Therapy For Musicians

Would You Like Help Navigating The Challenges Of The Music Industry?

Is living with the ups and downs of being a musician making you anxious or depressed? Do you define your sense of self-worth by how your musical career is going? Would you like the opportunity to talk one-on-one with a therapist who understands your struggles first-hand and can offer supportive guidance?

Regardless of the level of success, you are still having feelings of self-doubt, depression, and anxiety. Although your drive to be successful has been a helpful tool to get the hard work done, maybe it has begun to kill the joy of the thing you love to do and now you feel out of balance.

Possessing a strong ego may have given you the confidence to pursue your artistic ambitions initially, but now it may have become difficult for you to satiate it. You might crave the accolades and attention, but it never feels like it’s enough. The competitive nature of the music industry may drive you to compare yourself to fellow musicians, leaving you feeling bitter and unhappy.

Are Your Coping Mechanisms For Anxiety And Depression Healthy?

Maybe the perfectionism and work ethic you bring to your music causes anxiety or burnout. More specifically, you might be dealing with performance anxiety or the symptoms of stage fright. In an attempt to self-medicate and cope with your anxiety and depression you may rely on substance use—and perhaps abuse—to cope.

Your passion for music above all else could make it difficult for you to maintain healthy relationships, especially with a spouse or partner. And trying to co-exist within a band can be extremely overwhelming—it’s often compared to having multiple intimate partners. It can be impractical to expect you will be harmonious with everyone in your band all the time.

Fortunately, therapy for musicians is customized for professionals in the music industry. With the support of a therapist with a musician’s background, you can explore what limiting beliefs are holding you back and discover the confidence to be the musician you want to be.

As Musicians, Our Self-Worth Is Often Tied To Our Profession

In the world of creativity and mastery, the work is never over. The better we get, the more success we have, the higher the bar is raised for us. Unfortunately, in this environment, it can be difficult for us not to equate the amount of money, success, gigs, and opportunities we attain with our own internal value. It is a common belief in our culture that career success will fix the unsatisfied feelings we have inside of us. Often our depression, self-doubt, and anxiety remain or can even intensify when our career grows.

The Pandemic Has Been Especially Hard On Musicians

With live performance being shut down for over a year, musicians have been hit especially hard by the Covid-19 lockdown. Those of us who relied on gigs to pay the bills were rarely provided the same government benefits that other workers were given to support themselves. Some of us even have had to abandon our musical careers just to survive.

And what does this say about how our society values musicians overall? Despite the fleeting recognition we receive when we’re performing, in general society devalues the creative process and the sacrifices it takes to create good art. Instead, we are confronted with comments like, “Yeah that’s nice, but what are you really doing with your career?”

As performers, our success often depends on a lifetime of training, constant vigilance, and luck. Only a very few of us get to play in the big leagues—even if we make it, everything intensifies, including the pressure we put on ourselves. No matter where we are in our careers, we could use some guidance.

And yet many of us avoid seeking help. Often, we fear that if we reevaluate and change we won't be as creative or we'll be forced to give up our music career. Or we may think, “My music is my therapy—I don’t need to pay someone.” However, with the support of a trained professional, you can gain a self-awareness that will benefit not only your well-being but your artistic pursuits.

Therapy For Musicians Can Quell Your Anxiety And Jumpstart Your Creativity

Before becoming a counselor, I was a working musician for 25 years and have personally experienced all of the issues that come along with the music industry. As a therapist, working with musicians is my passion. I’m interested in supporting musicians through a balance of validation and accountability that aligns with your goals. Creativity matters and I truly believe it makes the world a better place.

What To Expect In Our Sessions

At our initial session, I aim to put you at ease, especially if this is your first time in therapy. I work from a place of authenticity and am skilled at holding space so that we can build trust and openness with each other. Once we determine what you want to work on, we will create a treatment plan.

In ongoing sessions, we will explore the issues that may be coming up for you more in-depth—whether it’s stage or career anxiety, job uncertainty, work overload, or performance stress—and helpful strategies for coping with your challenges. These may include medication, exercise, mindfulness, or health and diet. Sometimes sessions will be about holding up the mirror and providing you with accountability.

I Draw from Various Sources to Cultivate Your Self-Awareness

My approach to therapy for musicians draws from various sources I believe support and encourage the creative process while at the same time fostering a healthy self-awareness. I will often assign The Four Agreements as homework because its simple principles are a great tool for getting perspective. I may also conduct a personality assessment—an Enneagram—that can shed light on your innate characteristics to help you understand what drives you and normalize your experience.

We will also identify the different “parts” of your psyche and the role each plays in your emotional makeup. Once you recognize that there are conflicting parts of yourself—such as the part who is managing the pressure and the part who loves to perform—you will understand that all parts are trying to help or protect you. Using this information, we can understand how these parts have come together to create your sense of ego and worldview.

There's always someone out there to compare ourselves with. Hopefully, the comparison inspires us to be more, but often it makes us feel like less. For those of us who are trying to create art for a living, it is important to understand what we can and cannot control. Recognizing what you can and can’t control is a big part of what we will focus on. For example, you can’t control who will like your music, but you can control getting out there and creating good art. Most of all, I want to encourage you to be creative and take chances. Creation has value and is an important part of our culture. What you do matters!

A lot of times the breakthrough you need comes down to the simple lesson of learning how to love yourself. When self-compassion and love are cultivated within you it can settle your mind and fuel your creativity.

But You May Wonder Whether Therapy For Musicians Is Right For You…

Will therapy that is customized for musicians really help me?

Helping musicians is my passion. My combined knowledge of professional musicianship and therapy makes me uniquely qualified to address your concerns and speak your language. Through compassionate guidance and support, I can help you navigate your inner world so that you will have better tools to navigate the parts that are self-sabotaging. Beyond your parts lies your true authentic self which knows how to support you and clears a path toward your fullest expression.

I can’t afford therapy.

It’s understandable to be apprehensive about investing money in therapy. But out of all the things you spend money on, what could be more important than how you feel? After all, your mental well-being is at the crux of everything else. For all the musicians who grapple with the emotional fallout of their competitive industry, investing in counseling is an investment that pays off.

As a musician, I don’t have the energy for therapy.

So often the result of our mental and emotional struggles is a loss of energy. Rather than address what’s going on within us, we often ignore what we are feeling and find ways to avoid confronting our emotions. But think how much more productive you would be if you weren’t spending so much energy battling the thoughts in your head. Change comes with the courage and self-love to ask for support. The simplest melodies can covey the deepest truths!

Your Music Can Be Your Joy Again

You know there’s a place in you, where your heart isn’t thinking about anxiety. I want to help you find that place again. For a free, 20-minute consultation to discuss how therapy for musicians can benefit you, please visit my contact page.