Dance. Movement. Expression. All three words are part of my everyday life, and they have been companions of my soul for the past fifteen years. Through pure movement of the human body, my body, I can express myself better than…
Author: Valerie
Your Brain’s Got Rhythm, And Syncs When You Think
Even if you can’t keep a beat, your brain can. “The brain absolutely has rhythm,” says Nathan Urban, a neuroscientist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. When you concentrate, Urban says, your brain produces rapid, rhythmic electrical impulses called gamma…
Theater Processes Therapeutic in Drama Therapy
The ancient Greeks used drama for catharsis. As anyone who has acted knows, theater can tap into emotions, build self esteem, and reduce feelings of isolation. But drama therapy takes those emotional gains to another level. It uses drama and…
Dramatherapy and Spirituality in Dementia Care
Dramatherapy lends itself seamlessly to a person-centred approach, particularly important for elderly people who are nearing the end of their lives. The dramatherapy group affords a holding environment where existential issues and key life questions can be worked with creatively.…
The Healing Power of Music
An unconventional approach to recovery and coping, music therapy is a field of medicine capturing new attention due to its role in helping Gabrielle Giffords recover from a gunshot. Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the versatility of music in a…
Music Therapy Helps Stroke Patient Speak Again
After his stroke, doctors told Bill Forester’s family he may never speak or walk again. He turned to music therapy to retrain his brain and re-learn the skills he lost. Watch the Fox News video by following the link below.…
How Music Therapy Works
Music therapy has been shown to reduce pain and anxiety and boost moods. A seriously ill patient gets used to seeing many things during his or her hospital stay: IVs, medications, doctors in white coats. And, sometimes, guitars, drums, and…
Speaking of Psychology: Music and Your Health
Can music make us healthier or even smarter? Can it change how we experience pain? In this episode, former rock musician and studio producer Daniel Levitin, PhD, talks about how music changes our brain’s chemistry and affects our health. About…
Is Art Therapy the Answer for Dementia?
Making music, painting, or dancing — and seeing or hearing it — may be the most effective treatment for dementia to date. Carla shook a tambourine, while Dorothy played the xylophone and Leni tapped her palms gently on an African…
Art Therapy And Dementia: How Creativity Helps Unlock Alzheimer’s Patients’ Thoughts And Fears
Out of the many precious faculties that dementia robs from a person, artistic ability does not seem to be one of them, a recent study finds. And as the elderly slip into old age, creative expression could be the key…