Here is a story about using Interactive Metronome (IM) and Therapeutic Listening (TL) simultaneously. AND, mom and dad put on the headphones, too.
"Gary" is a very sweet 12 year old who suffered severe deprivation in early life. His parents are now able to provide him with a safe, loving environment, but he still has tons of stuff to work through (sensory seeking, emotional neediness, act-out behaviors, plus some motor planning problems), and it is hard on the entire family.
He was referred to me for Interactive Metronome (IM), and that made sense as an initial approach. Four to six weeks of IM can provide breakthroughs in a range of body-brain areas and make therapy go faster. However, it turns out that Gary is bullying other kids at school and has act-out behaviors at home, too. He needed some self-regulation. IM provides that, but it takes a few weeks to kick in. In the meantime, it can ramp-up personal intensity. In the end, that is a positive effect, but I was worried that it might increase the outbursts at school and home in the short term.
And so I thought of Therapeutic Listening or Samonas. Sound therapy programs focus first on self-regulation. But they too, have a drawback. They work more slowly and a person can go through weeks of emotional passivity while the brain reorganizes. The other side of a bully is an insecure human being. I didn't want Gary to flip-flop. I also wanted to make faster progress. With sound therapy, Gary might invest several months before getting to the heart of many issues.
In the end, Gary's family opted to do both therapies simultaneously. And so began some jam-packed therapy sessions in which Gary would independently do his IM program while mom, dad and I discussed strategies for home and in the community. During Gary's breaks, he would play on the sensory equipment, try out sound therapy disks or join us for some discussions about behavior. Within a couple of weeks, mom and dad asked if they might benefit from listening to the sound therapy CDs, too. Why, yes. Of course. It had been a long road for them, as well as for Gary, and the music would help to remove some of the built up trauma that they had undergone.
Last week, Gary finished his IM program. He will continue to listen to Therapeutic Listening and Samonas CDs for another 6-10 weeks, depending. His dad gave me an update. "The changes are subtle, but they are deep." He was very pleased. He was seeing cooperation and motivation to change where there was none before. Parents sometimes miss these changes in their children. But they are profound and grow with time.
Gary told me that everything in his life felt a little easier. I measured Gary's performance on motor-skills tasks, and he gained 18-24 months in fine motor skills and upper body movement and coordination. The results for cognitive and sensory gains are not in yet.
Gary's parents seem to have relaxed several magnitudes since I first met them. In early sessions, they spoke through clenched teeth. Now there are smiles.
Showing posts with label sound therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sound therapy. Show all posts
Friday, January 16, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Your Brain on Music
Just finished reading the 2006 book, This is Your Brain on Music, The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin. No surprise that it was a finalist for the LA Times' Book Prize.
This wonderful book looks at music and the brain from a-to-z. In doing so, it demonstrates how music and modulated music travel about the brain in a way that influences our ability to trust, self-regulate, identify sounds in space, motor plan, communicate, organize, discriminate sounds, multi-task and relax. In other words, the book provides insight into how sound therapy works -- but without ever mentioning the term sound therapy.
Music operates independent from language. Some aspects of music, like pitch, are hard-wired into brain areas. They have their own neural centers on the right side of the brain. For example, a neuro-surgeon can pinpoint the note, C#, in the open brain. Other aspects of music: musical syntax, timbre, rhythm, etc., are processed simultaneously in their own specialized regions across the brain. Music can be an intellectual, regulatory, emotional and/or social experience. We admire the construction of a song, work to the beat of a driving rhythm, allow ourselves to move with musically expressed emotions, and make music a part of our social events and rituals.
The brain has two main pathways for music. The first moves from the inner ear into the auditory processing areas where it then moves to other high-functioning cortical regions including executive functioning and memory. The second pathway moves directly from the inner ear to the primitive cerebellum where motor planning and our fight-or-flight is centered. The cerebellum is also the seat of the brain's timing and rhythm, and has important emotional function. Both pathways are bi-connected to each other and to a variety of emotional centers in the brain including those responsible for pleasure and reward.
Why did music evolve into animals? Darwin linked music to sexual selection by virtue of music's seductive powers. Others have noted that it was (and continues to be) an important aspect of social bonding and cohesion. This would make it important to the evolution of social beings like ourselves.
The book is full of deep information as well as interesting tidbits.
This wonderful book looks at music and the brain from a-to-z. In doing so, it demonstrates how music and modulated music travel about the brain in a way that influences our ability to trust, self-regulate, identify sounds in space, motor plan, communicate, organize, discriminate sounds, multi-task and relax. In other words, the book provides insight into how sound therapy works -- but without ever mentioning the term sound therapy.
Music operates independent from language. Some aspects of music, like pitch, are hard-wired into brain areas. They have their own neural centers on the right side of the brain. For example, a neuro-surgeon can pinpoint the note, C#, in the open brain. Other aspects of music: musical syntax, timbre, rhythm, etc., are processed simultaneously in their own specialized regions across the brain. Music can be an intellectual, regulatory, emotional and/or social experience. We admire the construction of a song, work to the beat of a driving rhythm, allow ourselves to move with musically expressed emotions, and make music a part of our social events and rituals.
The brain has two main pathways for music. The first moves from the inner ear into the auditory processing areas where it then moves to other high-functioning cortical regions including executive functioning and memory. The second pathway moves directly from the inner ear to the primitive cerebellum where motor planning and our fight-or-flight is centered. The cerebellum is also the seat of the brain's timing and rhythm, and has important emotional function. Both pathways are bi-connected to each other and to a variety of emotional centers in the brain including those responsible for pleasure and reward.
Why did music evolve into animals? Darwin linked music to sexual selection by virtue of music's seductive powers. Others have noted that it was (and continues to be) an important aspect of social bonding and cohesion. This would make it important to the evolution of social beings like ourselves.
The book is full of deep information as well as interesting tidbits.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Walking the Walk with Sound Therapy
Sound therapy can be pretty complex stuff. A 1 or 2 day class is a good start in learning the regimen, but it doesn't teach a therapist how to veer from the prescribed path and provide a more customized program for clients.
I make an effort to try all the therapies that I provide for my clients so that I can gain a deeper knowledge of what's happening. In doing so, I've gotten any number of personal benefits. Practices such as improving the ergonomics of my computer station give me a fast return for my effort. Some of the deeper therapies, such as sound therapy, have longer healing cycles, and one has to be patient to reap the rewards. I find that it is necessary to listen slowly and steadily to each CD, noting the feelings that come up and the changes that seem to occur. There are small miracles that can occur from the listening.
I have been told that adults (and some children) can be highly sensitive to sound therapy. And for 3 of the 5 adults I've worked with, including myself, this was true (until we altered the regimen). What we noticed was feelings of heavy emotions including depression that arose a few hours after therapy and lasted for the better part of a day. And worse, it happened after each listening session. What I noticed was that after having endured that, I felt as if some difficult thing(s) in my past had been purged and that social interactions with difficult people were easier.
Now, small changes like that are nice, but no one is going to put up with going through days of depression for some small social gains. However, it turns out that being sensitive has an up-side. One can decrease the listening time to very small increments and still get large gains. I decreased the time to 1 minute per day to start with and then added 30 seconds each day. I did this for both Samonas and Therapeutic Listening. It worked for me and for two clients. In addition to decreasing time, right after the therapy, I listened to emotionally evocative music such as blues, rock, or passionate classical as a way of releasing the emotions from the listening.
So how is it going now? Great! I've gone through a few CDs - in the order prescribed by Samonas and Therapeutic Listening, and am able to feel each CD's therapeutic effects on my brain, senses and body. I've noticed lots of small changes and a few big ones, too, including auditory processing, handwriting and modulation. I was surprised by changes in motor areas such as improved handwriting (even though I'd seen it in my kids at the clinic) and my increased ability to handle spicy foods. It is also true that I have slowed down and am attending to things with greater diligence. (I guess I have listed about half of the areas in which we hope for change for our kiddos from a sound therapy program.) I just notice little improvements every few days, and they keep adding up.
I still have a number of CDs to listen to. I'll report on any increased tolerance for the music as evidenced by being able to listen for longer periods of time without ill effect.
I make an effort to try all the therapies that I provide for my clients so that I can gain a deeper knowledge of what's happening. In doing so, I've gotten any number of personal benefits. Practices such as improving the ergonomics of my computer station give me a fast return for my effort. Some of the deeper therapies, such as sound therapy, have longer healing cycles, and one has to be patient to reap the rewards. I find that it is necessary to listen slowly and steadily to each CD, noting the feelings that come up and the changes that seem to occur. There are small miracles that can occur from the listening.
I have been told that adults (and some children) can be highly sensitive to sound therapy. And for 3 of the 5 adults I've worked with, including myself, this was true (until we altered the regimen). What we noticed was feelings of heavy emotions including depression that arose a few hours after therapy and lasted for the better part of a day. And worse, it happened after each listening session. What I noticed was that after having endured that, I felt as if some difficult thing(s) in my past had been purged and that social interactions with difficult people were easier.
Now, small changes like that are nice, but no one is going to put up with going through days of depression for some small social gains. However, it turns out that being sensitive has an up-side. One can decrease the listening time to very small increments and still get large gains. I decreased the time to 1 minute per day to start with and then added 30 seconds each day. I did this for both Samonas and Therapeutic Listening. It worked for me and for two clients. In addition to decreasing time, right after the therapy, I listened to emotionally evocative music such as blues, rock, or passionate classical as a way of releasing the emotions from the listening.
So how is it going now? Great! I've gone through a few CDs - in the order prescribed by Samonas and Therapeutic Listening, and am able to feel each CD's therapeutic effects on my brain, senses and body. I've noticed lots of small changes and a few big ones, too, including auditory processing, handwriting and modulation. I was surprised by changes in motor areas such as improved handwriting (even though I'd seen it in my kids at the clinic) and my increased ability to handle spicy foods. It is also true that I have slowed down and am attending to things with greater diligence. (I guess I have listed about half of the areas in which we hope for change for our kiddos from a sound therapy program.) I just notice little improvements every few days, and they keep adding up.
I still have a number of CDs to listen to. I'll report on any increased tolerance for the music as evidenced by being able to listen for longer periods of time without ill effect.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sounds and Rhythms
Rhythms and the Vestibular System
I am reading tons about sound and rhythm, and their affect on the auditory and vestibular systems. Currently, I am reading the 2001 version of Listening with the Whole Body by Sheila Frick and Colleen Hacker. (The new version is due in January!)
I didn't realize that the vestibular system (as opposed to the auditory system) picks up and utilizes sound frequencies in the 16-50 Hz. These low sounds are primal and input to the autonomic system as input to our fight/flight motor algorithms. Why? The sounds might come from thunder or from a predator and we may need to run.
Of course, this is not always the case, since low sounds can come from percussive instruments which the body can enjoy. The sensation of structured rhythm can be very organizing and calming. It is a useful tool in sensory-based interventions. My favorite rhythm CD for use with clients is Sacred Earth Drums by David and Steve Gordon.
A little more from the book: low sounds are multi-directional. They permeate the background. It's hard to tell where they come from (like thunder, for example). High sounds are uni-directional. They move to the foreground with very specific information about where they are. The auditory system can locate low sounds in the range of 500 to 1500 Hz, as well as mid-range and high frequency sounds.
1. Frick, S. M., and Hacker, C. (2001). Listening with the Whole Body. Vital Links, Madison, WI.
I am reading tons about sound and rhythm, and their affect on the auditory and vestibular systems. Currently, I am reading the 2001 version of Listening with the Whole Body by Sheila Frick and Colleen Hacker. (The new version is due in January!)
I didn't realize that the vestibular system (as opposed to the auditory system) picks up and utilizes sound frequencies in the 16-50 Hz. These low sounds are primal and input to the autonomic system as input to our fight/flight motor algorithms. Why? The sounds might come from thunder or from a predator and we may need to run.
Of course, this is not always the case, since low sounds can come from percussive instruments which the body can enjoy. The sensation of structured rhythm can be very organizing and calming. It is a useful tool in sensory-based interventions. My favorite rhythm CD for use with clients is Sacred Earth Drums by David and Steve Gordon.
A little more from the book: low sounds are multi-directional. They permeate the background. It's hard to tell where they come from (like thunder, for example). High sounds are uni-directional. They move to the foreground with very specific information about where they are. The auditory system can locate low sounds in the range of 500 to 1500 Hz, as well as mid-range and high frequency sounds.
1. Frick, S. M., and Hacker, C. (2001). Listening with the Whole Body. Vital Links, Madison, WI.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Samonas
This is a repeat of a posting from my pediatric blog, OT, Self Regulation and Autism.
I've been using Therapeutic Listening with clients for about a year now. I recently got Samonas sound therapy training, and I have been reading everything in site about Samonas, Therapeutic Listening and other sound programs. I want to know about the technology and how the programs differ from each other.
Over Speakers
One thing that Samonas has that others do not, is a series of disks (the CQ series) that can be played over stereo speakers. One of my colleagues uses them in the school setting with her kids once per week and sees gains.
Web-Based Monitoring
Another feature I like is even more important. The Samonas people will tell you all about the high quality music recorded in pristine settings by joyful musicians.... that's important, but even more so is the feature of web-based monitoring. After clients get their listening CD, they log into a web site every day or so and provide a rating of how it's going. Based on that day's feedback, they are told how many minutes to listen the next day.
To understand why this is important one needs to know that with some other programs, therapists give the one-size-fits-all instruction: 30 minutes, twice per day. There is no room for nuance here. It belies the fact that these therapies truly are powerful, and for people who are sensitive (typically, the people who need them), they can have powerful effects. I have seen adults and children have unwanted emotional reactions at inoportune times.
One can use the Samonas disks without the web log-in. I like the fact, that therapists are being instructed in how to grade auditory therapy ... just as they currently grade their other therapies.
Levels of Intensity
Finally, there are many levels of intensity in the Samonas program. A therapist finds out what level to start a client at by giving them the intro (A.R.T.) CD and monitoring the effects using web-based reporting. Once the client is matched to an intensity level, listening disks are chosen.
There are a myriad of other features, and more to come. I am impressed with the program, and confident that it will serve my clients well.
I've been using Therapeutic Listening with clients for about a year now. I recently got Samonas sound therapy training, and I have been reading everything in site about Samonas, Therapeutic Listening and other sound programs. I want to know about the technology and how the programs differ from each other.
Over Speakers
One thing that Samonas has that others do not, is a series of disks (the CQ series) that can be played over stereo speakers. One of my colleagues uses them in the school setting with her kids once per week and sees gains.
Web-Based Monitoring
Another feature I like is even more important. The Samonas people will tell you all about the high quality music recorded in pristine settings by joyful musicians.... that's important, but even more so is the feature of web-based monitoring. After clients get their listening CD, they log into a web site every day or so and provide a rating of how it's going. Based on that day's feedback, they are told how many minutes to listen the next day.
To understand why this is important one needs to know that with some other programs, therapists give the one-size-fits-all instruction: 30 minutes, twice per day. There is no room for nuance here. It belies the fact that these therapies truly are powerful, and for people who are sensitive (typically, the people who need them), they can have powerful effects. I have seen adults and children have unwanted emotional reactions at inoportune times.
One can use the Samonas disks without the web log-in. I like the fact, that therapists are being instructed in how to grade auditory therapy ... just as they currently grade their other therapies.
Levels of Intensity
Finally, there are many levels of intensity in the Samonas program. A therapist finds out what level to start a client at by giving them the intro (A.R.T.) CD and monitoring the effects using web-based reporting. Once the client is matched to an intensity level, listening disks are chosen.
There are a myriad of other features, and more to come. I am impressed with the program, and confident that it will serve my clients well.
Involuntary Momevent
I am seeing a client who has a tic that starts at her mid-section and thrusts her head and shoulders outward a few inches. In addition, she constantly touches things, is emotionally volatile and obsesses over having her way. Did I say that these symptoms were compounded by teenage hormones? Not an easy state for a pretty girl.
We had talked about sound therapy and Interactive Metronome (IM). I knew that IM would help with the sensory issues and eventually decrease a lot of the associated anxiety. I know of an IM provider who has Tourettes Syndrome who regularly keeps his symptoms at bay with IM. I wanted to try this approach with my client, but I was worried that the intensity of IM would cause an increase in her obsessive behaviors.
So why not use sound therapy... it would improve overall self-regulation and help her find calm. However, I've seen some amount of passive behaviors with sound therapy. I didn't want her self-esteem to take a nose dive, and really complicate things.
Finally, I suggested to the parents that we do both. And they agreed. Within a couple of weeks, the body tic has substantially diminished. Her overall home behaviors have improved and both parents are beaming. We completed the IM program, and still have a 6 weeks remaining on the sound therapy. My plan is to give her a quick shot of IM every 2 weeks to bolster the initial gains. I'll update more on this later.
We had talked about sound therapy and Interactive Metronome (IM). I knew that IM would help with the sensory issues and eventually decrease a lot of the associated anxiety. I know of an IM provider who has Tourettes Syndrome who regularly keeps his symptoms at bay with IM. I wanted to try this approach with my client, but I was worried that the intensity of IM would cause an increase in her obsessive behaviors.
So why not use sound therapy... it would improve overall self-regulation and help her find calm. However, I've seen some amount of passive behaviors with sound therapy. I didn't want her self-esteem to take a nose dive, and really complicate things.
Finally, I suggested to the parents that we do both. And they agreed. Within a couple of weeks, the body tic has substantially diminished. Her overall home behaviors have improved and both parents are beaming. We completed the IM program, and still have a 6 weeks remaining on the sound therapy. My plan is to give her a quick shot of IM every 2 weeks to bolster the initial gains. I'll update more on this later.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Musical Emotions
I just read about a number of dual sensory experiences in the book, Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks. His examples include people who hear colors. He can add this one to the list: a woman who feels in musical notes.
My good friend, Amanda, called me this morning in a state of excitement. Amanda has minor bouts of mania and minor bouts of depression. Another friend of hers once called her the most intense person she ever know. That was before my time with Amanda. She's pretty mellow these days. Although, I guess she has her moments.
And today was evidently one of them. It's been a rough November for her. External events had brought up some emotions, and combined with the dreary Michigan November she succombed to a bit of depression. As a friend, I was keeping a very careful eye on her.
During her call she said, "Last night I listened to some sublime choral music on my stereo. It filled my whole body with feeling. Finally, I couldn't handle any more and turned it off. This morning when I was in the shower, I felt a little funny. Instead of feeling a single emotion or feeling, I had...", -- and here she paused trying to find the words -- "...a whole harmonic range of emotions, arranged just like notes stacked one on top of the other". Then she explained that it was just like the rich choral music she had been listening to.
I got her to slow down long enough to explain it.
She told me that she had seen a visual image (in her inner eye) of about 12 emotions. The feeling of each emotion was represented by a musical note on a staff. The 12 feelings or notes were stacked in a single beat on the staff. She felt the emotions within herself like a rich chord of music -- all at once. Pretty bizarre and very beautiful.
"How did it feel?", I asked, afraid of the answer.
"Just fine.", she said. "Amazing and fine."
"What emotions were there?"
"The deeper notes were fear, sexual feelings, longing, up through greed, compassion, a need to express myself, and on and on. The highest note was joy."
"How do you feel now?"
"Very connected and in harmony with myself. Everything is just perfect."
I talked to her later. It was a momentary experience. It came with a high and then a low, but she did fine. That brain of ours is filled with all kinds of mysteries!
My good friend, Amanda, called me this morning in a state of excitement. Amanda has minor bouts of mania and minor bouts of depression. Another friend of hers once called her the most intense person she ever know. That was before my time with Amanda. She's pretty mellow these days. Although, I guess she has her moments.
And today was evidently one of them. It's been a rough November for her. External events had brought up some emotions, and combined with the dreary Michigan November she succombed to a bit of depression. As a friend, I was keeping a very careful eye on her.
During her call she said, "Last night I listened to some sublime choral music on my stereo. It filled my whole body with feeling. Finally, I couldn't handle any more and turned it off. This morning when I was in the shower, I felt a little funny. Instead of feeling a single emotion or feeling, I had...", -- and here she paused trying to find the words -- "...a whole harmonic range of emotions, arranged just like notes stacked one on top of the other". Then she explained that it was just like the rich choral music she had been listening to.
I got her to slow down long enough to explain it.
She told me that she had seen a visual image (in her inner eye) of about 12 emotions. The feeling of each emotion was represented by a musical note on a staff. The 12 feelings or notes were stacked in a single beat on the staff. She felt the emotions within herself like a rich chord of music -- all at once. Pretty bizarre and very beautiful.
"How did it feel?", I asked, afraid of the answer.
"Just fine.", she said. "Amazing and fine."
"What emotions were there?"
"The deeper notes were fear, sexual feelings, longing, up through greed, compassion, a need to express myself, and on and on. The highest note was joy."
"How do you feel now?"
"Very connected and in harmony with myself. Everything is just perfect."
I talked to her later. It was a momentary experience. It came with a high and then a low, but she did fine. That brain of ours is filled with all kinds of mysteries!
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