Intersection of Music and Mental Health: Military and Veterans
Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Music Vets
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Berklee Performance Center
Brought to you by the Music and Health Institute as part of the Exchange Series, Music Vets tells the story of three proud US military veterans in different stages of recovery from PTSD and/or traumatic brain injuries. Set in the coastal military communities of Southern California and the hustle and bustle of New York City, vets Lito, Ben, and Deborah offer us a glimpse of humanity’s resiliency in the face of adversity. Though they each have very different backgrounds and military experience, all three use the therapeutic power of music to cope and recover—unlocking emotions and finding new ways forward.
Intersection of Music and Mental Health: Military and Veterans
About
There is a crisis among our service members and veterans that is rarely seen but felt by all those who care for them.
An invisible wound is a cognitive, emotional, or behavioral condition that can be associated with trauma or serious adverse life events. These wounds manifest themselves in military populations as major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Service members, including veterans, afflicted with these conditions have higher rates of unhealthy behaviors, physical health problems, and mortality. These invisible wounds have a ripple effect in their community and are putting unprecedented strain on families and relationships. This strain contributes to the severity of the service member's disability over the course of time, creating a feedback loop of trauma and despair. Music-based experiences are an engaging, motivating, and affirmative healing process that improves mental health outcomes and experiences for military personnel, veterans, their families, and their community at large.
From personal enjoyment to structured therapeutic programs, music experiences for vets can:
- improve emotional expression and regulation;
- improve speech, motor, and cognitive functioning;
- increase awareness of self, including recognizing and validating individual strengths;
- increase motivation for and reception to treatment;
- create a sense of community;
- decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression while boosting mood;
- provide a sense of purpose; and
- enhance overall quality of life.
Join leading experts to explore and put forth agendas of action for research and programming focused on the arts as a viable tool for improving the mental health and wellbeing of our military populations.
View the Program Book(Opens in a new window)
When
January 27, 2023
Where
David Friend Recital Hall
Agenda
Healing Invisible Wounds: Songs, Stories, and Science
- Kristin Starling, Executive Director, Songwriting with Soldiers;
- Terry Radigan, Grammy-nominated Singer/Songwriter; Ron Hirschberg, MD, Senior Director of Health and Wellness, Project Home Base; Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), Harvard Medical School; Director of the PM&R Consultation Service at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Rebecca Vaudreuil EdM, MT-BC, Lead Music Therapist, Creative Forces
From Therapeutic to Therapy: Music and the PTSD Brain with Mack Bailey, MM, MT-BC, Founder, Music Therapy of the Rockies
Veteran Voices: A Portrait of Experiences with Music and Imagery with K. Maya Story, PhD, MT-BC, Core Investigator, VA HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication and Brittany Costa, MA, MT-BC, Soldier, 101st Army Band
Music Therapy on Film: A Conversation with Music Vets Co-directors with El Sawyer, Filmmaker and Social Justice Advocate, Cofounder of MING Media and Jon Kaufman, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Cofounder of MING Media
Guitars with Vets with Rev. Dr. Lynn Smith-Henry, Lt. Col. US Army Ret., Veterans' Guitar Project and Kim Perlak, DMA, Chair, Berklee Guitar Department
Roundtable Discussions: An opportunity for participants to reflect on presentations shared, exchange ideas, and explore key issues, trends, and practices related to music and wellness for veterans, military, and the surrounding community.