Sound Minds USA – Improving Minds with Music

Check out our virtual concert for Sound Minds USA

 The mission of Sound Minds USA is to promote human health and well being for all people who suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), depression, schizophrenia, apathy, sleeping disorder, tinnitus, and addiction.

 With some cognitive impairments (notably PTSD), there is a physiological change in the brain. The amygdala (fear/emotions) and hippocampus (event memory) become desynchronized yielding confusion, depression, despair. This results in certain traumatic events not being fully processed (i.e. combat, rape, TBI, severe physical injury, severe psychological injury). Dr. Oliver Sachs states “Nothing activates the brain so extensively as music”.  

The dynamics at work between sound-music stimuli, and the brain’s inherent plasticity/adaptability, is of primary significance. Sound Minds USA has developed two treatment modules since 2008 through work with veterans, active military, abused spouses, addicts, rape victims, severe physical-injury victims, and severe mental-injury victims. 

The two modules come from a multidisciplinary context with input from patients, neurologists, psychologists, composers, musicologists, performers, psychiatrists, internists, therapists,