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“This has brought back so many<br />
wonderful memories of my<br />
grandparents”, “I haven’t sung<br />
this for many years”.<br />
Reminiscent of studies which<br />
found that music has the ability<br />
to unlock memories in dementia<br />
patients in ways that no other<br />
form of communication quite<br />
can, Father Taylor’s livestreams<br />
tapped into this unique force,<br />
transporting singers on a journey<br />
through time.<br />
“I think people respond well<br />
to nostalgia, especially through<br />
musical memories, because it<br />
makes us feel safe and grounded,<br />
giving a strong sense of identity<br />
and our formation as we look<br />
back to our younger years,”<br />
he explains. “It gives us that<br />
warm and cosy feeling of being<br />
embraced by a long-lost friend.<br />
It can also bind us together with<br />
others who either share our tastes<br />
in music, or are of the same<br />
generation as us.”<br />
The story so far<br />
Beyond the specific things that<br />
trigger a fond sense of nostalgia –<br />
such as music, photos, and foods,<br />
to name but a few – reflecting on<br />
our personal history can help us<br />
to develop better insight into the<br />
things that drive us, as well as the<br />
hopes and dreams that we still<br />
have for the future.<br />
It’s something Helen Hart sees<br />
first-hand in her role at memoir<br />
writing service SilverWood Books.<br />
“The past is such a personal<br />
and important aspect of our<br />
lives; it shapes our present,<br />
Father Lee Taylor<br />
allowing us to identify who<br />
we are and how we can be<br />
the best version of ourselves,”<br />
she explains. “Deliberately<br />
reflecting on the past can stir up<br />
all kinds of emotions, but it can<br />
be healing. Many SilverWood<br />
authors creating a memoir enjoy<br />
working through past events,<br />
reliving them or sorting through<br />
memories as they decide how<br />
to express what they feel on the<br />
page – and that can help them<br />
move forward in their lives.”<br />
Helen describes how, for some<br />
people, writing a memoir can be<br />
like pressing the reset button on<br />
their lives, prompting them to dig<br />
deep into their needs and desires.<br />
With the help of chronological<br />
formats, we might uncover<br />
a newfound appreciation for<br />
the journeys we have been<br />
It makes us<br />
feel safe and<br />
grounded, giving<br />
a strong sense of<br />
identity and our<br />
formation as we<br />
look back to our<br />
younger years<br />
on, for the challenges we<br />
have overcome throughout<br />
our lives, the things that we<br />
have lived through that, in<br />
the end, made us stronger,<br />
more compassionate, and fully<br />
rounded people. We can track<br />
our values systems that guide us<br />
forward, and in moments where<br />
we feel a bit lost, we can retune<br />
into these guiding principles<br />
that have always been with us.<br />
Don’t look back in anger<br />
Of course, not every journey<br />
is straightforward, and we<br />
haven’t always viewed the<br />
experience of nostalgia in such<br />
a fond light. As counsellor<br />
Jeremy Sachs points out when<br />
considering this point, in 17th<br />
century Switzerland, nostalgia<br />
was treated with opium,<br />
18 | September <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>happiful</strong>.com
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