There's never been a period of our human experience without art, self-expression and sensory communication. Our earliest ancestors inherently understood the value of music, dance, and storytelling as important and powerful expressions of communication and empathy. Today, the scientific and medical communities are increasingly understanding the power of art in individual and public health, and the potential to heal trauma, manage stress, and improve health and wellbeing.

In Part II, musician Darden Smith describes his observations and process of collaborative songwriting, in which he brings his knowledge of the craft to the stories and experiences of people from all walks of life to co-create songs that heal. Together with veterans, teenagers experiencing homelessness, and others, he's written songs that capture humanity's universal truths and developed a powerful approach for helping identify, express, and process difficult emotions. During the pandemic, he launched Frontline Songs to bring the practice of songwriting to frontline healthcare teams and in this episode, we experience what it's like being in a collaborative songwriting workshop.

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