Music & Expressive Writing Therapy For Veterans

For those of you who do not know or truly understand what Battle Mind Records is about, it all boils down to helping veterans through music.  I plan to use music and writing as a form of therapy for veterans that suffer from PTSD, along with generating a revenue source that will be used to help house homeless veterans.  Music therapy is proving to be a very positive form of therapy for many combat veterans.  The therapy can include listening to music, playing musical instruments, or even writing song lyrics.  I truly understand the help of all three of these elements.  I have always used listening to music as an escape from the stress of life, more so when I was deployed in Iraq.  Music has helped me to push forward under odds unimaginable.  I have also been writing song lyrics and poetry for most of my life.  I never truly understood how helpful it was until I was deployed.  It always helps to get things off of your chest, whether through talking or writing.  For those like me who have trouble confiding in others, writing is a great alternative.  According to Arts & Healing, “Expressive Writing (EW) is a brief intervention that instructs individuals to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings about a stressful event without regard to the structure of the writing.”  I no longer play any musical instruments, but I started recording songs during my second deployment.  I realized very quickly that while I was writing and recording, the terrible world around me would disappear.  Many psychological studies have been conducted on music therapy.  The results show that it can be very helpful for those who have survived traumatic events.  According to WQXR, “Studies show that music can trigger the brain to release chemicals that distract the body from pain.”