Greetings!

Hello everyone! I'm Justin and I've been a Board-Certified Music Therapist for a year now. Sherrye has asked me to partner with her in blogging about different topics related to music therapy and recreation. I am excited for this being my first time blogging about anything. Currently, I'm the Director of Recreation at a long-term care and rehabilitation center in Bridgewater, NJ. I interned at a Veteran Affairs Hospital in Montrose, NY where I worked in long-term/sub-acute psych and dementia care. I've presented at several local, regional, and national conferences on the topic of music therapy with current veterans with mTBI/PTSD. Additionally, I've lectured at the West Point Military Academy on stress and music relaxation techniques.

I'm currently pursuing my PhD in clinical neuroscience or in neuropsychology. I haven't decided on which path yet. I enjoy reading and conducing research in neuroscience. I wish to explore how music therapy interacts in the restructuring of atrophied axons following primary blast injury from atmospheric pressure changes caused by repeated exposure to blast wave during war. I believe that by studying how the brain restructures itself from TBI, TIA, or by stroke, we can better understand how the brains adapts to other neurological/physiological disorders.

Thank you, Sherrye for the opportunity to blog with you. This will be a great sharing experience with other clinician out there. Next, I would like to blog about my most recent presentation on mTBI with veterans and on the topic of brief therapy.

- Justin

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Or is it?

While playing Christmas songs for a group of older adults with dementia, a family member was sitting with her mother. She (the daughter) started crying when I played and sang Silent Night. I discovered through talking with her, that it was triggering Christmas memories and bringing her to the realization that her mother was no longer the same, and that Christmas was no longer the way she remembered.

It had already occurred to me that while these songs might bring the client back to some happier times, it might also evoke sadness if they were cognitively aware enough of the changes in their situation. However, I never truly considered the impact on the family members until I witnessed it first hand in my session. I know that dementia is extremely hard on the family especially around the holidays, but somehow during this particular sing-a-long, I was expecting "comfort and joy". By the way, she did thank me for the music at the end of the session and said that it felt good and cathartic to cry.

So now I've had my "ah-ha" moment and will address the holidays with more sensitivity. While in hindsight this is seemingly obvious, it was a career eye opener for me, because any "happy" occasion can be laden with sad memories. Of course I'm prepared for and aware of these reactions during the sessions, they still catch me off guard sometimes. I am curious to hear your thoughts on this.

My question is to you, the music therapy world, what have your experiences been in situations like this? Have you experienced this with other populations? And how do you address these issues in your practice?

May your days be merry and bright,

Sherrye