Traditional talk therapy has its place, but for many veterans, civilian words don’t quite reach the spaces where combat trauma lives. When you’re dealing with the heavy, chaotic architecture of PTSD, standard approaches can sometimes hit a wall.
When words fail, music steps in. Sound has a way of bypassing the logical brain and hitting the nervous system directly. A single guitar riff, a familiar rhythm, or an old cadence can unlock spaces that have been locked down for years.
That is the foundation of my book, DEAR MARINES, and its companion soundtrack, Spotify Playlist #13. This project isn’t a clinical process or a rigid set of rules. It’s an open invitation to share insights through music, meet the noise head-on, and use writing to reclaim your own narrative.
The Journey of Playlist #13
The 25 songs on this playlist span decades, genres, and moods. It’s an eclectic mix because healing isn’t linear—it’s unpredictable, raw, and deeply personal. The music is designed to walk with you through every shade of that journey.
From Grounding Blues to Raw Storytelling
The playlist opens with the soulful, honest sounds of classic jazz and blues—artists like Fats Waller, Earl Hines, and Louis Armstrong. This music grounds the room. It offers a space to breathe before transitioning into the raw storytelling of Guy Clark and Johnny Cash. These tracks remind us of grit, history, and personal truth, priming the mind to reflect on our own stories.
Chasing the Adrenaline
You can’t navigate trauma by pretending the anger or the high-octane energy isn’t there. Playlist #13 shifts gears into heavy rock, punk, and metal, featuring the aggressive tempos of Skid Row, Airbourne, and Linkin Park. This is pure emotional catharsis—a safe space to let the heavy, chaotic energy burn off naturally through the speakers.
Reanchoring the Identity
Finally, the playlist brings you back to the perimeter. With tracks like Johnny Cash’s Ragged Old Flag and the familiar rhythm of Marine Corps cadences, the soundscape pulls you back to a sense of purpose, brotherhood, and core identity. It’s a reminder of the strength and discipline that got you through the gauntlet in the first place.
Put Pen to Paper
The music sets the stage, but the writing is where the transformation happens. By listening to these tracks and simply writing down whatever comes to mind—without a filter, without worrying about grammar, and without editing your thoughts—you take the abstract weight in your head and make it real on the page.
It’s about taking control of the story.
Trauma has a way of locking doors, but music loosens the hinges so that writing can throw them wide open.
DEAR MARINES and the full link to Spotify Playlist #13 are available now. If you or a Marine you know is looking for a different way to cut through the noise, the book and the music are ready for you.
🌐 Explore DEAR MARINES & Stream Playlist #13
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