John M. Ortiz, Ph.D., is the founder and director of The Institute of Applied Psychomusicology (SM). He is a licensed psychologist, educator, consultant, author, musician, certified clinical hypnotist and psychoeducational trainer. Listed in the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, his professional affiliations include the American Counseling Association, American Music Therapy Association, American School Counselor Association, and Association for Humanistic Psychology. He served on the editorial board of the American Counseling Association’s Journal of Counseling and Development between 1996-1998. His international lectures on Sound Psychology are based on his books, The Tao of Music: Sound Psychology, published by Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1997, and Nurturing Your Child With Music: How Sound Awareness Creates Happy, Smart and Confident Children, published by Beyond Words, Pub., Hillsboro, Oregon, December, 1999.

The Tao of Music, a 1998 Small Press Book Awards Finalist in Self Help / Recovery / Psychology, is also available in Portuguese (1998, Mandarin, Brazil), and German (O.W. Barth, Germany, Austria and Switzerland). Dr. Ortiz is also the composer and producer of the Pulse Entrainment™ CD series — including the award winning The Soothing Pulse™ — designed for a number of healing and therapeutic uses such as relaxation, massage, meditation, sleep induction. He is on the senior faculty at the National Institute of Teaching Excellence at Cambridge College, Massachusetts. Dr. Ortiz has been featured in numerous t.v. and radio programs and he, and his books and CDs, have been covered in dozens of professional journals and trade publications including:   Psychology of Music, Newsweek, Redbook, Chamber Music, The Vegetarian Times, Health, Positive Health, Children & Families, AHP Perspective, Early Childhood Connections, Here's Health, The NAPRA Review, Spirituality and Health, The Midwest Book Review, The Irish Times, Leister Express, Astir Magazine, Frank, Top Sante, Modern Women, Update (Pa. Assoc. for Supervision and Curriculum Development), and Central PA magazine. 

Sound Psychology Research

Dr. Ortiz began researching the effects of combining traditional psychological approaches with music and sound in the mid 1970’s while working at a number of mental health facilities as counselor, therapist and vocational evaluator. His doctoral dissertation, “The Facilitating Effects of Soothing Background Music on an Initial Counseling Session” (Penn State University, 1991), along with other research conducted while at Penn State University in the late 1980’s, helped to strongly support and expand the base of some of the Sound Psychology™ ideas that have led to his popular books and CD series.

Sound Psychology Programs

Dr. Ortiz has presented Keynotes, conducted Workshops, Seminars and Lectures, and offered Graduate credit courses throughout the world for professionals and laypersons alike.  Some of the sites have included:

Albright College
University of Wisconsin
Wake County Public School System, N.C.
Lee County Public School System, FL.
Franklin County Public School System, PA.
Adams County Public School System, PA.
Dade County Public School System, FL
Broward County Public School System, FL
Palm Beach County Public School System, FL
Seminole County Public School System, FL
KidsPeace: The National Hospital for Kids in Crisis: Medical Ground Rounds                                                                      The National Institute for Teaching Excellence                            The International Alliance for Learning                                    Messiah College                                                                       Kripalu                                                                          American Music Therapy Association Annual Conferences       York Hospital                                                              Cambridge College                                WomanCare                                                                      Whole Health Expo                                                           Institute for Psychotherapy at Kreiderheim                     Humanistic Psychology Annual Conferences                              Hospice - Hawaii                                                                  University of Hawaii                                                             1999 International Somatics Congress                               Imperial Point Medical Center                                     Gettysburg Hospital                                                    Pennsylvania State University                                    Pennsylvania Blue Shield                                               Oncology and Leukemia Society                                    American Counseling Association World Conference               4th International Congress on Integrative and Eclectic                  Psychotherapy                                                                        3rd World Congress of Eclectic Hypnotherapy 

(see Calendar and Services for complete listings and other information)