Music as a Healer

Rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul. Plato

If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die. That strain again! it had a dying fall: O! it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound That breathes upon a bank of violets, Stealing and giving odour. Shakespeare

Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music. George Eliot

As you can see from the quotes above, the interest in music has a long and rich history, dating back 250,000 years and over. It has served as a source of inspiration and even speculation to most people, including philosophers like Plato. Music has encouraged resilience when violence and oppression are present, such as the songs sung on the plantations by slaves. These songs accompanied their movement during gruelling tasks. Many of us nowadays do not think of lyres, harps, and lutes when we think of music, but rather popular singers, or bands, orchestras, and various dances.

Due to good fortune and an upbringing which emphasised the importance of learning, music was introduced at a very young age. I was encouraged to take up an instrument, with piano being my choice and learnt about music and theory for nearly two decades. Other individuals have been exposed to music in similar ways, such as family members, television, films etc. I believe that many like me remember the first song you knew all the lyrics to, or the piece of music which moved you in a way you found to be ethereal. It is this mental and emotional connection to music that researchers wanted to study and apply, and psychology sought to understand what moves people, and what makes them feel better. It is how Music-based interventions, or music therapy materialised.

What happens in the session?

Music therapy is always customised for the client, with a focus on the client-therapist relationship. Knowing who the therapy is targeting is a must. There is a difference between applying an intervention for a child, young adult, or an older adult. An intervention plan can involve anything from singing, dancing to music, listening to music, sharing instruments provided by the music therapist, discussing lyrics and eliciting meanings to different songs which are relevant to the client, composing songs, etc.

But does it work and who can use it?

One of the main intentions we listen to music is to manage our mood, and this can be thought as being an informal form of self-medicated therapy. Since we now have constant access to music, our ability to understand how our personal and emotional preferences function, has increased. We have seen cases where anxiety was reduced in patients in hospitals who chose their preferred music (MacDonald et al., 2003). Music has also significantly decreased pain perceptions for patients undergoing kidney dialyses (Pothoulaki, et al., 2008). Recent studies such as Lalonde (2020) have also found that music was responsible for reducing pain, and interventions which were 20 to 30 minutes long were effective in reducing pain.

Understandably, music therapy is a non-pharmacological intervention which is often an adjunct approach for other interventions. In other words, engaging in music therapy does not mean that you can stop taking your medication. In Alzheimer’s, music therapy was found to be useful in possibly reducing cognitive decline, bettering neuropsychiatric symptoms, and improving the quality of life of patients (Herholz, et al., 2013; Fang, et al., 2017).

People seem to listen to music as it acts as a valued companion, helps to improve their mood, and guides them to achieve self-awareness. Music therapy can also support patients to cope and accept their diagnoses. Patients can turn to music in different ways to process their emotions. This unique ability provides numerous options for music therapists to help their patients deal with and come to terms with the cards laid before them in a positive way.

The British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) is the professional body for music therapy in the UK, providing both practitioners and non-practitioners with information, professional support, and training opportunities. It is also a charity committed to promoting and raising awareness of music therapy, and providing information to the general public.

Contact number: 020 7837 6100

References

Fang, R., Ye, S., Huangfu, J., & Calimag, D. P. (2017). Music therapy is a potential intervention for cognition of Alzheimer's Disease: a mini-review. Translational neurodegeneration, 6, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-017-0073-9

Herholz, S. C., Herholz, R. S., & Herholz, K. (2013). Non-pharmacological interventions and neuroplasticity in early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Expert review of neurotherapeutics, 13(11), 1235–1245. https://doi.org/10.1586/14737175.2013.845086

MacDonald R. A. R, Mitchell L, Dillon T, Serpell M. G, Davies J. B, Ashley E. A. (2003). An Empirical Investigation of the Anxiolytic and Pain Reducing Effects of Music. Psychology of Music. 31(2):187–203.

Pothoulaki, M., Macdonald, R. A., Flowers, P., Stamataki, E., Filiopoulos, V., Stamatiadis, D., & Stathakis, C. (2008). An investigation of the effects of music on anxiety and pain perception in patients undergoing haemodialysis treatment. Journal of health psychology, 13(7), 912–920. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105308095065

Lalonde, M., Gélinas, C., Boitor, M., Gosselin, E., Feeley, N., Cossette, S., & Chlan, L. L. (2020). The Effect of Music on Pain in the Adult Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Journal of pain and symptom management, 59(6), 1304–1319.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.12.359