When I started day activities at the first center I went to when being kicked out of the mental hospital in 2017, I experienced snoezelen® for the first time. Snoezelen® is a type of sensory experience at day activities for people with intellectual disability. The idea is that the entire sensory environment can be tailored to suit the client’s needs. In that room, there was a waterbed. I lay on it listening to a CD called something like Whales of the Pacific. The waterbed had speakers inside of it too, so that it vibrated along with the music.
I grew to love love love that CD. When I left for another day center, I tried to get ahold of this CD but found out it was no longer available in stores. My staff at the old center tried to copy it for me, but that didn’t work. At the next center, they didn’t really have relaxing music I liked, so I usually just lay on the waterbed without listening to music. Their waterbed didn’t have speakers in it either anyway.
Now at my current day center, I have come to enjoy relaxing music again. I particularly like a CD called Songbird Symphony. It has music and bird sounds on it. I was able to find the album on Spotify too, so that I can listen to it while lying in my own bed or while relaxing in my recliner too.
As for whale sounds, I discovered an album on Spotify of whale sounds with music by a group called Robbins Island Music Group. They also release other types of relaxing and focus-oriented music, but I like the whale sounds the best.
Interestingly, I still really don’t like whale sounds without music. I love whale sounds, birdsong and the like, but there has to be a musical component to it too.
Looking back, I remember asking my psychologist at the mental hospital whether snoezelen® would be a suitable activity for me. She didn’t think it would be, as she claimed this is only suited to people with intellectual disability. Well, I love lying on the waterbed, Songbird Symphony surrounding me. I don’t care that I’m apparently too intelligent for it.
I’m joining in with #SoCS, for which the prompt today is “animal sounds”.
A Multitude of Musings 
I am opposite of you, I can’t handle music in the background of my nature sounds. It’s too jarring for my nerves, and distracts me more than relaxes me. Good thing they make enough varying products to suit us all!
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Interesting post. I am easily distracted by music unless what i am doing is very simple, like cooking something I’ve made hundreds of times. I love whale sounds.
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Yeah, get that. I cannot do much else if I’m listening to music either. Trying to train myself to listen to whale sounds while reading, as I would like to read in my pretty noisy day center room with noise-canceling headphones on. They work without sound playing too, but not as well.
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Before I got diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, my wife said that I made whale sounds when I snored.
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Oh I think I get that. I guess these whale sounds were hardly relaxing to your wife though. When I was still a lot more overweight than I am now, I made snoring sounds while awake.
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I’ve never tried mixing the two. I will now.
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It sounds like the perfect way to relax to me!
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Whale sounds are great and so relaxing. I like them more with music in the background like you though it also depends on what kind of music it is because not all kinds of relaxing music sit well with me. Strange that people would imply you’re “too intelligent” for Snoezelen since you have sensory issues and I’ve always thought that’s what it primarily is supposed to help with, regardless of IQ. I had a chance to try something like it, or perhaps just very similar to Snoezelen when I was at school, only that it wasn’t called this, and while people with obvious and profound cooccurring disabilities like intellectual disability were definitely prioritised it wasn’t like someone would not be allowed to go in there just because they have normal IQ or above average. But it’s great you have the access to it now, it’s such a cool thing. 🙂
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Yes, so true, snoezelen® helps with sensory issues regardless of IQ.
I understand not all relaxing music feels comforting to you.
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