Music is one of the most powerful — and most overlooked — tools in stroke recovery.
In this episode, Tracy Markley explains how listening to meaningful, familiar music can improve cognition, verbal memory, language recovery, emotional regulation, focus, and motivation during stroke rehabilitation.
You’ll learn how the brain responds to your favorite songs, why familiar music activates multiple regions of the brain at once, and how this multisensory stimulation supports neuroplasticity. Tracy also shares insights from neuroscience research and a lecture from a leading neuroscientist whose clinical studies show that personalized music strengthens cognitive processing after a stroke.
This episode includes two powerful personal stories of stroke survivors who transformed right in front of Tracy when listening to music they loved — changes so profound they inspired her to research this topic further and write about it in her book Stroke Recovery: What Now? When Physical Therapy Ends but Your Recovery Continues.
Music is not just entertainment. It’s a healing tool for the brain.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
- How familiar music activates multiple regions of the brain
- Why your favorite songs stimulate verbal memory and language pathways
- How music improves focus, emotional stability, and motivation
- The role of rhythm in gait, timing, and coordination
- Real-life examples of stroke survivors transformed through meaningful music
- How to use music safely and intentionally during home recovery
- Neuroscience research on auditory–memory pathways and neuroplasticity
- Why emotionally significant music enhances healing and cognitive function
If you or a loved one is healing after a stroke, adding meaningful music to daily routines may provide new progress, renewed motivation, and a powerful emotional lift.
🎙️ ABOUT TRACY L. MARKLEY (AUTHOR & STROKE RECOVERY SPECIALIST)
Tracy Markley is the author of multiple stroke recovery and brain health books, including:
- Stroke Recovery: What Now? When Physical Therapy Ends but Your Recovery Continues
- Stroke Recovery: Regaining Arm Movement
- Stroke Recovery: Leg Stability and Walking Gait
- The Stroke of an Artist: The Journey of a Fitness Trainer and a Stroke Survivor
- Your Brain: The Engine of Your Body – A Fitness Trainer’s Guide to Brain Health
- Balance, Walking & Fall Prevention: A Fitness Trainer’s Guide for Seniors and Pre-Seniors
📚 Amazon Author Page: www.Amazon.com/author/tracymarkley
🌐 Website Bookstore: www.tracymarkley.com
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