Introducing the NeuroArts Blueprint We are excited to announce the launch of the NeuroArts Blueprint, a global field-building initiative from the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine and Society Program and the International Arts + Mind Lab. The NeuroArts Blueprint will articulate and advance the scientific foundation and evidence for the role of arts in health and wellbeing through the lens […] Read More PTSD and the Arts: A Path to Healing Our Healers More than two months into the pandemic, experts are raising concerns over the long-term mental health implications for healthcare and other frontline workers. Behind the hospital ward weddings, standing ovations and donated meals, there are thousands of doctors, nurses and paramedics who are exhausted, anxious and traumatized by their experiences caring for those with COVID-19. […] Read More How Art Brings Humanity and Healing to the Patient’s Bedside Healthcare professionals are under extreme pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is putting their medical training and resourcefulness to the test daily. Many are going above and beyond the call of duty by turning to the arts to comfort and heal patients. As a clapback to the virus, singing and dancing have erupted spontaneously […] Read More How Music Can Help People with Alzheimer’s and Dementia In 2014, the documentary “Alive Inside” popularized the notion that music can be used in some patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or dementia to elicit responsiveness and memories. In a review of the film, psychologist Rick Scheidt remarks that power of the film lies in showing how music causes the patients to “move instantly from […] Read More Dialog Series: A State of the Union on Arts in Health and What It Means for Hopkins At IAM Lab’s most recent Dialog Series talk, Jill Sonke, Director of the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida, gave “a little State of the Union address” on the field of Arts in Health. Before an audience of healthcare practitioners and researchers, Sonke also sought to lay the groundwork for a […] Read More Dialog Series: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma “There are two common and dangerous misconceptions about psychological trauma,” states Dr. James S. Gordon in the introduction to his new book, “The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma.” “The first is that trauma comes to only some of us…The second is that trauma is an unmitigated disaster, causing permanent emotional crippling, requiring never-ending […] Read More Bringing Harmony to the Brain: The Neuroscience of Music and Parkinson’s Disease As anyone who has heard “their song” can attest, the right music has the power to make you move. Now healthcare providers are trying to harness this power to help patients with a neurological motor disorder, Parkinson’s disease (PD). Over the past three decades, researchers have begun to uncover the neural basis of music’s effect […] Read More The Art of Recovering from War Future military doctors receive training in art therapy. The military face many health risks and challenges on the battlefield, but the scars they carry are not always visible. While physical injuries are on the decline in recent years, service members are increasingly struggling with lingering psychological tolls. More than 500,000 veterans of the U.S. military live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic […] Read More Creative Forces: Healing Arts for the Military On Memorial Day, we honor members of the military who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our country’s liberty. We also pay homage to those who returned home bearing the scars of their heroism. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a fitting time to acknowledge that more than 500,000 service members are living […] Read More IAM Lab Partners with Drexel University on Unique Study of Therapeutics Arts Using Virtual Reality The International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) of Johns Hopkins University recently teamed up with Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) on an innovative new study of the therapeutic potential of virtual reality. Led by Girija Kaimal, EdD, assistant professor in CNHP’s Creative Arts Therapies Department, and Susan Magsamen, executive director […] Read More More → Join the neuroaesthetics conversation. Subscribe here.