Sunday, January 3, 2016
Saturday, January 2, 2016
How Social Media Changes the Way We Mourn -- And the Way We Understand Death
Jenna Wortham writes in the New York Times Magazine:
"In an essay they contributed to the ‘‘Handbook of Death and Dying,’’ the sociologists William R. Wood and John B. Williamson observe that people in the developed world have managed to banish death from their everyday lives — no small feat. ‘‘In the United States and Western Europe, dying is now primarily a private and often technical affair, hidden behind the closed doors of the hospital, the mortuary and the funeral home,’’ they write. Traditional mourning rituals, across the world, establish boundaries around grieving, to help the bereaved process the passing of a life. In the Philippines, for example, many families hold vigils over several days that allow mourners to be with the bodies of the deceased. Jewish tradition has shiva, a period of up to seven days in which families stay at home, receiving visitors. Even in households with no such traditions, obituaries for loved ones tend to include instructions for sending condolences and flowers for those who want to pay their respects from afar. But those norms evaporate on social media. There, mourning feels increasingly public, more communal and more collective.
The near pervasiveness of social technology has delivered death back into our daily interactions. With the exception of our friends and closest kin, we typically encounter news of deaths through social media. The same feed that informs us about sports scores and plot twists on ‘‘Empire’’ also tells us, without any ceremony, that a life has come to an end.
This could be a blurring of a sacred line, the conflation of the profound with something profane. But this flattening has a benefit: We can no longer avert our eyes from tragedy. We have seen how people used social media to ensure that Americans did not ignore the deaths of people like Freddie Gray, Walter Scott and Sandra Bland, amplifying them into a rallying cry for justice. The mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino felt, somehow, closer to our lives because they played out on our screens and in our browsers."
Ghosts in the Machine - The New York Times
"In an essay they contributed to the ‘‘Handbook of Death and Dying,’’ the sociologists William R. Wood and John B. Williamson observe that people in the developed world have managed to banish death from their everyday lives — no small feat. ‘‘In the United States and Western Europe, dying is now primarily a private and often technical affair, hidden behind the closed doors of the hospital, the mortuary and the funeral home,’’ they write. Traditional mourning rituals, across the world, establish boundaries around grieving, to help the bereaved process the passing of a life. In the Philippines, for example, many families hold vigils over several days that allow mourners to be with the bodies of the deceased. Jewish tradition has shiva, a period of up to seven days in which families stay at home, receiving visitors. Even in households with no such traditions, obituaries for loved ones tend to include instructions for sending condolences and flowers for those who want to pay their respects from afar. But those norms evaporate on social media. There, mourning feels increasingly public, more communal and more collective.
The near pervasiveness of social technology has delivered death back into our daily interactions. With the exception of our friends and closest kin, we typically encounter news of deaths through social media. The same feed that informs us about sports scores and plot twists on ‘‘Empire’’ also tells us, without any ceremony, that a life has come to an end.
This could be a blurring of a sacred line, the conflation of the profound with something profane. But this flattening has a benefit: We can no longer avert our eyes from tragedy. We have seen how people used social media to ensure that Americans did not ignore the deaths of people like Freddie Gray, Walter Scott and Sandra Bland, amplifying them into a rallying cry for justice. The mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino felt, somehow, closer to our lives because they played out on our screens and in our browsers."
Ghosts in the Machine - The New York Times
The Lives They Lived - Lisa Bonchek Adams
Elizabeth Weil remembers Lisa Bonchek Adams, who had the courage and honesty to understand that her greatest gift was to tell the truth about what it feels like to die.
"Part diarist, part Dear Abby, she chronicled her experience with cancer — dispensing insight and advice, avoiding euphemism and sentimentality. The value of a friend who texts: ‘‘Running to Costco. Need anything?’’ The strangeness of waiting in a gas-station line with chemo pills in your purse. The importance of sending your children and spouse on vacation so they realize they can survive without you."
The Lives They Lived - The New York Times:
"Part diarist, part Dear Abby, she chronicled her experience with cancer — dispensing insight and advice, avoiding euphemism and sentimentality. The value of a friend who texts: ‘‘Running to Costco. Need anything?’’ The strangeness of waiting in a gas-station line with chemo pills in your purse. The importance of sending your children and spouse on vacation so they realize they can survive without you."
The Lives They Lived - The New York Times:
Music Therapy in Hospice
"Music is a uniquely powerful form of art that has a long and storied role in many forms of healing and overall wellness. Music, with its ability to transcend cultural, language, and societal barriers, has the power to promote wellness for the whole person. In the hospice setting, music is one of many therapeutic art forms that are used to promote total well-being within patients, families, caregivers, and the bereaved.
History of Music Therapy
Music is a medium that has long been used to promote spiritual wellness and has a longstanding history as a therapeutic tool in healing practices. Dating as far back as 500 B.C., during the time of the ancient Grecians, music is recognized for its therapeutic properties. Renowned philosophers of this era, such as Plato, Pythagoras, and Aristotle, recognized the powerful influence music had on an individual’s overall wellness. Plato states: “Music is an art imbued with power to penetrate into the very depths of the soul.”
In music therapy’s advancement as a modern medical profession, E. Thayer Gaston, credited as the father of music therapy, was instrumental in music therapy being an officially recognized tool in the medical community. A staunch defender of the impact music has on the whole person, Gaston established three core principles for the use of music in a therapeutic setting.
Music therapy helps establish or re-establish interpersonal relationships
Music therapy promotes positive self-esteem through self-actualization
Music therapy uses the unique potential of rhythm to energize patients, bringing order and calmness.
Techniques Used in Hospice Music Therapy
Music therapy in hospice is unique in that it can draw from the patient’s culture, religious beliefs, and cherished memories to create a healing experience that is deeply personal and meaningful. In this, music therapy promotes an environment of healing and emotional restoration that are precisely in tune with a patient’s specific needs. While all hospice music therapy programs will have some degree of variance between them, most music therapy sessions in the end-of-life setting incorporate many of the same therapeutic exercises and techniques."
Music Therapy in Hospice
History of Music Therapy
Music is a medium that has long been used to promote spiritual wellness and has a longstanding history as a therapeutic tool in healing practices. Dating as far back as 500 B.C., during the time of the ancient Grecians, music is recognized for its therapeutic properties. Renowned philosophers of this era, such as Plato, Pythagoras, and Aristotle, recognized the powerful influence music had on an individual’s overall wellness. Plato states: “Music is an art imbued with power to penetrate into the very depths of the soul.”
In music therapy’s advancement as a modern medical profession, E. Thayer Gaston, credited as the father of music therapy, was instrumental in music therapy being an officially recognized tool in the medical community. A staunch defender of the impact music has on the whole person, Gaston established three core principles for the use of music in a therapeutic setting.
Music therapy helps establish or re-establish interpersonal relationships
Music therapy promotes positive self-esteem through self-actualization
Music therapy uses the unique potential of rhythm to energize patients, bringing order and calmness.
Techniques Used in Hospice Music Therapy
Music therapy in hospice is unique in that it can draw from the patient’s culture, religious beliefs, and cherished memories to create a healing experience that is deeply personal and meaningful. In this, music therapy promotes an environment of healing and emotional restoration that are precisely in tune with a patient’s specific needs. While all hospice music therapy programs will have some degree of variance between them, most music therapy sessions in the end-of-life setting incorporate many of the same therapeutic exercises and techniques."
Music Therapy in Hospice
When My Grandmother Said My Name for the First Time in 2 Years | The Mighty
"The day she said my name was last Thanksgiving. I had my family sing songs with her, like “You Are My Sunshine” and an array of patriotic tunes. I sat down next to her, took her hand into mine and was about to start another song. Her eyes locked with mine, and she said, “Oh Arielle, how are you?” A moment passed, and I smiled in shock while answering her simple question.
That was the first time my grandmother said my name in two years. All the other times we sing and talk, but she mostly nods. I never really knew if she remembered me. But that day, I believe because of the music, she was able to truly see me and say my name.
"
When My Grandmother Said My Name for the First Time in 2 Years | The Mighty
That was the first time my grandmother said my name in two years. All the other times we sing and talk, but she mostly nods. I never really knew if she remembered me. But that day, I believe because of the music, she was able to truly see me and say my name.
"
When My Grandmother Said My Name for the First Time in 2 Years | The Mighty
Friday, January 1, 2016
This Tumblr Of Loved Ones’ Final Texts Reveals The Beauty Of Ordinary Lives
"The Last Message Received [is] a two-month-old Tumblr that has rapidly gained popularity for documenting people's last, often brief exchanges. Captured via screenshots from text and Facebook messages, the site has logged 600 submissions from users across the world -- many of them anonymous teens and college students. It has more than 1,000 more messages ready to post over the coming months."
This Tumblr Of Loved Ones’ Final Texts Reveals The Beauty Of Ordinary Lives
This Tumblr Of Loved Ones’ Final Texts Reveals The Beauty Of Ordinary Lives
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