What is Music therapy?
Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. The therapy accomplishes this by using music as an avenue to evoke emotions within the listener to help them heal. This therapeutic practice can be used to simply relax or even help reduce stress and anxiety of the listener. Other practices to reduce stress, though effective, often come with several side effects which come at the expense of the patient. Music therapy, on the other hand, discards any risk for side effects while delivering the same benefits. Music therapy allows for the remote healing of a patient, meaning one can receive the benefits from anywhere, even in the comfort of their home.
How does it work?
Music therapy begins and quickens healing by altering the body's chemistry. Multiple studies have proven that music therapy reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, here are a few:
One of the many examples includes a study from 1992 which found that Music therapy reduces symptoms of depression by 98% compared to only a 67% reduction among those who received standard care. (https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1478135)
Another study found decreases in pain and anxiety after exposure to Music Therapy
Krishnaswamy, Priyadharshini, and Shoba Nair. “Effect of Music Therapy on Pain and Anxiety Levels of Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study.” Indian Journal of Palliative Care, vol. 22, no. 3, 2016, p. 307., doi:10.4103/0973-1075.185042.
This study found “Significant improvement was observed in memory, orientation, depression and anxiety (HAD scale) in both mild and moderate cases; in anxiety (NPI scale) in mild cases; and in delirium, hallucinations, agitation, irritability, and language disorders in the group with moderate Alzheimer disease.”
Gómez Gallego M, Gómez García J. Musicoterapia en la enfermedad de Alzheimer: efectos cognitivos, psicológicos y conductuales. Neurología. 2017;32:300–308.