Music Therapy and Neurological Rehabilitation: Performing Health

The central tenet of this collection of doctoral research studies is that identity can be regarded as a performance, achieved through and in dialogue with others. The authors argue that where neuro-degenerative disease restricts movement, communication and thought processes and impairs the sense of self, music therapy and neurological rehabilitation can help to restore the performance of identity within which clients can recognise themselves. Emphasis is placed on identity as a chosen performance, not one imposed by a pathological process - the individual is not defined by the disease. The authors show that music therapy is an effective intervention in neurological rehabilitation that successfully facilitates communication with those who are deemed uncommunicative and can aid rehabilitation of clients affected by dementia, traumatic brain injury, and multiple sclerosis, among other neuro-generative diseases. Music Therapy and Neurological Rehabilitation is an authoritative and comprehensive text that will be of interest to practicing music therapists, students and academics in the field.