During World War I and II, doctors used music therapy to help treat veterans and the injured. They reported an improvement in their outlook and experienced less pain. Even the staff had a positive change in their mood in response to the music.
Currently, music therapy is used to help children, adolescents, and adults go through complex medical procedures. One feature of musical therapy is the ability to personalize for each patient. For example, while one child may excel at learning a new instrument, another may prefer to write songs, sing, or listen to music. Children, in particular, are enthusiastic about music therapy since it is both enjoyable and provides mental and bodily relaxation.
Music’s effect on the brain is quite complex because of different parts that process various components of music, including pitch, speed, and melody. The cerebellum, for example, analyzes rhythm; the frontal lobes decipher the emotional impulses generated by music; and a small fraction of the right temporal lobe aids in pitch comprehension.
When exposed to loud music, the brain’s reward region, called the nucleus accumbens, can produce strong physical indicators of pleasure, such as goosebumps. Music therapy can benefit patients with mental health disorders by utilizing these deep physical reactions to music. It also has a strong psychological effect. Different types of music can have an immediate and significant impact on a person’s mood. They can assist them in experiencing and processing a wide range of emotions, from happiness to enthusiasm, as well as melancholy, tranquillity, and thinking.
Music therapy can be an active or passive procedure in which patients make music or merely listen to or respond to music. Some doctors may combine active and passive encounters with music. There are various techniques to improve a patient’s mood and overall well-being by utilizing their responses and connections to music. It can involve creating music using a variety of instruments, singing, dancing, or simply listening to music.
Analytical music therapy enables patients to communicate their unconscious thoughts through an improvised musical “conversation” expressed through singing or playing an instrument. They then reflect on and discuss this with their therapist.
The Benenzon Model of music therapy integrates psychoanalytic notions with the creative process of music composition. The quest for the patient’s “musical sound identity” entails identifying the external sounds that closely fit their internal psychological state.
Cognitive-behavioral music therapy (CBMT) incorporates elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and music. Music is utilized in CBMT to reinforce certain behaviors and change others. This is an organized method, rather than an improvised one, and may include listening to music, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument.
Community music therapy is centered on the use of music to effect change on a community level. It is carried out in a group context and involves a high level of engagement on the part of each participant.
Also known as creative music therapy, the Nordoff-Robbins music therapy technique requires the patient to play an instrument (typically a cymbal or drum) while the therapist plays another instrument. The improvisatory process makes use of music to facilitate self-expression.
In vocal psychotherapy, the patient connects with their emotions and impulses using a variety of vocal exercises, natural sounds, and breathing techniques. This technique is intended to foster a stronger feeling of self-awareness.
The Bonny method of guided imagery and music stimulates the imagination through the use of classical music. This method enables the patient to articulate the emotions, sensations, memories, and visuals while listening to music.
Brian Kezer 