This story was shared with me by one of the pastors who helped provide guidance for this website. He said that a woman in his church, who had been suffering from cancer and was in her final days, was paid a visit in the hospital by two members of the church choir. Although she was non-responsive, before they left they joined together in a verse of Amazing Grace. Tears ran down the patient's cheeks as they sang, and although she never awoke and passed away the next day, the story testifies to the power of music and the ability of a terminally ill patient to process sound long after they can verbally respond to it.  Thank you, Dick S., for sharing that story with me. L

Post your stories about the healing power of music by clicking on "add a comment" at the bottom of the page . . .  Below is a link to a wonderful article on the subject by a professor of palliative medicine from McGill University in Canada. Powerful....

http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm10-1/guerisseur-musique-en.htm

And this one is from USAToday, a story about the man who wrote the book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," talking about scientific research being conducted on the effect of music on the brain, and specifically those with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of cognitive impairment.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2008-05-30-worldfestival-music-brain_N.htm

Blessings,

Lisa