Book Description

Title: Music of the Soul: Composing Life Out of Loss

Author:  Joy S. Berger, DMA, BCC, MT-BC

Publisher: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group

Series: Death, Dying & Bereavement

ISBN 10:  0415954819

ISBN 13:  978-0415954815

Published: Sept. 8, 2006

Music has the unique ability to elicit a range of powerful emotional responses from its listeners.  Throughout history, human beings have incorporated music into funeral and last rites ceremonies, grief and mourning rituals, celebrations, and remembrances of life.

Following this history of music as a soother of the soul and a lifter of spirits, Music of the Soul guides the reader through principles, techniques, and exercises for incorporating music into grief counseling, with the end goal of further empowering the grieving person.  This interdisciplinary text draws in equal parts from contemporary grief/loss theory, music therapy research, historical examples of powerful music, case studies, and both self-reflecting and teaching tools. 

With numerous examples for incorporating the use of music in grief counseling, the book offers a practical and flexible approach to a broad spectrum of mental health practitioners, from thanatologists to hospice staff, at all levels of professional training and in a variety of settings.

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