Overview

Soothe your child and soothe yourself, with the loving language of lullabies, viewed through the lens of modern neuroscience. This family-friendly collection of pictures, stories, and songs gathered across four continents and five generations helps establish the bonds of a lifetime while transforming a crying and fussy child into a slumbering lamb. Proven personalized nap & bedtime routines and calming techniques update the ancient wisdom of over 20 cultures with current brain and relationship knowledge. The singer's personal tale reads in a couple of minutes. Beautiful watercolors envision the story-tellers or their songs. The science sections have icons to indicate whose brain is changing. The neuroscience facts are fully end-noted with references and links. The glossary of terms is written from the viewpoint of the baby or toddler. Lullaby Wisdom can be read in any order. Opening it to any song gives an experience of personal history, sleep routines, and beauty. The lullaby pages are laid out with the story above/science below, on one page, and watercolor above/music staff below, on the opposite page. Each song includes a web link to download and hear the easy-to-learn lullabies sung, usually in the voices of the care-givers who use them. There is also a section of Simple Soothers for times when words are just too stimulating. The book was based on 10-year process of interviewing people to collect their oral histories of soothing music. In keeping with her long-held interest in how music can help heal and connect us, the author researched the relevant neuroscience to support the narratives. Lullaby Wisdom emphasizes the importance of positive social interactions during the first 3 years for developing happiness, joy, purpose, exploration, and a zest for life. These interactions of touch, holding, sound, singing, humming, and eye contact in this critical phase of development actually wire the brain to access its compassion, kindness, problem solving, and ethical responsibility. A comforting book to immerse in or just relax with, Lullaby Wisdom is also a perfect gift for baby showers, new baby, new grandparents, expectant or new mothers, and anyone who wants to soothe another of any age with touch, image, and/or sound.

Full Product Details

9780578316130

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Reviews

"""Your beautiful book feeds my soul...an amazing gift to us all"" - Naomi Silverstone, DSW, College of Social Work, Univ. of Utah, Fellow, NIMH ""I was transfixed as I turned the pages. It is beautiful, profound and inspiring! I treasure it and I shall show it to many others."" - Emily Vargas-Baron, PhD. Anthropology, Director of RISE (Institute for Reconstruction and International Security through Education), Assoc. at SIDEC (Stanford International Development Education Center) ""A true lovely gift for any expecting grandparent, sibling, caregiver, and of course parent. This book embraces our intuitive human evolution through soothing song and storytelling with splashes of data validating scientific insight into infant and caregiver developing mind-body connections. From before birth and beyond this is a treasure of a book."" - Lauren Martin Culp MA, LMFT, MST, Certified Doula, Author ""Lullaby Wisdom is beautifully written and edited for all mothers, children, and grandparents to enjoy. The entertaining stories, colorful pictures, and soothing songs make the book a treasure for all."" - Yolanda Rubio ""Lullaby Wisdom is so amazing! Me, my sister, and my dad have been reading one or two lullabies every night he can, and they are all very sweet. I'm going to start babysitting soon, (as a mother's helper) and the scientific facts are going to be a big help when I'm a little older, and am responsible enough to take care of younger kids. "" - Larken, age 11 ""Lullaby Wisdom is a wonderful heartfelt melding of lullabies, related personal stories and the neurobiology of interpersonal Attachment. Science and subjective experience are creatively interwoven in beautifully crafted storytelling around each song. In the book each lullaby and its story are displayed across a 2 page spread. Artist Peggy Dressel's watercolor illustrations of babies, children and their caretakers enhance the warmth and connection inherent in each story and lullaby. Adding to the reader's delight, each melody's musical notation is shown and there is a link to a site where each song can be heard. The personal stories told in this collection bring each lullaby to life in a uniquely intimate way. They call attention to our human capacity for love and empathy through song. The lullabies and their stories represent a range of cultures highlighting the universality of the Attachment and soothing experience. They remind us that we are more alike than different and offer much needed hope in the face of our current societal divisions. Ms. Seaman's book is a gift that cuts across the literary genres of Music, Child Development and Biological Science. In an age in which the biological understanding of infant experience is more advanced than ever, she describes what goes on neurologically during soothing with song. Rather than treat Science and subjective experience as separate categories she sensitively and enthusiastically integrates the two with great effect. Her vivid descriptions expose the reader to an exciting close in experience of the phenomenon of Attachment. She provides studied, reader friendly neurological explanations of the interplay between the brains and bodies of babies and their loving caretakers in a way that brings the experience of soothing with song to new life. As both a psychologist by profession and one of the subjects of the book (full disclosure) I truly appreciate Ms. Seaman's richly unique approach to her subject matter. Lullaby Wisdom will sit comfortably on bookshelves in a variety of settings whether it be a family nursery, a pediatrician's waiting room, an academic's office, or a child therapist's meeting room. In each setting it will bring a fresh awareness to the way we think and feel about lullabies and our attachments to those we love."" - Janet Purcell Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist ""It is truly delightful and captures so much that is vital for those earliest parent and baby musical moments."

Author Information

"Licia Claire Seaman MST is a fourth-generation music educator, pioneering harpist, pianist, composer, hands-on grandmother and certified Interpersonal Neurobiologist. In 2001, she was recognized as an outstanding music educator by the Oregon Symphony Foundation. Her students participated in both soothing and active musical experiences. Her interest in soothing spans a lifetime. In the 1980s Licia designed Alpha Pentatonic Harp workshops, training others in calming, relaxing music. She taught Making Music For Well-Being weekend workshops, regionally, which included singing benefits for health. Also in the 1980s, Licia played harmonium for weekly group meditations. Licia performed in the Marylhurst Symphony, and Mt. Hood Pops Orchestra. She regularly harped at Greenwood Inn, Benson Hotel, and the Red Lion Inn. Since 1996, Licia has been one of the pioneers of ""Harp Massage"" - a soothing experience where her concert harp is connected to a recliner with six embedded transducers for a personally-selected musical vibro-acoustic massage. She received her Master of Science in Teaching (MST) from Portland State University in 2000. As a pianist and harpist, from 2000-2006, Licia provided music for the Episcopal monthly Healing and Wholeness Services, including her meditative improvisational music. For labyrinth-walking seasonal events, Licia softened the ambiance with contemplative, original harping. Licia received accredited Healing Harps training 2000-2002 through the University of Northern Illinois (Dr. Ron Price PhD). Licia presented at Music For Healing and Transition Conferences (MHTP) in Washington, 2001-2002, as well as Emanuel Hospital's eating disorders staff meeting, and pediatric departments, and Willamette Valley's Music Therapists. In 2005, Licia produced a CD: ""Toning Cells To Health"", based on by Fabian Maman's research discovering health benefits of singing. Her toning work led to Overtone presentations, and the 2008 booklet, Toning A Peaceful World. In 2013, Licia certified in Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) through Portland State University Graduate School. The interdisciplinary courses included neuroscience, psychology, mindfulness, and relationship studies. The framework looks at how the brain and mind are shaped and developed throughout life by relationships, and how they function based on the interplay of environment, genes and neurophysiology. (see MindGAINS.com) This informed her understanding of neurological changes when people held and sang lullabies to little ones and elders. Peggy Dressel's Illustrations in this book were painted in watercolor, a medium which she feels is perfect to create beautiful paintings. Her transparent washes of changing complimentary colors vibrates the color for a luminesce and glowing painting. The sense of light conveys, mood, place and time of day. Peggy has been working as an illustrator, artist and designer for many years. She started her career working at a NYC illustration Studio, then a design studio and finally as a freelance illustrator/artist. As a Freelancer, her clients included companies such as Marshall Cavendish, Prentice-Hall, Reverie Publishing Co, Macmillan/McGraw Hill, Cook Communications Ministries, Macy's, Vogue and Zaner-Bloser Inc. She has illustrated Children's picture books, chapter books, book covers, posters, advertisements, periodicals an text books As a fine artist she has exhibited in galleries, museums, corporations and numerous juried and invitational shows such as the Catherine Lorillard Wolf Art Club, the NJ Watercolor Society and the American Artists Professional League, Inc. In June 2007, her watercolors were featured in an article in Watercolor Magazine. She is represented in both private and corporate collections. Peggy graduated from Pratt Institute and studied at Moore College of Art, PA and the National Academy of Design, NY. She resides in Oakland, NJ"

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