As Stewart's story unfolds you're reminded of the magic that resides in every life. He is a plain-speaking man whose intelligence and passion shines through a tale of amazing bravery.

Despite the worst predictions, he survived coma and paralysis and self-managed the recovery of all his faculties. Then he decided to jump the hurdle of and apply himself to a postgraduate degree in Conservation Science. It has taken him nine years to get there, but he has achieved his goal.

We are thrilled that Stewart credits John Levine's alphamusic as a significant contributor to his academic success.

"It's very interesting. I've not come across it before. The moment I switch this music on, I'm at peace. In re-hab they used music therapy, but I didn't connect with it at all; it didn't work for me at all. Now, I come in of an evening, I put John's music on and its like a curtain coming down over all the bother. When I study, I find the music somehow helps me direct my energy, to focus."

As a youngster, Stewart left the English countryside to find work in London. He became a successful theatre set-builder, but never lost a deep attachment to the land. He studied conservation as an amateur, but university seemed too great a challenge: "I was always afraid to get educated, afraid of what I might discover; things I didn't want to know".

Then the opportunity arose to join a documentary team filming indigenous farmers in northern Canada. It was a profoundly important journey. Stewart felt deep resonance with the traditional life of the farmers.

The team returned to England and he immediately began planning a return to Canada. Stewart and a similarly inspired friend arranged to take a group of paying guests on an adventure holiday in the Canadian wilderness. Things fell into place with astonishing ease: clients, planning and funding lined up perfectly.

An expedition like this needed sophisticated equipment, including a high-speed inflatable dinghy, of the sort used for sea rescue. On a test-run, with Stewart at the helm, the boat suddenly ran out of control and he was thrown head first at an embankment wall.

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Ten days later he emerged from coma completely paralyzed. Doctors said it was unlikely he would ever walk, talk, read or write.

Slowly he gathered his thoughts and made the decision to manage his own recovery: "I'm a great believer in the subconscious. For me the accident was a way of taking away all the layers. I looked at my situation and I said, 'This is you, now do something about it' "

Though he is quite light about the process of rehabilitation, each step has been terribly hard won, still Stewart chooses to see it all as an opportunity:

"That accident saved my life," he explains,

"Up till then, I led a caring, but care-less life. I had plenty of money, plenty of adventure. At the back of my mind, I always worried about the environment, but I was afraid of going on with education, scared of what I might discover, things I didn't want to know. "

Nine years ago he decided to go to university and has now completed a Post-graduate degree in Conservation Science. He describes catching up to tertiary standard as starting school all over again.

Study is a hard grind for Stewart; not because he lacks the intellect, passion or big picture skills, but because he must coordinate his senses and apply them in a consistently focussed way.

This is where alphamusic has changed things for the better.

Stewart talked to John Levine about his difficulties with concentration and focus. On John's recommendation, he took home a copy of Silence of Peace.

Stewart says the instant he listened to alphamusic he knew it was different from the music therapy he had previously encountered: "In rehab programs they use music. It's supposed to help you because you get so stressed and angry trying to recuperate. They use the music to calm you down, but I never liked it. I didn't connect with their music at all. It didn't work for me.

John's music is completely different. I put it on, it's like a curtain coming down over all the bother. Somehow it helps me focus, helps me direct my energy.

I'm so amazed I've been passing 'Silence of Peace' to others at the university, as well as physical therapists. It's interesting to me to hear all the different responses."

For Stewart there is no question that Silence of Peace helps. When alphamusic plays, he finds it is easier to focus, absorb and retain information more quickly. He finds it easier to formulate and describe his ideas.

Stewart recently came to visit and told John: "Where were you 15 years ago? I can only imagine how much faster things would have improved if I had had your music then!"

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At Silence of Music we support of Stewart's work for the enviroment.

His ideas, if implemented, can make a significant difference to the green-house emissions that arise from the over-populated freeways of England.

If you agree with the importance of Stewart's proposal, why don't you WRITE to him and offer him support and advice that may be helpful?

To make things happen, we need the 'snowball effect' that comes from people getting fired up to the point where they will help: with their time, their expertise, their networks.