Music for Recovery and "Be Bigger Than You Think You Are"

This week on Talk Recovery Radio

This week on Talk Recovery Radio, 2 guests, one full hour. Kathy Moser founder of "Music for Recovery" and Peter Alessandria author of "Be Bigger Than You Think You Are" joins us on Co-op Radio 100.5fm. 

Guest 1: Kathy Moser, founder of "Music for Recovery"

“Music for Recovery has been providing evidence-based, clinically valuable music programming nationally in the US for over 10 years.

In 2016 our work was studied by the Recovery Research Institute at Harvard Medical School, Dr. John Kelly lead researcher, and found to be beneficial to people in residential treatment. (let me know if you’d like a copy of the study)

The goal of our work is to give clients hands-on experience developing recovery skills through engaging musical programming including group and individual song writing, recovery concerts, choirs, performance, beat making, and learning to play musical instruments.

We offer song writing workshops, concerts, installation of music equipment and collaborate to design clinically integrated music programming that supports your facility's treatment milieu.

We have worked with a wide variety of recovery clients including adolescents and adults, both SUD primary and dual diagnosis, gender specific and mixed.

We have experience working in detox, short-term residential, long-term residential, sober living and IOPs.

The over 700 songs we have written with clients have been streamed over 46,000 times post treatment on our SoundCloud Page. Here are some of our Greatest Hits

Music for Recovery has consistently been rated by clients and staff as one of the most helpful and engaging elements of treatment.”

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Music For Recovery Results

BACKGROUND: Carr et al. (2013) cite the need for further attention to Music Therapy’s effects in inpatient settings. Drawing a link between the theoretical concepts of group therapy and data specifically evaluating Music Therapy programs seems suited to the incipient status of much of this work. Yalom’s Therapeutic Factors (TFs) are a widely accepted theoretical framework for the aspects of group therapy that serve to effect change in group members (1995). Music Therapy appears to derive its therapeutic effects from an interaction of these factors. Current literature documents Music Therapy’s ability to instill reconnection with previous states, companionship amongst the group, and perceived equality with the therapist unique to the music modality, as well as instillation of hope and positive expression (Ansdell and Meehan, 2010).

“Music for Recovery” (MFR) is one such example of Music Therapy which is available to facilities offering services to patients with substance use disorders. The MFR program, run by a musician in long-term recovery, offers on-site recovery songwriting workshops and performances to explore how creativity can support recovery and enhance treatment experiences. A program evaluation was developed to measure the therapeutic effects of participation in MFR in patients of residential addiction treatment facilities.

Guest 2: Peter Alessandria Author of "Be Bigger Than You Think You Are"

I’m Peter Alessandria – and I would like to invite you to "Be Bigger Than You Think You Are!" This book will show you how to overcome your limiting thoughts and beliefs so you can finally have the life you want.

In 2009, after working for nearly 20 years as an entertainment attorney, I lost my business to the Global Financial Crisis. I tried everything I could to get it going again, but nothing seemed to work. Eventually I came to a crossroads: what was I going to do with the rest of my life? Several years earlier I had fallen in love with photography. When it became clear my law business wasn’t going to come back anytime soon, I decided to turn a negative into a positive and pursue my passion for photography full time.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well at first. For more than three years I struggled to get my new business going. I initially thought it was the economy. Then I thought it was my lack of formal education in art or photography. Next I thought it was the competition from all the other photographers out there. At one point, I was even sure it was because I didn’t have the latest and greatest camera equipment. But it turns out none of that was the problem. What was holding me back were my own negative thoughts and beliefs about myself. I had a very negative self-image when it came to being a creative person. I was sure people wouldn’t like my work, so I lived in fear of rejection and criticism. It was quite eye-opening to see that my self-image was the cause of all my problems.

Making Amends

As someone who spent almost 25 years in three different 12 Step Programs, I’ve learned that taking responsibility for our choices and actions is at the core of any recovery program. The inventory and amends process suggested in Steps 4, 8 & 9 form the basis for this. Yet I’ve found that taking responsibility by making an amends is not always as straightforward as it seems.

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