Priests Forever

Music, Healing and the Brain

04/23/2009

Patt Morrison

Called the "poet laureate of medicine" by The New York Times, Dr. Oliver Sacks has transformed our understanding of the human mind through his writings about the far boundaries of neurological experience. In his latest book, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, he tells the stories of neurologically damaged people who have lost their memory, and sometimes their ability to speak, but are still able to remember and produce music. Sacks tells the story of the surgeon struck by lightning and suddenly obsessed with classical music, and the man whose memory scans only seven seconds—except when playing music. He shows us how our worlds are poised precariously on a little biochemistry, and that music may be our best medicine.

Dr. Oliver Sacks, professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University; author of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, as well as The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars

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In the Valley of the Shadow of Suicide

A mother catches glimmers of hope after losing a son.

Christine A. Scheller | posted 4/24/2009 11:02AM

When he was 13 months old, my son Gabriel had his first life-threatening asthma attack. As my mom and I put finishing touches on dresses and party favors for my upcoming wedding, Gabe grew listless, and his breathing increasingly labored. Throughout that busy day, we blindly took turns calling the doctor and soothing Gabe with home remedies. By nightfall, we were in a hospital emergency room being introduced to the miracles that can be wrought with adrenaline and oral steroids. Gabriel spent the next five days, including the wedding day, recovering in an oxygen tent.

This memory reminds me that joy and pain and illness have always mingled to shape my family. Gabriel is the half-Tanzanian child of a failed college romance. As I wrote in "A Laughing Child in Exchange for Sin" (CT, February 2004), there was no hiding the circumstances of his birth after I married a man who is white like me. There was also no remedy for the pain of those circumstances, other than the salve of love.

Read the whole story here…..

Also:

Preventing Suicide, Fast facts about risk factors, warning signs, and tips for saving lives.

Woman turns to Jesus for healing

India (MNN) -- And despite ongoing persecution in India, Partners International reports good news. Their Church Growth program saw one believer turn from Hinduism to Christ after seeing His healing power. This believer told Partners that her husband was shot by a poison arrow, and she asked Hindu gods to heal him. When nothing happened, she turned to Jesus for help. Her husband was healed, and now both serve God in their community. Pray for their continued growth in Christ.

Full story: http://www.MNNonline.org/article/12571

Domestic Violence within the Church

AN UGLY SECRET by Chuck Colson

A woman I'll call "Marleen" went to her pastor for help. "My husband is abusing me," she told him. "Last week he knocked me down and kicked me. He broke one of my ribs."

Marleen's pastor was sympathetic. He prayed with Marleen-and then he sent her home. "Try to be more submissive," he advised. "After all, your husband is your spiritual head."

Two weeks later, Marleen was dead-killed by an abusive husband. Her church could not believe it. Marleen's husband was a Sunday school teacher and a deacon. How could he have done such a thing?

Tragically, studies reveal that spousal abuse is just as common within the evangelical churches as anywhere else. This means that about 25 percent of Christian homes witness abuse of some kind.

Read the whole story here....

79% Believe Jesus Christ Rose from the Dead

As Christians gather to celebrate Easter this Sunday, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 88% of adults nationwide think the person known to history as Jesus Christ actually walked the earth 2,000 years ago. That's up five points from a year ago. Today, 5% disagree and 7% are not sure.

Eighty-two percent (82%) also believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God who came to Earth and died for our sins.