When singer-songwriter Jason Soudah got the chance to use his formidable piano skills with insights he had gained through studying psychology he admits he was astonished by the results.
The Japan-born 27-year-old starting playing the instrument when he was just four and recently left a doctorate program in psychology after one semester to make a go of it as a professional musician.
However, he said that one of the most rewarding things he has done was in providing music to help in reminiscence therapy—a technique to help Alzheimer's sufferers recover lost memories.
He said that he was approached by family friends in Japan to provide instrumental piano music to be used in 30-minute videos of photos and scenes designed to trigger dormant memories.
He said: "Sometimes they show films with photographs [of memorable events] that people will have experienced throughout their lives, and stuff they can relate to. There are also people who make personal reminiscence films composed of things like personal photographs.
"It has been shown that combining music with the films has been more effective in restoring people's memories.
"Music can reach parts of the brain that other forms of communication can't reach, even in more advanced stages of dementia. It's a way of getting through to Alzheimer's sufferers. It also helps to relax them and improve their mental stability and emotional health."
He added: "I always wanted to do something with music that could be really beneficial. This was an opportunity for me to do something with music. It has a profound healing side to it.
"It was really interesting for me too because I didn't know anything about reminiscence therapy before this."
Reminiscence therapy is not just orientated around visual cues such as short videos, but can involve presenting individuals with ornaments, music, or smells that capture old memories.
The therapy is an extension of the idea that reminiscing in our daily lives helps us deal with personal traumas by adding context to the things that happen to us.
He added: "I just played along with some of the images that were on the screen. The music was quite soothing and dreamy, in many ways similar to the music that I use in my own songs."
An FAQ on the British Medical Journal Web site said that reminiscence therapy was still an area of contention: "There is some evidence to show that reminiscence therapy helps people with dementia. But we need to see a lot more before we can know for certain that it helps."
Besides providing background tracks to reminiscence videos Soudah is currently gigging in Cardiff and London and preparing to release his first single 'Roses' through an independent label.
For more information visit his Web site is http://www.myspace.com/jasonsoudah
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