and it’s a topic that I’ve felt is increasingly important in our daily lives. In the past few years, mindfulness and meditation have become more popular—trendy even. Research […]
“Can music therapy help people deal with anxiety?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive about music therapy. And the answer is a resounding “yes!” Here are the details (and a video!)– Research studies have shown that music therapy is effective at reducing muscle tension, decreasing anxiety, and feelings of agitation. […]
A few years ago as part of my GIM training program, our class participated in a sweat lodge. Since another woman and I would not be going into the actual lodge during the sweat, we had a bench placed several yards away. It was on the edge of a pond where we could pray and […]
