Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 26
Raye Song Spurs 50-Year-Old Man to Seek Therapy After 20 Years of Depression
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 26

Raye Song Spurs 50-Year-Old Man to Seek Therapy After 20 Years of Depression

2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 26

Summary

  • Two months after hearing Raye’s “I Know You’re Hurting,” a man says he finally saw his own struggle clearly and went to a GP, who prescribed antidepressants.
  • 20 years of hidden depression had worsened through Covid, divorce, becoming a stepfather and turning 50, while repeated CBT had left him talking without acting.
  • Music therapy, started after that breakthrough, proved more effective for him than CBT; four months in, he says the treatment has improved his mood, family life and creativity.
  • A tattoo of the song’s score now marks what he calls music’s role as medicine, underscoring his wider message that support is available and people need not struggle alone.

Insights

How did one pop song break through a 20-year mental health wall that traditional therapy and doctors couldn't touch?
Why are clinical music therapies succeeding in treating severe burnout where standard cognitive behavioral therapies fail?
Could the very medication artists fear will destroy their creativity actually be the key to unlocking their greatest work?