An Invitation to Experience Being Music A few nights ago I was at an event in which we were invited to go on an inward journey with the assistance of a buffalo drum. As I listened to the drumming, I found myself becoming one with it- absorbed and enveloped in the sound waves in a… Read More Being Music: Insights from a Buffalo Drum
Today is the 14th anniversary of the death of my mother from breast cancer. Naturally my thoughts start to turn to her at this time of year, but additionally the specific topic of cancer had popped up on my radar these last few days, which made me think that I needed to explore further this… Read More Gifts Gained Through Loss
Recently I was asked by the hospice company where I work to write an article about what I do as a music therapist. I’m sharing it here with you so that you may also get a clearer sense of what music therapy is and the role it can play within the realms of hospice and… Read More Music Therapy in Hospice and Palliative Care
A few months ago I was asked by music therapist colleague, Megan Resig, to write a guest post for her website Music Therapy Annex. I jumped at the chance to do this because I love her holistic approach to music therapy, and have enjoyed reading about her perspective on wellness and self-care. Below is what… Read More Hearing Ourselves: Voicework for Self-Care
“Goodbye.” What feelings, thoughts, images, or experiences come to mind when you see that word? Depending on the context, “goodbye” can take on a lot of different meanings. “Goodbye” can signal a temporary parting, or it can represent something more permanent. And when it represents a more permanent situation, saying goodbye can carry bittersweet feelings.… Read More Saying Goodbye
Having known pain, I can enter into the dark, inner places without fear. Having walked through pain, I know the light of healing guides the way. The Wounded Healer is an archetype which describes a person who is effective at bringing healing and empathy to others because they themselves have recognized and healed from their… Read More Being a Wounded Healer
Like all of us, I don’t always practice what I preach. Doing what I do for a living, I know about the healthful benefits of making music and how vocalizing is an effective way of relieving stress. Yet I don’t always practice that for myself. But today was different. Today I remembered to create time… Read More Embodiment of Sound
For the past month or so I’ve been gradually reading the latest issue of The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, which happens to be devoted to the concept of transpersonal gerontology. I’d never heard of this concept before, and it has been a slow and steady process going through the issue as I’ve been finding each… Read More Examining A Transpersonal View of Aging
Balance. For many people this seems to be ever elusive. What does it mean to have balance in one’s life when there are *so many things* to do? Between possible family responsibilities and professional obligations, how does one find time for themselves? And in those perhaps seemingly rare instances when one does find themselves with… Read More Balance Within Resistance
“Quality of Life” is a topic that is often on my mind as a result of the work I do in hospice. As a music therapist working with those who are at the end-of-life, I use music to provide physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual support to people during the last months, weeks, days… sometimes hours… Read More The Quality of a Life Well-Lived