Therapeutic Listening
What is Therapeutic Listening?
Therapeutic Listening is a comprehensive, multi-faceted sound-based approach that involves much more than just the ears. Like other sensory systems, the auditory system does not work in isolation. Neurologically it is connected to all levels of brain function and as a result it has a vast range of influence. How we listen impacts not only our overall physiology, but also our behavior.
How does Therapeutic Listening Work?
Therapeutic Listening is a specific sound-based intervention that is embedded in a developmental and sensory integration perspective. The music in Therapeutic Listening gives the listener unique and precisely controlled sensory information. The music is electronically modified to highlight the parts of the sound spectrum that naturally capture attention and activate body movement, synchronizing it with the environment. Therapeutic Listening uses electronic modifications, along with the organized, rhythmical sound patterns inherent in music, to trigger the self-organizing capacities of the nervous system.
Who Could Benefit from Therapeutic Listening?
Therapeutic Listening may benefit a wide variety of individuals of various ages who might exhibit:
- Poor attention
- Difficulty interacting with peers and limited play skills
- Challenges with transitions or changes in routine
- Difficulty communicating (both verbal and non-verbal)
- Struggles with sleep, bowel and bladder control, and eating
- Trouble following directions
- Challenges perceiving and navigating space
- Poor timing and sequencing of motor skills
- Difficulty with irritability, mood
- Difficulty with regulating their energy level (i.e. too low arousal or hyperactive)
- Postural insecurity (fear of heights, playing on playground equipment)
- Abnormal responses to various sensory stimuli (sounds, touch, taste, pain)
- Poor praxis and motor planning: coming up with an idea, planning, and completing the task
- Difficulty responding to sounds and verbal directions