Cleveland, OH,
12
May
2017
|
17:06 PM
America/New_York

Carol Shively Mizes Publishes a Book about Music's Role in Recovery

Carol Shively Mizes, a board certified music therapist, has witnessed the healing power of music in her nearly 20 years of caring for patients at MetroHealth.

The experiences have been so moving for her, she's written a book about what she's seen. The Musician’s Brain: Does it Recover from Trauma Better than Others? is a summary of the amazing stories Carol has been a part of at MetroHealth. 

In the book, Carol proposes that patients with musical backgrounds can heal faster from a brain injury than those with no musical inclinations. Mizes wants her experiences to lead others to investigate this hypothesis futher. “I hope to contribute to the research that is already out there,” she says. The book chronicles the journey of five musicians with traumatic brain injuries at MetroHealth. In each case, the patients took a leap forward in their recovery after music was introduced into their rehabilitation.

“When someone plays an instrument or sings for many years, they are recruiting several regions in the brain simultaneously,” explains Mizes. “I believe that when those musicians suffer a trauma and receive music therapy during their recovery process, it’s like a light goes off in their brain. It’s the spark that generates those neurons to start firing and working together, especially when we use music that they know and love.”

To celebrate, MetroHealth's  Arts in Medicine Department will be hosting a book signing event May 22, from noon – 1 p.m. in the courtyard at the System's main campus. Greg Markell, a former patient whose story is featured in the book will perform with local band Horsefeathers.