Tag Archives: Therapy

Relaxation Music

Art Therapy – Healing the Heart

We know that art therapy can help children with anger, stress and depression. Do you know that it can also help children with heart disease?

One such patient is an 18 year old girl profiled in the July 1 2009 issue of the Wall Street Journal. At age 9, she had her second heart transplant. Her body was determined to reject the first heart. She went into cardiac arrest six times in 2 hours. She recalled being “awake” when the doctors were frantically trying to revive her.

Fearing that they would pull the plug on her, she tried desperately to tell the people in the hospital room that she was alive.Recuperating at home was no easy matter; she kept having recurring nightmares in which she watched herself suffering cardiac arrest.

Things, however, began to change when she took up the pen. She began writing down her thoughts about being helpless and scared. She turned these details into poems and stories. Eventually, the nightmares disappeared.

Now 18, she has successfully completed high school and is looking forward to nursing school in the fall.She credits her writing for helping her deal with her heart and surgery. It was her creative expression through writing that enabled her to transform something frightening and painful into a positive goal – to make something of her life.

Researchers are taking note of the positive relationship between art therapy and the heart. Some current clinical data on this relationship include the following:

a) Psychosocial factors like depression and stress have been found to be strong risk factors for heart attacks. In fact, these emotional factors are considered as strong as physiological factors like high blood pressure and diabetes.

According to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, depression increases the risk of heart disease more than genetics or the environment. This means that any intervention that can reduce depression can benefit the heart. Scientists are working to determine how artistic expression can be considered a valid form of clinical intervention to be used along with exercise, diets and medication for reducing heart disease.

b) Researchers at Temple University in Philadelphia have found that music can offer substantial benefit to patients who are stressed and anxious about undergoing treatment for coronary heart disease. Listening to music decreases blood pressure, heart rate and levels of anxiety in heart patients. In fact, music therapy is getting increased recognition as a viable form of treatment for depression and mood.

Take for example, Justin P, a young boy born with a heart defect. At 8 months, he had heart surgery. Since he was five years old, he has been experiencing attention and behavior problems at school. Unable to “settle down” in the classroom, Justin nevertheless responds well to music, especially songs with a strong upbeat tempo.

His parents decided to place him in a music therapy class when he turned six. Now 7, Justin can play the piano; he is more focused in school; he is just starting to read and he is a happier child.
According to his parents, music relaxes him and makes him more open to their suggestions.

Creative expressions in art, writing and music can be very effective therapeutic processes for children with heart disease.

Bianca Tora is a writer interested in the relationship between lifestyle and the brain, specifically the area of emotional regulation and control. She has published a book on anger management for children. Visit her at http://www.help-your-child-with-anger.com

Article Source:
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Health News

Brooking Parks Music Therapy Program Enriches Lives of Older Adults

Chesterfield, MO (PRWEB) February 07, 2012

Brooking Park resident Patrick Elder, 83, sings songs not just for fun, but because its good for his health. For older adults, music therapy enhances their quality of life, helping them maintain key functioning skills and stimulating their mind, according to Amy Roberts, Brooking Parks Music Therapist.

For Elder, music therapy lifted his spirits after losing his wife last year. When Amy does musical matching games and asks questions, thats fun, said Elder, who even meets with Roberts one-on-one to chat about Big Band music, his favorite genre. When I first came to Brooking Park I was depressed. If it wasnt for the people in the Activities Department, I would be in depression again.

Roberts uses well-known classics such as Blue Moon and What a Wonderful World to bring smiles to more than 180 residents who call Brooking Park home. Roberts looks for facial expressions, physical reactions if theyre joining in, engaging or clapping, learning the rhythm and singing along. Other cues, such as an improvement in alertness and mood, also showcase the benefits.

We just have a lot of fun. Some things challenge our minds a bit, which is great, said Dolores Scholl, 73, a resident for the past 3 years. We do things as a group and I am very seldom in my apartment.

Roberts has a bachelors of science in Music Therapy from Maryville. Music therapy at Brooking Park also includes activities that enhance memory, alleviate pain, and create an outlet for elders to express their feelings.

Music Therapy is so crucial to our activity program. Music sparks such happy and sometimes bittersweet memories in a persons life and takes them back to important events in their lives, said Donna Mattingly, Director of Activities at Brooking Park. Our current Music Therapy program led by our wonderfully talented Music Therapist is creative, interactive and educational and is so much more than just listening to music.

There are many recent studies and facts on the benefits of music therapy for seniors, according to the American

Music Therapy Association website, MusicTherapy.org:


Music therapy reduces depression among older adults.
Music experiences can be structured to enhance social/emotional skills, to assist in recall and language skills and to decrease problem behaviors.
Individuals in the late stages of dementia respond to and interact with music.

Join us for our music therapy events and find out more on this growing trend for older adults by calling 314-576-5545.

View photos of a recent Brooking Park music therapy session by clicking here.
Watch a video of a recent music therapy session by clicking here. Amy explains music therapy here.

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Relaxation Music

Music As A Therapy

Across the world, it has been acknowledged that music is the universal language of mankind. Music has been found to soothe, stimulate, and cheer. No wonder, the use of music in therapies are common and have been found to be effective in assisting with the cure and treatment of health conditions such as anxieties, fears, and phobias. So the next time you feel blue, hook up your Apple iPod and let the music work its charm on you, driving away the blues.

What Does Music Heal?
While music has always been known to uplift spirits and inject enthusiasm and energy, recent scientific studies have found music to be extremely beneficial for a number of physical ailments.

Medical professionals now use music in the treatment of many life-threatening and potentially terminal diseases like cancer. The use of music has been found to decrease the pain, worry, and sickness associated with chemotherapy. Music has been found to enrich the overall quality of life of the patient, besides providing relaxation. A number of medical professionals also believe that music therapy increases social interaction among children suffering from cancer, promoting the effects of the actual medical treatment.

Music therapy has also been known to help get rid of depression, insomnia, fatigue, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure. Patients suffering from arthritis and epilepsy have also been helped by music therapy.

How Does Music Therapy Work
Music has been found to affect activity in our brain as well as our overall physical functions. A strong beat has been found to fire up brainwaves so that they resonate with the beat in sync. Fast-paced music leads to increased concentration and alertness. A slower rhythm, on the other hand, ensures a calmer frame of mind.

Music can also affect physical functions. Body functions governed by the autonomous nervous system, including the heart beat and breathing, are also affected by music. A slow, soothing rhythm can thus be used to help the body relax, overturning the effects of stress and mental strain.

How is Music Therapy Done?
Before choosing music as an option for therapy, it is best to seek advice from a practicing health professional. Music therapy may involve consulting a doctor, sharing the medical history of the patient, and music and lyrics planning and discussion, etc.

Music therapy may be carried out by hospitals and nursing homes; by schools for special learners, for teaching communication and/or physical coordination skills; or by psychiatric facilities for creating positive changes in the patients emotional and mental state.

Conclusion
Music is beneficial not only for emotional and psychological health, but also cures physical symptoms, aches, and pains. Music need not be used in therapy only when one faces debilitating symptoms. You can use music everyday for keeping your spirits high, controlling anxiety, keeping yourself entertained and peaceful when driving, or keeping you on the move when you exercise. So, plug in your iPod music player, get the best-suited musical tracks and numbers, and get groovy!

John is a health care professional. He has been working with cancer patients for eight years. He strongly believes in Music therapy.

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Health News

Happiness Therapy

I have had enough life experience to be able to know that happiness is a state of mind rather than what you get when you have reached a certain plateau in life. Happiness is not defined by how much ‘stuff’ we have – though this brings pleasant experiences, it is not the sum total of ‘real happiness’.

Happiness is a state of mind. A place we choose to be at or not. Money buys comforts, wonderful experiences, but money does not buy happiness as this is clearly something that comes from within. We are either happy or not.

We musn’t confuse gratifying the ego with things outside of us to create our ‘happiness’. We have all been in that place where we have a new car, new relationship, holiday, , house, jewellery, clothes, and after a while the joy of this new object has dissipated to boredom. This is the ego’s way of saying ” I need something new to entertain me and make me feel better”.

Happiness comes from a place deep inside that permeate your entire being, radiates and extends outward and touches the people around you. True lasting happiness comes from within.

To say that there is a single key element to happiness is incorrect. And for everyone what specifically makes you or causes you to be happy is different. For some it may be to simplify your life and de clutter it of things that are just dragging you down. For some it may be to cut down on spending so you feel like you have more money, thus reducing any stress towards financial issues.

Others may just want to work on thinking and speaking more positively, and then there are those who feel that happiness stems from meditating, getting into a relaxed state regularly. There are numerous ways we can reach this space we call happiness.

When you find yourself in a place where you don’t feel happy do something to make yourself feel happy.

Do simple things like meditating, reading, exercising, or just doing something that brings you much joy and fulfillment. For as long as you stay in a state of unhappiness you will continue to attract more of it. This is the law of attraction in action.

The more miserable you are, the more you dwell on whatever circumstances or situation that you ‘think’ is causing your unhappiness, then the more of the same stuff will show up in your life. Our conditioning has been such from childhood that happiness is something that ‘others’ provide for us. How many relationships suffer because they are dependent on the other person to ‘make then happy’?

How often do you hear others say that this person or that person, or this situation or that situation is directly responsible for their unhappiness?

We place an enormous emphasis on happiness being something that is beyond our reach or ‘out there somewhere’ outside of us.

I found myself in a hospital for many weeks after a serious breakdown some 15 years ago and in my determined effort to change my life, I began my own form of ‘happiness therapy’. I would get up from my bed quite late in the evening, take long baths in the patient bathroom with lavender and bubble bath. Go into the kitchen and make myself my favourite food ( Vegemite sandwich of course), ask the theatre nurses who weren’t busy to take me for a ride on the operating theatre gurneys around the building.

I needed to find ways to create my happiness from a hospital bed. And I did. I just wanted to be happy again and I intuitively knew that this was not going to come from outside of ME.

Begin to find simple things you can do to bring laughter and happiness into your world. As you do, more happiness comes your way without a great deal of effort and you begin to attract into your life more joy, more fulfillment and so much more happiness that you imagined possible.

Nancy Wylde is an Author on empowering women through the Law of Attraction and associated tools. In her latest book Ticket To Freedom – A Self-Empowerment Guide For Women, Nancy Wylde outlines the steps necessary to recognize unconscious opinions and beliefs that we hold about ourselves and in so doing, transform and empower our lives. Reach your potential through your own inner strength. Tap into the creative genius that is within you and live the rich life you deserve.

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Music Therapy ? How Can Music Therapy Work?

Music therapy is a unique style of therapy, involving music to help overcome cognitive, emotional, social, and physical problems. It may be used to help promote overall health, manage stress, improve memory, help expression of feelings, reduce or eliminate pain, or support healing from physical problems or disorders.

This form of healing is done through a music therapist.  The practitioner makes an initial assessment of the client’s overall emotional and physical well-being. He or she also looks at the client’s level of social functioning, cognitive skills, and communication skills. After making these assessments, the therapist creates individual music sessions for the client.  These sessions can also include group music therapy. Activities could be listening to music, discussing lyrics, performing music, writing songs, and learning through music.

This approach to therapy has indeed been shown to help both children and adults of all age ranges. It helps those with developmental and learning disabilities surmount obstacles. It also can help those with Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related conditions recoup their memory.  In addition, those who have coped with drug abuse or who have suffered from brain injuries can benefit from music therapy.  People dealing with chronic or acute pain, including mothers giving birth, can also use music therapy to alleviate pain.

Music therapy is also sometimes used by hospitals to improve the mood of their patients or to counteract depression. Clinics also use music to help encourage patients to move during physical therapy, or to calm patients that need to be sedated or who need to rest.  It is also used in hospitals to reduce muscle tension and to help patients relax.

Even schools use music therapy to help children be more successful. For special education students, music therapy is sometimes included in the student’s Individualized Education Plan, or IEP.  Music therapy is sometimes used to help these children improve their communication skills or to strengthen their physical coordination, which helps them be more successful in general education classes.

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) has conducted a great deal of research into the effectiveness of music therapy.  There research has time after time shown the constructive effects of music therapy.

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Health News

Addiction Recovery: How Holistic Drug and Alcohol Therapy Heals the Brain and Cures the Addiction

Just about every drug rehabilitation center follows the same approach, involving medication for detox (or just time to get through withdrawal), the disease model, and a Twelve Step program. The problem with so many addiction recovery programs using this model is that it doesn’t work. Holistic drug rehab does work, producing a cure for addiction.

The “Incurable Disease” Model and Why It Doesn’t Work

The fundamental difference in holistic drug rehab is that the holistic practitioner views the person with addiction as a person with an addiction who can be cured. Traditional drug rehabilitation center programs and Twelve Step programs, on the other hand, treat the person with addiction as someone with an “incurable disease.” This disease, in fact, is considered to be one not only of the body, but also of the character. “Recovering” alcoholics and addicts are forced to admit their powerlessness over their disease on a daily basis, and told they will always be recovering and never recovered.

The idea that there is no cure for addiction is simply false. This is where holistic drug rehab shines. Ibogaine, a natural detoxifier, removes the drugs and toxins from the addicted person’s system with no medication and no side effects. This complete detox prepares the body for the next element of the holistic drug and alcohol treatment program.

The Ibogaine program is merely the first step in a multi-phase, multimodal treatment program designed to heal the underlying issues causing the addiction.

Addiction Recovery vs. Addiction Cure

The purpose of holistic drug rehab is to cure the addiction. This is not a recovery program or a management program. Ibogaine detox and the mind/body/spirit connection are based in the knowledge that addiction is neither a disease nor incurable. The prognosis for treatment at a holistic drug rehab center is a cure for addiction.

This is diametrically opposed to the traditional view that addiction is an incurable disease and an addict or alcoholic will always be “recovering.”

The second best part of the holistic drug and alcohol treatment approach is that it is true. There is a cure. Recovery from addiction is not simply a matter of learning to live with an addiction for the rest of your life.

The best part of holistic drug rehab is what it means for people struggling with addiction. The sad fact is that Twelve Step programs have a success rate of 5% or less. For those the programs work for, there is at least some sense of progress and recovery.

Those who do not achiever “recovery” in a Twelve Step program have a much harder life than those who do. They continue to struggle with addiction. Many die.

That’s the best part of holistic, alternative drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Because there is a cure, many more people can truly recover from their addictions than the small number who “recover” through AA and NA.

Holistic therapy creates a new person, one who does not suffer from addiction. The cure is total and permanent. This is truly great news for those who struggle and those who love them.

Holistic drug and alcohol therapy operates on a mind/body/spirit basis.

Mind/Thoughts

Holistic drug addiction therapy literally changes the mind, by changing the thoughts. This is not a conscious process for the person with addiction. In other words, holistic drug rehab does not involve cognitive therapy.
Holistic treatment uses such techniques as hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), among others. These modalities create a new mind by helping the individual achieve a mindset shift. This new mind is not addicted to any substance.

Body/Biochemistry

Brain scans of people suffering from addiction show appalling damage, which cannot be healed through talk therapy or meetings. However, holistic drug addiction treatment can heal this damage by treating the brain.

Treatments include nutritional education, massage therapy and immune repair, among others. The goal is to create a healthy, well-nourished and balanced body and brain.

Spirit/Soul

Many people believe that traditional drug addiction recovery includes a spiritual component in the form of the Twelve Steps. The Twelve Steps in fact do not constitute a spiritual program. While the term “God” is mentioned once, Twelve Step programs are entirely secular and are based on the principles of a temperance movement called The Oxford Group.

True healing requires true care of the spirit and the soul. In a holistic drug trea tment program this may involve spiritual counseling, Reiki, Tai Chi, or any other of a number of modalities designed to soothe and heal the spirit.

A cure for addiction really is not possible using medication, talk therapy and meetings. These treatments do not address the underlying issues causing addiction and other disorders. But to say a cure is not possible using these methods is not to say a cure is not possible. Indeed it

 

The Holistic Sanctuary provides revolutionary Drug Treatment Programs that offer a new take on Ibogaine Treatment methods. As the brain itself is targeted through all-natural therapies, clients have the opportunity to participate in customized Drug Rehab treatments while enjoying a luxury environment that expedites the healing process. Visit us today to learn about our Drug Rehabilitation Centers that aim to help clients break free of addiction for good.

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Addiction Recovery Therapy

Addiction is an incurable disease that can be treated and managed successfully. With the help of qualified addiction recovery therapists and effective addiction counselling, addicts can live positive and enriched lives, devoid of substance abuse and relapse.

Addiction is a manifestation of severe underlying emotional issues and therapy sessions directed by professional addiction recovery therapists provide a safe environment to confront these issues and work through them.

Importance of therapy

Addiction recovery therapy is a critical element of treatment because addictive behaviours are symptoms of underlying problems. Simply ceasing addictive behaviour, while an important part of recovery, does not address the root causes of that behaviour.

While the fundamental nature of addiction treatment will remain the same, different individuals may require regimens that emphasise different approaches. Intensive one-to-one counselling and support group therapy assists addicts in the emotional phases of addiction recovery therapy.

An experienced addiction recovery therapist can assess individuals and determine a recommendation of individual or group therapy sessions, or a combination of both.

Individual therapy

Addicts need to learn how to cope with their feelings of fear and anger, as well as other feelings and emotions that they might have difficulty processing in order to express them healthily.

Focused individual therapy provides a safe and confidential setting, where addicts can divulge their problems and deal with their troubled pasts and core issues. This holistic approach to reaching the root of the addiction is instrumental in helping addicts understand their dependencies and avoid relapses.

Group therapy

Support group therapy provides an interactive platform for sharing experiences, and members can relate to the challenges and worries of fellow addicts. Support and hope emerges from friendships created at these meetings and addicts feel less alone and isolated in their struggle for recovery.

This environment of mutual support is in itself a source of encouragement and helps addicts in better managing their emotions and improving self-awareness. Receiving support from peers as well as giving that support back are some of the ways that group therapy empowers addicts to overcome addiction and step back into society.

Family therapy

Family counselling is an important aspect of effective addiction recovery therapy. Family members are able to provide more information about an addict’s dependency and lifestyle, allowing trained addiction recovery therapists to apply this insight to the addiction recovery process.

This also allows family members of the addict a chance to heal as they undergo counselling that mends relationships and re-instils the trust within families. With the help of qualified addiction counsellors, family members can be equipped with valuable knowledge to aid them in continuing to help their addicted relatives when they leave the rehabilitation centre.

While working through the difficult issues at the heart of addiction, addicts should be reassured that they are not alone, and that they have the support of their family, counsellors and peers.

By combining professional addiction counselling and treatment, in an environment of love, trust and understanding, addicts are able to learn the tools they need in the pursuit of abstinence and recovery.

Oasis Counselling Centreoffers professional addiction recovery therapy in Plettenberg Bay where their  professional addiction counsellingincorporates a12 step recovery programmeand a holistic treatment regime.

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