Sherill F. Cross, registered music therapist at Waco VAMC in Texas, runs a VA music therapists network. Although Cross works with only 100 patients each year, similar music-therapy-directed relaxation training is available at many VA hospitals, such as in Houston, Topeka (Kan.), Milwaukee and New York.

“They [soldiers] have just returned from a [combat] situation where they’ve been hypervigilant and had screwed up sleeping patterns,” Cross says. “They need help in dealing with issues and resetting their pattern to ‘default.’”

Cross begins her 10-week program with individual sessions, teaching patients to focus on breathing while listening to slow and lyric-free music. Meanwhile, she instructs them in a 20-to-30-minute relaxation exercise, such as progressive muscle relaxation, or uses guided imagery (“put yourself in a bubble,” “imagine yourself as a rag doll”).

Cross has helped several women vets by suggesting the use of simple instrumental music while taking a warm bath. The women’s sleeping, communication skills and self-esteem improved.

“Ninety to 95% of PTSD patients are clueless on how to relax,” Cross says. “They’re afraid of intrusive thoughts and memories.”

When they begin to feel emotions, “thorns” (problem areas) often emerge. When this happens, Cross suggests patients talk to their treatment coordinator or one of their peers. “I tell patients to let the music take you where you want to go,” she says. “I give them permission to stand down.”

Cross steers away from music popular during their deployment—for example, for Vietnam vets, Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay” and music from the films Forrest Gump or The Big Chill. “A big step toward recovery is separating from this old music,” she says.

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