All of my work for this quarter revolved research/thoughts/insights from the wider community. Here is a small selection of my discoveries.
“Music is the harmony of the universe in microcosm; for this harmony is life itself; and man, who is himself a microcosm of the universe, chords and discords are to be found in his pulse, in his heart beat, his vibration, his rhythm and tone. His health or sickness, his joy or displeasure show whether his life has music or not”
(from the Sufi message of Nazrat inayai khan, quoted by hamel 1976)
“From the physical point of view we have difficulty in explaining just how music works as a therapeutic agent. Our response to music lies most obviously in the perception and processing of a series of complex sound waves with powerful emotional overtones. However, music is more than sounds…certain frequencies vibrate the brain cells and … this process might-in some way- ‘wash’ the cells, so that the cerebrospinal fluid may more effectively carry away the metabolites and waste products of neuronal activity. Maybe this is the modern equivalent of the ancient belief that the human boyd and brain ‘resonate’ with music” (Sutton, 51)
“Therapists who listen to client’s stories of trauma are containers into which a person to be helped, can safely release their life burners and emotional pressures. Ultimately, helpers who help trauma victims may end up reacting with similar post-traumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms as their clients. Vicarious traumatization is something that easily threatens helping professionals… When we work with traumatized individuals, we are asking them [to] share their story. We listen to them, we witness their traumatizing experiences, we feel compassion and we empathetically tune into their emotions and feel their feelings. We contain their grief, sorrow, anger, horror, vulnerability, anxiety, helplessness, etc. We attune to their disconnection, helplessness, disempowerment, and loneliness…Every time we listen from a position of compassion it makes us vulnerable.” (Ahonen)
“If a psychotherapist is to mediate his own compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or burnout, he needs to recognize that he is not helpless to resist induction of the emotional states of his clients. Such a belief undermines the therapist’s power to choose. The therapist who believes he is his client’s pawn puts his own well-being at great risk. He is also at risk of harming the very people he endeavors to help, if only by blaming them for his discomfort.” (Rothschild, 114)
“Music communicates cues of safety to our nervous system
…Cues of safety down-regulate defense and optimize
homeostatic processes. It may be said that wellbeing is about
understanding the cues that our nervous system require to feel
safe” (Rossetti, 135)
“The arts are time-consuming and might potentially be viewed as intimidating for those who do not consider themselves to be artistically inclined. However, there is something special about the process of making art that can be cathartic and healing for individuals, regardless of their artistic ability”
(Leonard, 11)
“…we found that existing VT [vicarious trauma] interventions, in particular psychoeducation and mindfulness interventions, generally focused on generic wellness and job stress reduction and used a similar format of key activities, such as increasing self-care, self-awareness, and mind–body skills.” (Kim et al., 2021)
MERE death 