• {Therapist’s Corner} 10% Happier

    by  • August 1, 2016 • Therapist's Corner • 0 Comments

    Screen Shot 2016-08-02 at 5.13.19 PMThis post is part of a monthly series brought to you by the music therapists at Noteable Progressions. Join us here for book reviews, thought provoking conversation, interesting information, and other random musings. Do you have something you would like our therapists to address? Leave your idea in the comments, and we will get back to you.

    I teetered back and forth on what to share in Therapist’s Corner this month. Well, actually, I knew what I wanted to share, but I wasn’t sure how it would be received because it’s about a topic could be considered “out there” or “woo woo” by some folks. However, I own a music therapy practice which is also considered “out there” or “woo woo” by some folks, so I decided to go for it.

    In March, I ordered the book 10% Happier after hearing about it on a blog and then continuing to hear it mentioned from time to time. I finally picked it up in May and could barely put it down. Now, I typically have multiple books going at a time and will bounce around from book to book depending on the day, which usually means that it takes me awhile to finish one book. (As evidenced by the multitude of renewals on my library books!) This book was different – As I read the words on the page, I felt like the author had spent some quality time inside my head.

    10% Happier was written by Dan Harris, an ABC news anchor who had a panic attack live on Good Morning America. I found his self-deprecating style not only humorous by very relatable. In the book, he shares about the work and life experiences that led up to that panic attack and then details his journey to 10% happier – through meditation.

    Now, I would be fooling myself if I said that I have fully partially embraced meditation at all. I tried for about a week in the early summer, and the habit didn’t stick at that time. (I know; I know. “They” say it takes about 21 days for a habit to form. Maybe I’ll try again this fall.) What I do use on a fairly regular basis is a “behind the waterfall of emotions” visualization that Dan describes as well as focused deep breathing when the seas of my brain get rough.

    Not everyone will enjoy the book, find the content valuable, or like Dan’s style, but I did. If I can share my appreciation of the book with one other person who could also benefit from it, then it was worth this Therapist’s Corner blog post.

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