Mental health struggles carry a stigma that causes many not to seek help. Creator of the app, SoundMind, Brian Femminella, joined Inside South Florida to share how he is using music therapy to help people manage their mental health.
“We really built everything around how to use audio and visual sensors to really make the app suitable for people that are struggling with stress, anxiety, trauma,” says Femminella. “We do that because what the product is able to do is really attack your cortisol levels and lower them.”
By using specific sounds, SoundMind can help calm the nerves of people struggling with their mental health.
“The catalyst for us was one of my experiences in the military,” says Femminella. “I had a lot of different colleagues, unfortunately, struggle with post-traumatic stress and feelings of suicide.”
In an effort to help his fellow servicemen, Femminella began researching music therapy.
“When one of my close friends struggled with PTS and lost the majority of his memory that kind of struck me,” said Femminella. “I said, I really want to do something about this and that shifted the focus from a research initiative into a product that we now have out.”
Femminella had his own unique military experience as part of the LGBTQ community.
“I think that that's a big stigma,” says Femminilla. “I really tell everyone that the military has been supportive, they have helped me in my career. There's definitely instances where you have to explain that you are just as capable, regardless of who you are behind the uniform, and that's such a powerful thing that people around me respected.
You can download SoundMind in the app store.
