Music Therapist and Cancer Survivor – Louise Dimiceli Mitran
“The human spirit is so amazing and that’s what I get to work with all the time.”
Nothing is more energizing and amazing than seeing and hearing what human beings are up to. That is my perspective and that same hook is what Louise Dimiceli Mitran experiences in her therapeutic practice every day. My conversation with Louise took place in her comfortable office on a sunny summer day in 2016 and gave me the lift I was hoping for. She not only serves as therapist for others going through transition, she shared her own challenges as she went through a wrenching transition of her own.
“When I was diagnosed with cancer all of the sudden I was fighting for my life. I needed to live – my daughter was 11. Anti-nausea drugs made me depressed…I was a mess”
Her story as she revealed it on the into-the-unknown podcast is not only riveting, but educational as well. I learned that even therapists get depressed. And when they do they use the tools they have to get themselves through it.
“I use it (music) therapeutically for myself for years without realizing what I was doing. If I felt bad, I would play. If I felt good I would play. If I was really upset, I would play. That’s what I do! That’s my thing. So when I went into study music therapy & the psychology of music, I was in heaven. I thought Oh My God, this is it. You’ve been living it.”
Music therapist? How does music help the therapeutic process?
“The music helps people and acts as a companion – a container – to bring people into themselves. We’re so stimulated by what goes on outside. By the screens, our phones, our televisions, our media. Everything is always coming at us. There’s so much input coming in we forget to go inside – my philosophy is you have the answers inside and you have to go inside to figure out what that is to get that.”
She shared fascinating stories of patients who were helped by the music that Louise uses in her practice. You’ll hear them and begin to understand why music can be such a strong catalyst for the therapeutic process. Click to begin listening.
If you enjoy this podcast, you may enjoy listening to all the podcasts about major life transitions. You’ll find them at www.Into-The-Unknown.net