Music has nonverbal, creative, structural, and emotional qualities. These are used in the therapeutic relationship between client and music therapist to facilitate contact, self-expression, communication, and other clinical goals. Our bodies pulsing with internal rhythms of the heart, the digestive system, and the lungs synchronize to music with its intrinsically rhythmical structure. For people living with autism, ADHD, mood disorders, effects of TBI, stroke, or trauma, the skillful use of music and its elements such as melody, rhythm, and dynamics promotes positive change. Most significantly, it influences the important and necessary shift in physiological and emotional responses away from dysregulation towards regulation and balance.
Community News
The Importance of Planning
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery. How many goals have we set and then realized we’ve not reached because there was no follow-through on our part? Planning goes hand in hand with goal setting. If you aspire to retire early, then your money management needs to be very intentional. You need to put a savings plan into place and eliminate any spending that will not aid you in reaching your goal. Smaller goals, such as vacation travel plans, still need to involve planning and saving, and then, of course, enjoying.
3 Ingredient Banana Ice Cream
You will need: 2 peeled and frozen bananas, 2 T almond or peanut butter, 2 T almond or coconut milk. Optional add ins: nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, coconut, cocoa powder. Directions: In a blender, mix the bananas and the milk substitute. You may need to cut the banana into chunks depending on how powerful your blender is. Once they are partly chopped up, add in the nut butter. Continue to blend until you get a soft serve consistency. Spoon ice cream into a bowl and stir in any additional ingredients you desire. That’s it! Enjoy this healthy ice cream alternative!
Book Club: Beyond the Label
Beyond the Label offers a unique perspective on mental health: it shares the author’s own recovery from four major mental health conditions: anxiety, depression (attempted suicide), bulimia, and bipolar disorder type 1. The book outlines a detailed, step-by-step plan for how others can achieve optimal mental health. A combination of practical clinical experience and years of lived experience, the book shares insight into how diet, exercise, and sleep can be optimized for improved mental wellbeing, as well as strategies for coping with negative thoughts and emotions, and building self-love and compassion, among other skills.
Catching Your Breath
Because breathing is an involuntary action, we rarely pay attention to the process. But did you know that how you breathe impacts your health? Deep nasal breathing can reduce stress, help you fall asleep faster, aid toxin removal, and lower blood pressure to a greater extent than mouth breathing can.
And did you know that your nasal passage serves as a biological air filter, humidifier, and air conditioner to cool the brain? So the next time you’re catching your breath, try deep breathing through your nose and note how much better you feel while going about your day.
Using Essential Oils
Aromatherapy is also referred to as essential oil therapy. It can be defined as the art and science of using highly concentrated medicinal plant extracts to promote mental and physical health. Did you know that one of the most effective ways to enjoy the benefits of essential oils is by diffusing? Breathing deeply relaxes the body and allows the essential oil molecules to be utilized very efficiently. Massage is another wonderful way to enjoy essential oils. Add 3-4 drops to 1 oz of coconut oil and enjoy. Never use essential oils directly on your skin without a carrier oil and NEVER ingest essential oils. Just breathe!
Product Review: Avena Original’s E-Fusion
This powerful Vitamin E and amino acid complex is formulated to promote energy, health, healing and longevity complete with perfectly-balanced ratios of protein, carbohydrates and fat. This great-tasting, plant-based, 100% RAW whole food provides a variety of naturally-occurring essential nutrients including antioxidants, vitamins, pro-oxidant nutrients, phytonutrients, and tocotrienols. E-Fusion helps your body heal muscles after intense workouts, injury, trauma, and boosts the vitality of your internal organs.
Avena Originals, AvenaOriginals.com
Spring Happiness
April is truly spring. Our senses peak to the scent of flowers, vivid colours, and sounds of birds. This is a perfect time to multiply the effects everywhere within our body, especially with exercise and nutrition. You feel like walking and running outdoors and just the look of fresh spring vegetables will have them home and on your plate before you know it. It is so important to glorify the positives around and within you. Breathe it in and hold it in your memories for future use. People sometimes say, “Nothing makes me happy.” Spring is your chance to discover natural happiness; start your inventory of happy this month.
The Movement and Learning Connection
Is your child feeling overwhelmed or frustrated about keeping up at school? Is he or she struggling with lack of focus or motivation? What if learning can be fun? Imagine your child learning multiplication tables while doing physical exercises. Boredom and fatigue slip away. It’s not long before your child lights up and realizes he is finally grasping and recalling math or new concepts in science. Confidence begins to grow. Movements that cross the midline of the body fire up the brain. Brain gym exercises release stress and flood the body with endorphins, which also help with depression or anxiety. Simply put, when the body moves, the mind moves.
Smile Confidently
Dental implants from offer a great way to replace missing teeth and also provide patients with the option of having removable partial or complete dentures. Implants provide excellent support and stability for these dental appliances. Dental implants are artificial roots (titanium) that are surgically placed into the upper or lower jaw bone by a dentist or periodontist (a specialist of the gums and supporting bone). The teeth attached to implants are very natural looking and often enhance or restore a patient’s smile! Dental implants are strong and durable and will last many years. On occasion they will have to be re-tightened or replaced due to normal wear.
Think Before You Buy
Today, the news advised that for every dollar Canadians earn, we owe $170. How does that work? It doesn’t! Saying no to ourselves, or not now, or I will save to purchase is not the way in our ‘immediate gratification’ day and age. The online shopping availability on every social media platform is overwhelming at times. The specials with deadlines are trusting that we will click and order before we have had a chance to think if we even need, yes need, not just want the item. We might need to do a little spring cleaning in our approach to click and buy.
