Dr. Sam Berne’s Interview with Pat Gesualdo and his approach: Drum Therapy 
Zone: Drum Therapy For Cognitive Development

Pat’s program called Drum Therapy and the DAD Program help the special-needs population with cognitive development and cognitive restructuring by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Children with learning disabilities often develop negative thought patterns—and rather easily, I might add, because they are aware that they lack the same abilities that their non-disabled peers have. As a result, they often compare themselves to others and rate their own level of ability, or lack thereof, to that of their peers. This can cause the special-needs child to easily develop depression and/or anxiety.

The modalities of Drum Therapy help in several ways. First, they help to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. The negativity that surrounds the special-needs child can be overwhelming. Most of these children are told they are stupid, dumb, or lazy by their parents, teachers, and/or friends. This can occur on a daily basis. I experienced this myself from many school teachers, peers, and drum teachers. Thankfully I had love and support from my family and a few very special teachers who were dedicated to helping me. Many special-needs children, especially those from the inner city, have no support system at all. This creates a huge problem for them and for society as a whole. Negative thoughts become a major cause of low self-esteem, which then turns into negative behavior.

Drum Therapy also helps an individual develop a positive outlook. If a person keeps thinking the same negative thoughts, they will keep finding themselves in the same negative situations. Drum Therapy helps people to develop and keep a positive outlook.

Pat Gesualdo is an award-winning drummer, author, and clinician who has performed and recorded for various Columbia, Warner Brothers, Atlantic, RCA, and Paramount Pictures artists and special projects. He was nominated to Who’s Who In America and was an associate voting member for the Grammy Awards. He is the author of The Art Of Drum Therapy. For more on Gesualdo and the D.A.D. program, go to www.dadprogram.org, www.myspace.com/dadprogram, www.zildjian.com, or www.myspace.com/patgesualdo

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