Several weeks ago, I helped perform a therapeutic concert in a residential facility that became a big help to the program staff of an institution I worked with. The program staff assisted the students in preparing for the songs. I trained musicians in how to provide a therapeutic concert experience, and the impact was remarkable. I found in this experiment that whereas the approach and burden of both trauma and trauma therapy is daunting and overwhelming, one can in fact find in a community of nurture and support a shared role that is a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. And, in the humility of taking on one part of the puzzle, one can find a part that is helpful without being overwhelmed by the whole thing.
I recently learned that a key to trauma recovery is to view life like an iceberg. On the surface we see the outward behavior. Often, people make judgments at this level alone, but there is so much more to discern. Under the surface, we see a level we call “emotional health.” We act because of how we feel. We act because of how we process life. But, there is even a deeper level than that. The bottom of the iceberg is “relational health.” Our relationships from the very beginning have lead us to our emotional state and to the behavior we show. Trauma informed music looks at this “iceberg” as a key filter and determinative grid as we bring music alongside of the life journeys and understandings we can find.
