Music has a tremendously beneficial effect on all living things. Different types of music can instantly change a person’s mood, and music can help them feel and process a variety of emotions such as happiness, excitement, sadness, and relaxation. Making music may be just as therapeutic as listening to it, and music therapy encourages people to actively create the music that they find beneficial. This article explains music therapy, describes how it can benefit mental health and discusses its effects on depression and anxiety.
What is Music Therapy?
Therapy makes use of music’s powerful abilities to help people improve their physical and emotional health. Counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy are examples of alternative therapies. Music treatments employ a person’s reaction and connections to music to promote good mood and mental mind set changes.
Therapy can involve listening to music or making music using various instruments. It could also involve singing or dancing to music. It can aid the development of confidence, communication skills, independence, self-awareness, and social awareness, as well as concentration and attention abilities. During music therapy, live musical engagement between a client and their therapist is critical.
History of Music Therapy
From the earliest days of civilization, music has been used to treat both body and soul and to express what is difficult to articulate in words. The use of music for therapy and healing dates back to 600 B.C. But official therapeutic use started behind in the 20th century after World War II ended.
Many soldiers suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder were placed in institutions and unable to function within society. Community musicians began visiting veteran hospitals to perform for patients suffering from emotional and physical trauma. The first mention of therapy is found in an article in 1789 titled “Music physically considered.”
The research on therapeutic benefits grew rapidly in the 1800s. By the 1940s, there were institutions providing musical therapy programs. One of the three men who developed the concept of using music as a therapy tool, E. Thayer Gaston established and promoted the practice so that it became an increasingly popular type of therapy.
There are numerous therapy associations around the world and music therapists can be found on their own, in education and social services.
Types of Music Therapy
Music therapy can be an active process in which clients participate in the creation of music or a passive approach in which clients simply listen to or respond to music. Some therapists may employ a hybrid strategy that includes both active and passive musical encounters. In music therapy, a number of approaches have been established to get good sleep (Natural sleep remedies) and reduce stress, including:
Analytical Music Therapy: Analytical music theory encourages you to use an improvised musical dialogue through any type of music or play an instrument to express your unconscious thoughts.
Cognitive Behavioural Music Therapy (CBMT): This approach combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with music. In cognitive behavioral therapy, music is majorly used to reinforce some behavior and modify certain behaviors. This treatment approach is structured, not improvisational, and may include listening to music, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument.
Community Music Therapy: The primary goal of this therapeutic strategy was to use music to help people change in their communities. It’s done in a group environment, and this therapy technique necessitated the highest level of participation from each community member.
Benenzon music therapy: This style of therapy incorporates psychoanalysis and the creative process. The search for your music sound identity, which describes the exterior sounds that most closely fit your internal psychological condition, is part of this therapy.
Vocal psychotherapy: To connect with your emotions and impulses, you employ a variety of vocal exercises, natural sounds, and breathing techniques in this format. This exercise is designed to help you feel more connected to yourself.
Therapy for Depression
Therapy, when combined with normal depression treatment, such as talking therapy, has been shown to enhance people’s mental health more than those who only received regular therapy. When you’re depressed, listening to music can help you feel better. Music can cause the release of dopamine, a hormone that makes people feel good. Endorphins are hormones that can make you feel good and reduce pain. Therapy, despite its many mental health advantages, is not a cure for depression; it can only provide short-term benefits by enhancing mood and encouraging connection and self-expression.
Therapy for Anxiety
Several research studies have found that therapy can significantly reduce anxiety in medical patients, such as cancer patients, those having surgery, and those admitted to intensive care units. According to some studies, music can lower blood pressure and pulse rate, both of which have a direct impact on how stressed a person feels.
By lowering the levels of stress hormones, music therapy significantly reduces anxiety. Music has an effect on the quantity of stress hormones released by the body, such as adrenaline and cortisol, and lowering these hormones can assist relieve anxiety symptoms and you can even try Nidra Nutrition stress free gummies.
There is also evidence that those who receive music therapy have less anxiety shortly after the session, implying that music therapy could be a quick way to alleviate symptoms.
Things to Consider
For medical illnesses such as mental health issues, music therapy may not be an adequate therapy treatment. However, when combined with traditional treatment options like medicine and psychotherapy, music therapy can be a beneficial component of a treatment plan.
If you have a hearing problem, wear a hearing aid, or have a hearing implant, you should consult your physician before beginning music therapy to confirm that it is absolutely safe for you.
Similarly, if you’re suffering from pain, illness, injury, or a physical condition that makes it difficult to exercise, music therapy that emphasises movement or dance may not be a good fit.
Conclusion
Although music therapy is not a cure for any mental illness, it can be a useful and fun technique for lowering the symptoms of a variety of illnesses, including depression and anxiety.
Music therapy allows people to express their emotions and digest their experiences in a creative and accessible way. For a long time, people have relied on music’s strong influence on mood and emotions.
Apart from assisting in the treatment of mental illnesses, music therapy offers various other advantages, including offering a creative outlet, broadening knowledge and cultural awareness, and boosting cognitive skills such as memory.
