Music and the Mind

By Antony Storr

Music is the most mysterious and intangible of all forms of art, yet it is a deeply significant experience for a greater number of people than ever before. In this challenging book, a practicing psychiatrist examines music as a life-enhancing experience and discusses why it stimulates the mind, captivates the heart, and nurtures the soul, and how it restores our sense of personal wholeness. Drawing on great thinkers and composers, Storr explores the inner world of music, revealing its origins, contemplating its powers, and considering its contributions to human existence.

Anthony Storr writes:  “David, a six-year-old autistic boy, suffered from chronic anxiety and poor visual-motor co-ordination. For nine months, efforts had been made to teach him to tie his shoe laces to no avail. However, it was discovered that his audio motor co-ordination was excellent. He could beat quite complex rhythms on a drum, and was clearly musically gifted. When a student therapist put the process of tying his shoe-laces into a song, David succeeded at the second attempt.”