Stories and Songs from our Music Therapy Retreats
Music Therapy Retreats, formerly Music Therapy of the Rockies, provides veterans and those with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with evidence-based music therapy practices.
Our retreats are free of charge, allowing participants to achieve mental wellness through music. We use proven music therapy techniques, including goal setting, mindfulness exercises, songwriting with professionals, and adapted guitar instruction.
Our methods help attendees identify triggers, learn self-regulation, and reinterpret their past experiences.
During the Retreat, each veteran is gifted a Breedlove Guitar to aid in developing both mental and physical skills through music.
About Jessica Holmes and “Who I Want To Be”
I grew up in Byromville, Georgia. It was an idyllic, small town – the sort of town with one traffic light, where no one locks their doors. I’m one of 31 grandchildren, and my parents and grandparents raised us surrounded by family. My childhood was so full. You often don’t realize how good things are until they change.
I enlisted in the Army after high school, just days after 9/11. I didn’t know at the time that those events would lead to war. I was deployed as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2003. Going from a small town to war was a shock. It was like a foreign world to me. It was amazing to meet people from so many different walks of life and I made lifelong friends, but I also felt robbed of the opportunity to be who I was meant to be. There are things you just can’t unsee.
This song is a sort of timeline of my life, from childhood to the military to who I am now. Writing the song with Lea was perfect. She’s an amazing artist, and I love how the story came together. It helped me reconnect to how I grew up and the wholesomeness of it all.
Today, I do feel like I’m who I want to be. Because of the military, I’ve been able to get my bachelor’s degree and start pursuing a master’s without any debt. I’ve been to therapy. I’m about to move back closer to my family. I feel more positive about it all now.
Ultimately you determine the trajectory of your life. No matter what you’ve been through, it’s your decision to make. Whatever makes you happy, do that. And do it to the best of your ability.
Listen to a preview of Jessica Holmes song with Lea Morris here:
Support Mental Wellness for Veterans
Music Therapy Retreats has served more than 100 veterans and people suffering from PTSD at retreats in Tennessee, Colorado, Maryland, and beyond.
With just a $100 donation, you can receive this song — along with two full albums that give you an inside look at our retreats. The stories and songs compiled here highlight their experiences.
Listen to memories unfold, as the retreat attendee’s experiences are explored and captured in song.