The Music Therapy Studio: Empowering the Soul's Truth

by Rick Soshensky, Jon Samson (Foreword by)

Overview

Rick Soshensky presents a groundbreaking introduction to music’s power to heal and transform, weaving a collection of uplifting case studies from his music therapy practice with ideas from spiritual traditions, philosophies, psychological theorists, and music therapy researchers. Going beyond just theoretical and clinical information, The Music Therapy Studio: Empowering the Soul’s Truth centers on the stories and experiences of people with disabilities—marginalized people for whom the world allows little time or place but whose extraordinary musical journeys teach us about the unseen depths and indomitability of the human spirit.

Soshensky investigates core concepts of a music-centered approach—the experience of music as a creative art with clients that has intrinsic value and supersedes diagnostic labeling and behavioral goal setting. The result is unique and inspirational text that leads us towards a deeper understanding and appreciation of music therapy and music’s spiritual benefits.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538154304
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/15/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Rick Soshensky, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, NRMT, is a nationally known music therapist. His work has been featured in The New York Times, National Public Radio, and Fox Radio. He operates Hudson Valley Creative Arts Therapy Studio and teaches in the music therapy departments at SUNY New Paltz and Molloy College. His website is https://themusictherapystudio.com/.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jon Samson

Preface

Part I: Music Therapy Studio: The Foundation

Introduction: Welcome to the Studio

Alan: A Search for Competence

What Makes It Therapy?

Connection, Communication, Expansion

Unconditional Acceptance

Commitment

Generalization

Chapter 1: My Journey into Music Therapy

What is the Relationship Between “Typical” Musicianship and Music Therapy?

Oh, Yeah, My Sister Has a Relaxing Music App: Misunderstanding Music Therapy

Backstory: So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star

Paradigm Shift: My Discovery of Music Therapy

Back to School: Well, Not So Fast

William: Unforgettable

Clinician: Who, Me?

Life is Dukkha

Chapter 2: Music Therapy Studio

Activities of Musicians

Which Way Do We Go

Digging the Well

The Four Experiential States of Music Therapy

Beyond Entertainment

The Socio-Political Impetus of Music as Therapy

Love Me for Who I Am

Genius, Prophet, Patient

Daniel: Heaven and Earth

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.

Noel: To Make a Better World for All to See

Chapter 3: Sacred Space

The Music Room

Holding Space

Interactive Space

Akasha

Chapter 4: Lessons from Nordoff-Robbins

The Music Child

The Musical Form Itself is the Intervention

We Are Here to Work

Indexing and Assessment

Mutuality

The Archetypal Aspects of Music

Changes in Musical Expression are Seen as Significant Changes in Self

Living in the Creative Now

A New Moral Reality

Thomas: Being in Music

Part II: Music Therapy Studio: The Framework

Chapter 5: Instruction and Practice

Practice, Practice, Practice. Then Forget All That and Just Wail

Susannah: Facing the Challenges of Autism

BioNeuro Music Therapy

We All Learn from Each Other

James: Broken Brain

Chapter 6: Jamming

Improvisation: Playing Without Memory

David: The Healing Power of Coltrane’s “Giant Steps”

Owen: A Beautiful Connection

Idiom and Archetype

Facilitating Risky Interaction: Giving Permission to Express What’s There

Clinical Aesthetics: The Systems Model of Creativity

Danielle: Not So Tough

Chapter 7: Composing

“Songwriting? What Do I Know About Songwriting?”

JeanMarie: Family

Songs as Personal Mythology

George: Speechless

Chapter 8: Performing & Recording

What You Say Here, Stays Here. What You Play Here Well, That Might Go Somewhere

Hey Gang, Let’s Put On a Show!

Public Expression as Therapy: Essential Questions

Community Music Therapy

Director/Producer/Music Therapist: Whose Work is This, Anyway?

Darryl: I Was Alone

Together We Dream - Together We Heal

Some Benefits of a Recording Project in a Post-Acute Rehab Setting We Can (Hopefully) All Agree Upon

Censorship

John: Set Me Free!

Community Reverberations

Chapter 9: Goals

Ronnie: Hello, Goodbye

There is No Such Thing as Resistance, Only Imperfect Communication

What Are We Looking For?

Therapist - 1, Client - 0: Documenting Measurable Behavior.

The Elements of Well-Being

Flow and the Elements of Well-Being

Documenting the Elements of Well-Being

Adapting the Elements of Well-Being

If You Don't Know Where You're Going, You Might Not Get There

Chapter 10: Ritual

The Children’s Performance Group: Redefining Expectations

God Bless America: It Almost Didn’t Happen That Way.

Music Contains Magic

Clinical Paradigm Shift

Part III: Music Therapy Studio: The Philosophy

Chapter 11: Transcendance

The Famous Double Slit Experiment

And That’s Not All

Far Out, Man But What Does This Have to Do with Music Therapy?

Attractor Patterns

David Hawkins’s Levels of Consciousness

I’m Picking Up Good Vibrations: Practical Applications

Expression vs. Depression: Shifting the Directionality of Life Energy

The Transcendence of Individual Identity: The Whole Universe is Singing

Rose: Set the Artist Free

Chapter 12: Curing Versus Healing

Akashic Records: Nothing is Irrevocably Lost but Everything is Irrevocably Stored

You Are the Universe

Die and Be Again

No Axe to Grind

Can I Change All the Darkness and Misery in the World? No. Can I Bring Music Into Those Places? Yes

And That's All I Have to Say About That

References

Editorial Reviews

In conclusion, at several points throughout the book, I stopped and realised that Soshenky’s writing had subtly affirmed or led me to rediscover something in my own understanding about our role as music therapists and journeying alongside our clients. Soshensky’s approach to his own work conveys a refreshing sense of authenticity and humility while also clearly showing his deep understanding of the human condition.

British Journal of Music Therapy

It’s time we learn more about how music therapy can play a key role in healing and enriching the spiritual path. The Music Therapy Studio is a place of grace—extraordinary tales of the soul.

Caroline Myss

Rick beautifully illustrates the way music can reveal a whole other dimension of a person that wasn’t there before, fostering growth and carrying over to other aspects of a person’s life, engendering a fuller life experience.

Jane E. Brody

An inspiring and thoughtful collection of stories for anyone pursuing music therapy as a career. At once heartwarming and intellectually challenging, Rick Soshensky integrates ideas from psychology, spiritual traditions, and music therapy in an engaging and thought provoking narrative.

Alan Turry

Step into the shoes of a music therapist who has dedicated his life to shining a light on some of the most feared and abandoned crevices of the human condition. Soshensky's work and philosophy demonstrate what’s possible when we hold another person’s value—patient or not—as equal to our own.

Jon Samson

Rick Soshensky presents a groundbreaking introduction to music’s power to heal and transform, weaving a collection of uplifting case studies from his music therapy practice with ideas from spiritual traditions, philosophies, psychological theorists, and music therapy researchers.

AnneCarlini.com

So many lives can be enriched by reading this book. Therapists can improve their clinical practices. Musicians can understand the impact of their creative work and revel in the healing powers of music. People seeking treatment can have a model with which to measure their own therapy options. Others seeking inspiration and wisdom will find it here and can rest easy knowing that solutions abound in the generous work of therapists and musicians. As these disciplines combine, vibrations arise, energy is shifted, and lives are changed. Soshensky deftly captures how musical therapists provide musical experiences with clients as a guide to improve overall well-being. He is a gifted writer and an experienced therapist with wisdom to impart and music to share.

US Review of Books

Rick Soshensky's book, The Music Therapy Studio: Empowering the Soul's Truth, is a multifaceted text that delivers the author's perspectives on the conceptual Music Therapy Studio (synonymous for his approach to music therapy), as developed throughout his prolonged experiences in clinical practice and foundations as a musician. Grounded in music-centered and humanistic orientations, Soshensky explores numerous diversely situated case studies supporting the latent potential in both musical and human development.

Nordic Journal of Music Therapy

An inspiring and thoughtful collection of stories for anyone pursuing music therapy as a career. At once heartwarming and intellectually challenging, Rick Soshensky integrates ideas from psychology, spiritual traditions, and music therapy in an engaging and thought provoking narrative.

It's time we learn more about how music therapy can play a key role in healing and enriching the spiritual path. The Music Therapy Studio is a place of grace--extraordinary tales of the soul.

Rick beautifully illustrates the way music can reveal a whole other dimension of a person that wasn't there before, fostering growth and carrying over to other aspects of a person's life, engendering a fuller life experience.

Rick Soshensky presents a groundbreaking introduction to music's power to heal and transform, weaving a collection of uplifting case studies from his music therapy practice with ideas from spiritual traditions, philosophies, psychological theorists, and music therapy researchers.

Rick Soshensky's book, The Music Therapy Studio: Empowering the Soul's Truth, is a multifaceted text that delivers the author's perspectives on the conceptual Music Therapy Studio (synonymous for his approach to music therapy), as developed throughout his prolonged experiences in clinical practice and foundations as a musician. Grounded in music-centered and humanistic orientations, Soshensky explores numerous diversely situated case studies supporting the latent potential in both musical and human development.

Step into the shoes of a music therapist who has dedicated his life to shining a light on some of the most feared and abandoned crevices of the human condition. Soshensky's work and philosophy demonstrate what's possible when we hold another person's value--patient or not--as equal to our own.

From the Publisher