Supporting Recovery from a Fall with The Listening Program®

I can testify that life seems more hurried and stressful than ever as we grow older. A pandemic, a job change, economic pressures, inclement and unpredictable weather all complicate daily life. Maintaining one’s health and well-being requires more attention and yet, often gets neglected.

My professional life as an occupational therapist included working with older adults aiming to cope with this reality. And now I am one. I’ve discovered a really important concept along the way which I have applied to my own life. It has strengthened and empowered my very existence and I am so grateful for it.

I want to share with others what I’ve experienced. I hope this will be useful and meaningful information for each and every one reading this. As an occupational therapist I have provided therapeutic recovery programs for people across the lifespan. These have included drug babies, children and adults with ADHD, brain injured, war veterans and their families and adults with chronic depression, dementia, severe pain syndromes and many others. I have learned something very, very special. There is an amazing, even astounding, capacity and potential in every human being. And this holds true even for those who have suffered from trauma, tragedy, injury, disability and disease.

There are three essential components to bring out the very best of any motivated person, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or experience:

• • The first is the use of therapeutically applied music on a consistent basis.
• • The second is the development of regular, repeated, rhythmic, relevant, rewarding, relational routines. {based on the neuro-plastiticity [ability to re-wire] of the human brain} Dr. Bruce Perry, Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy, Child Psychiatrist, Neurologist, Educator
• • The third is a knowledgeable and caring person to help guide the process to achieve their life goals.

Music has profound power in our lives. Our entire mood can be changed just by changing the music we listen to. Even our overall health can be affected. Music involves not only the auditory areas of the brain, but engages a wide range of large-scale neural networks, including your nervous system.

I am actively promoting The Listening Program to friends because I have benefitted from it sooooooo much. I first learned about it not too long after my divorce in 2002. I was suffering from PTSD, severe sleep deprivation, complex circumstances and was quite unemployable. It was a frightening time in my life. My medical social worker, Rita, (domestic violence crisis center) and my attorney, Bruce, helped me come up with a 2 year recovery plan so that I could eventually return to work as an occupational therapist. It was during that two year period that I discovered The Listening Program and it became a MAJOR facilitator of my recovery process. In addition I completed yearly updates and more advanced programming up to and including the present. That was why I became a provider myself and promoted it among my patients. In many cases they experienced amazing and dramatic results and were able to achieve therapy goals.

These were people with stroke, drug overdose, dementia, chronic depression, brain injury {car accidents, sports injuries and war}, autism, developmental delays, ADHD etc. In addition, I have promoted The Listening Program for older adults facing the many challenges and changes of aging including stress management, memory loss, effective problem solving, overall physical fitness, depression and the importance of learning new skills.

I am now retired from occupational therapy. I want to really enjoy my retirement and all the ways I have benefitted from The Listening Program to pursue learning to play musical instruments, sew, draw and paint, garden, cook my favorite meals, and I want to write, etc. It is a very rewarding season in my life. I credit The Listening Program (with follow-up listening sessions to date) extensively for helping me achieve many of my life goals.

In June of 2021 I slipped and fell on the porch steps at my daughter, Julie’s house. Although I didn’t break a bone, I was very badly bruised on my left hip, elbow and shoulder. I experienced a great deal of nerve and muscle pain. It has taken an entire year to completely recover my prior level of physical fitness and function at 71 years of age which meant:

• • being able to squat
• • sit on the floor cross-legged, (preferred position when playing my ukulele)
• • get up from that position smoothly and without any discomfort, and
• • ride my bike being able to shift gears and manage inclines.

Believe me! I was the best patient I’ve ever had!!!

Completing another listening protocol {which is 15 to 30 minutes a day, 5 days/week for about 20 weeks} and using the Sound Health Series for my “recreational” listening were so supportive and helpful. By this I mean helping me think clearly, organize, concentrate, improve my memory, elevate my mood, motivate me to do physical activity etc. Follow-up programming with InTime stimulated increased balance, coordination and control.

It’s important to confide that this was a very challenging and difficult road. My speeds were slow, very slow or stop and rest. Though I’m enjoying a significant level of stability I perceive that it is very fragile. I carefully adhere to my daily and weekly routines, being very alert to my daily intake of food, rest periods, elevating my legs 2X/day, stretching, not sitting or standing more than 30 minutes, and taking a daily walk. I take care to follow schedules for exercise, riding my bike, music practice, art work (The watercolor book I am using is Botanical Watercolor Painting for Beginners by Cara Rosalie Olsen. This is a Step-by-Step Guide to Create Beautiful Floral Artwork. It’s been a satisfying and rewarding way to measure improvement in my creative process.) and writing. Avoiding stressful situations, people and places is very beneficial. Being able to enjoy a healthy and productive lifestyle in my later years is very satisfying and extremely valuable to me.

A special note: Using TLP is a very unique kind of listening. Unlike other kinds of music listening you must be emotionally and cognitively present. It is best not to be reading, studying, working on a report, browsing the internet or balancing the checkbook.

May you personally experience what I discovered and make it your own. You will never regret it.