ATLANTA — Atlanta’s Shepherd Center has become a national leader in developing highly effective therapies for seriously injured combat troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The magical sounds of an acoustic guitar – a proven therapy for returning troops suffering from brain injuries and traumatic stress. Marine Lance Corporal James Sperry has been at Shepherd for more than a month, and says learning to play the guitar will speed up his recovery and resharpen his skills.

“I’ve had a lot of traumatic brain injuries and shrapnel,” he said. “More than anything was to try and focus on the present and start moving forward and not think about the past and everything that went on with that – the war experience and all.”

A valuable therapy, according to Shepherd President and CEO Gary Ulicny, is playing the guitar. He says more and more of the troops there are giving it a try.

“It’s almost like a child learning and processing information and what better modality than a guitar where you get to use your manual and your motor control as well as the auditory feedback?” Ulicny said.

But Shepherd has a glaring need – acoustic guitars. The center only has two, and needs more to make the program work for patients like Corporal Sperry. There’s an incentive from CEO Ulicny.

“When they come in, I take them home,” he said. “I string them; I polish them up.”

It’s all part of the center’s SHARE Initiative, and it’s one more innovative way Shepherd is working toward returning troops to a normal life.

If you have an acoustic guitar at home that you can part with, Shepherd could use it. For more information, go to the Shepherd Center Foundation’s website.

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