Music therapy is about giving voice to your deepest feelings.  Sing about being afraid, about your grief and loneliness.  Let the lyrics of despair and sadness pour out of you. Music therapy makes it possible for you to face your fears and grief.  Nothing accesses the inner world of feelings, sensations and memories as directly as music does. You don’t have to have a great voice as singing’s purpose is to reduce the anxiety and depression widows can experience following the death of their loved ones.  Music therapy is like meditation as it can slow the natural rise in blood pressure. Finding the right music therapist can be difficult, but you owe it to yourself to keep looking until you find a good match.  Start by asking people you respect for recommendations.  If no one you talk to knows a good music therapist, try calling the psychology or social work departments for recommendations.   Once you get a name, book a single session to see if this can help you. After your one session ask yourself these two questions:

• Did I feel like they truly heard and listened to me?
• Is there a part of me that wants to do it again?

If they clearly didn’t hear you and you don’t want to do it again, then don’t.  Keep looking until you feel that special connection that tells you that this therapist gets you. If you do not see anything of value in your life, begin by finding one thing of beauty every day until it becomes a habit.  What you find in your mind is what you put there, so put good things in like music and dancing.  Be at peace with yourself and find what brings you joy. Sessions with a good music therapist can stir up your emotional needs, but you’ll still feel safe and want to come back.  It is well known that when words fail us, music speaks clearly.  When you hear a beautiful or meaningful melody, the hair on the back of our neck may stand up and it moves us, speaking to all parts of us.