“The power of music to integrate and cure is quite fundamental. It is the profoundest non-chemical medication” – Oliver Sachs (Awakenings)

Over the last half century, music therapy has made tremendous strides as a discipline. Music therapists work in hospitals, rehabilitation centres, nursing homes, prisons and schools. Research is still going on but it is believed that music can shorten the time to recovery of neural functions by promoting nerve cell regeneration.

It is as if music is able to trigger compensatory mechanisms that can help  to recover from a stroke or other brain related damage. Dr.Steven Porges  highlights the importance of therapeutic music. His work builds on many of Tomatis’ premises and shows us how fascinating and beautiful our innate abilities are. The abilities to recover, to overcome trauma, to compensate and heal even from the worst of situations.

Listening Training can be an effective way to jump-start that process, particularly because of the intensity of the 
stimulation and the use of the bone conductor, the small vibrator integrated in the headphones.

Even with severe brain injuries, improvements have been observed. There is almost always some potential there that is not fully utilised. That goes for all of us. Keep that in mind and let that reassure you.