Abstract
The language of healing involves the use of medical terminology related to critically ill patients and their recovery. The present research focuses on the role of music therapy as a nonverbal form of healing. A vast array of neurological disorders affect nowadays both young and elderly patients. Among the most devastating illnesses, the stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), in medical terms, disables many patients who lose the power of communication. A stroke, among other terrible paralyzing effects, may cause a condition named aphasia, which is the loss of the ability to communicate normally due to the damage produced to the left side of the brain which is the centre of communication. The power of language in healing such patients is often beyond our grasp as the linguistic means used for this purpose may include confessions, incantations, and lyrics. The present study will focus on the mechanisms of speech recovery through music therapy and its benefits on the life of patients with aphasia. In addition to listing different types of aphasia, with particular focus on Broca’s aphasia, we bring to attention two medical cases of aphasic patients, of which one involves music therapy as a nonverbal recovery tool. The detailed narrative account of this successful case history provided by neurologist Oliver Sacks (2011) represents valuable evidence that supports the idea of the beneficial effects of enduring music therapy.
Published Version
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