Table of Contents
What are benefits of music therapy?
According to the American Music Therapy Association,2 research shows music therapy can be used to help: Improve overall physical rehabilitation. Facilitate movement. Increase motivation to engage in treatment. Music Helps Us Heal Music is the best studied of art therapy, and helps to lower anxiety, depression, trauma, psychosis and stress. Music can uplift our soul, foster in us feelings of joy, compassion and love. Music is an integral part of any social gathering. It also soothes our mind, so much so that it is now recognized as a form of therapy. Music Connects Spiritually Throughout history, music has been used in spiritual ceremonies in the form of acapella singing, chants, drums, among others. Music has a transcendent property that can connect you to something greater than yourself and has been proven to positively affect spirituality and quality of life.
Why is music therapy better than medicine?
Music therapy offers more comprehensive and engaging care for patients than music medicine does. Music medicine for the most part is a term used to describe when a medical practitioner uses music in the course of treating their patient. Music therapy, in contrast to this, uses music in a more fully rounded way. It provides a total brain workout. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. Research shows that music can uniquely form new connections in the brain. Listening to music also improves neuron repair better than other activities – such as listening to an audiobook – which may mean the brain functions better and builds new connections. Studies have found that listening to music can help calm your nervous system and lower cortisol levels, both of which can help reduce stress. And the same goes for making music; research shows that creating can help release emotion, decrease anxiety and improve overall mental health. “Music and the Brain” explores how music impacts brain function and human behavior, including by reducing stress, pain and symptoms of depression as well as improving cognitive and motor skills, spatial-temporal learning and neurogenesis, which is the brain’s ability to produce neurons. Music has a way of piercing into the deep parts of our soul, that assists in our expression and response to God and to the church. Singing helps unites us to the church. The gospel alone unites believers to one another. However, music is a tool that allows us to do so.
What are the 2 types of music therapy?
Music-based therapy is based on two fundamental methods – the ‘receptive’ listening based method, and the ‘active’ method based on playing musical instruments (Guetin et al., 2009). It was originally created by American composer and music therapist Paul Nordoff and British music therapist Clive Robbins as a therapeutic approach for children and adults with significant developmental disabilities (e.g., intellectual, sensory, or motor disability). “Music lights up neurons between the right and left hemispheres of the brain,” Ms. Caudill said. “It can also aid in neuroplasticity, helping the brain form new connections.” A stress reliever, music is used to recover speech, improve walking and assist in the retrieval of memories. Classical Music This theory, which has been dubbed the Mozart Effect, suggests that listening to classical composers can enhance brain activity and act as a catalyst for improving health and well-being. Music and Mood Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music.
How does music treat mental illness?
If you’re dealing with a mental health disorder, music therapy can help you with communication and expression, help you explore your thoughts and feelings, improve your mood and concentration and develop coping skills. People with chronic pain. Music therapy can help decrease your pain, anxiety, fatigue and depression. Some doctors (GPs and specialists) recommend music therapy to treat ailments, like heart diseases, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorders), Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, brain dysfunction, and depression. Oxford University holds that classical music can help improve heart conditions and maintain blood pressure. Active music-making positively affects neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, that influence mood. Dopamine influences focus, concentration, memory, sleep, mood and motivation. Likewise, serotonin impacts mood, sleep patterns, anxiety and pain. A musical hallucination is a type of auditory hallucination where music is perceived without an external source. It is observed in primary psychotic illness, in sensory deprivation states like hearing impairment and organic psychosis.
What happens to the brain during music therapy?
Engaging in music has been shown to facilitate neuroplasticity, therefore positively influencing quality of life and overall functioning. Research has shown that music activates cognitive, motor, and speech centers in the brain through accessing shared neural systems. Music is a gift of God and part of the created order. 5:13), creation is musical. “All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.” Human music-making participates in the music of creation and reflects the order, beauty, and diversity of God’s creation. Reasons for creating music include ceremonial purposes, recreational purposes, and artistic expression. In all probability, music touches our souls so deeply because we humans are born poetic and life has a rhythm of its own. We are surrounded by sounds and patterns.
Is music therapy scientifically proven?
This recent systematic review and meta-analysis (a study of studies) showed that the use of music interventions (listening to music, singing, and music therapy) can create significant improvements in mental health, and smaller improvements in physical health–related quality of life. According to the American Music Therapy Association,2 research shows music therapy can be used to help: Improve overall physical rehabilitation. Facilitate movement. Increase motivation to engage in treatment. At the core of our everyday experience with music, we use it to relax, express ourselves, come to terms with our emotions, and generally improve our well-being. It has evolved into a tool for healing and self-expression, often dictating how we, as individuals, take steps to impact society. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management. Some of their studies concluded that it does, and some found that it doesn’t. For example, one study showed that music education did not improve reading skills, while another one found a small effect of music on young children’s ability to manipulate syllables and words. Songs by Queen, Pink Floyd and Bob Marley are among the most effective for music therapy patients, a UK study has found. Queen’s classic We Will Rock You came out on top, with Marley’s Three Little Birds and Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall making the top five.
Can music cure depression?
Research shows a clear link between health and music: music therapy can be used to help combat depression and heal trauma, and listening to music has been shown to reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure and decrease stress levels. Music and Mood Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music. Cognitive behavioral music therapy (CBMT): This approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with music. In CBMT, music is used to reinforce some behaviors and modify others. This approach is structured, not improvisational, and may include listening to music, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument. The power of music can bring back feelings and, more importantly, memories. All of us can benefit from a song in many different ways, but for people with dementia, music can have a significant effect by bringing up lost memories and boosting brain activity. These people listened to the tracks while scientists monitored their brain activity. They found that music triggers the release of a chemical called dopamine in a part of the brain called the striatum. Evolutionarily, this is a really old part of the brain associated with responses to stuff that make you feel good. One of the first things that happens when music enters our brains is the triggering of pleasure centers that release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel happy. This response is so quick, the brain can even anticipate the most pleasurable peaks in familiar music and prime itself with an early dopamine rush.