Troops with Shell Shock during World War I

Background: Little is known about the therapeutic uses of music during the First World War. This historical study provides a biography of Paula Lind Ayers (1891–1974), a vocalist, actress, and YMCA Entertainer who became known as “the girl who could sing away shell shock.” Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe Paula Lind Ayers’ respite services during World War I and provide a contextual biography of her life. Methods: The author conducted an exhaustive search regarding Paula Lind Ayers ’ life and her activities during World War I. Numerous data-bases were used to locate print sources. Libraries, archives, and organi-zations were consulted to obtain unpublished primary sources. The author evaluated materials via a recursive process that included corrobo-rating evidence, assessing source reliability, and contextualizing informa-tion. Data were synthesized and analyzed for emergent themes. Results: Findings suggest that Paula Lind Ayers developed a system