How is music therapy carried out?

Music therapy is a field that is growing. Music therapists are accomplished musicians who have a thorough understanding of the emotional responses that music can evoke in order to calm, stimulate, or heal individuals. They use this knowledge, combined with their expertise with a wide range of musical genres, to identify the specific music that can aid in meditation or assist you get through a challenging physical rehabilitation session. Whatever kind you prefer—classical music or electropop—they can discover such music there.

Music therapists are familiar with few restrictions. As they play music for or with you, they might even instruct you in how to play an instrument. Any given day, Chartrand could show up in a patient’s room carrying a ukulele, an iPad, and speakers. She asserts that because technology gives us such widespread access to it, nearly every form of music can be found and enjoyed.

There is proof that music therapy works.

An increasing amount of evidence confirms that music therapy is more than simply a nice bonus. It can improve life quality and health outcomes in a variety of ways. Here’s an illustration:

In well conducted clinical trials, those who listened to music before having a colonoscopy, coronary angiography, or knee surgery reported less anxiety and required fewer sedatives. People who had music playing during surgery reported that it helped them feel less uneasy. When music was playing in the recovery room, fewer people used opioid painkillers.

Music therapy can help people who are healing from strokes or severe brain injuries that have damaged the left side of the brain that controls speech. The ability to sing comes from the right half of the brain, thus people can overcome damage to their left side of the brain by initially singing their thoughts, then progressively losing the tune.

reduces the side effects of cancer therapy. Listening to music helps to reduce the anxiety that comes with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Additionally, it helps chemotherapy patients who are experiencing nausea and vomiting.

reduces the pain. Trials of music therapy have been conducted on patients suffering from severe acute pain to those with chronic arthritis pain. Overall, music therapy aids in the reduction of pain, the need for painkillers, the treatment of depression, and the perception of increased control over discomfort.

improves the quality of life for dementia sufferers. Because the ability to interact with music endures late in the course of disease, music therapy can help with memory recall, reduce agitation, improve communication, and improve physical coordination.