music, therapy, and me

Aging I will be missing my 20 year high school reunion this Saturday evening. There are several things that I find wrong with that statement - First, it has already been 20 years since high school, and while I do not find myself wishing for those days again, it does not seem possible that that much time has passed. What happened to being young? I have some issues with my sciatic nerve. I feel old as I totter around my apartment, limping on my right leg. The fact that I am missing my 20 year reunion makes me feel even worse! Go figure. The best thing about aging is thinking about music therapists-future who will have to engage me in music therapy reminiscence groups in later years. They will have to sing early Madonna, U2, Thompson Twins, and songs from every Disney movie ever made to engage my attention. Can you imagine the difficulty with finding, "Don't Pay the Ferryman" by Chris DeBurgh for my poor future MT? I will find some way to communicate my musical preferences ...

The Therapeutic Triad Recently, I have been pondering the role that the therapist plays in a music therapy session. I really like the idea of the therapeutic triad - don't know who came up with the concept, or even where I learned about it, so I'll make no attempt to cite it - sorry. I envision the therapy relationship as a flexible triangle with the client at the top of the triangle, the therapist at one end at the bottom and music at the other end. The triangle is flexible and pulls one way and the other as the members of the triad work together or apart from one another. Each element is essential for the others to participate in effective music therapy, but none is more important than the client. Without client involvement, there is no therapy. So, I started to explain the concept of this triad to an intern at my facility. She is a very visual learner, so the picture of the triangle was the best first step for her. We discussed each of the elements of the relationship separa...

The Moon Ask anyone who has ever worked in an emergency room, and they will tell you - full moon nights are the most bizarre nights ever. I am a moon baby and VERY affected by the cycles of the moon. Let me explain. I was a postmature baby. You don't hear much about those of us who were more comfortable in utero than the rest of you folks, but there are babies that wait to be born. I was one of those babies. My mother carried me for almost 10 months, much to her dismay, and I waited to be born until the night of the full moon. I was one of 31 babies born that night and day and things were hopping in the hospital. Ever since then, I have been ruled by the moon. My mom swears that I cycled through mild forms of mania and depression even as an infant, linked up with the moon cycles. (She has worked in hospitals and has observed the full moon phenomenon personally). She said things would just become difficult to explain or talk about, and she would check the calendar. This topic is on ...