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The Science of Using Music as a Mental Health Tool

Olivia Kehres


     Do you ever wonder how music can be such a powerful tool to cope with what life throws at you? Or maybe why you can feel so connected to lyrics and a melody? There are certain songs and musical genres that make you wanna dance, allow you to cry, feel like a hug, and set the perfect mood for the current situation… but how? The emotional stimulation music provides us with has been studied in order to discover how music can be used as a mental health tool. Researchers have come so far to the point where music therapy is a legitimate technique of therapeutic aid that is proven to improve the mood and mental states of patients practicing music therapy with their therapist/counselor. Music therapy and listening to music are two different things, but they are both known to help lessen stress, increase relaxation, open the exploration of emotions, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, and help regulate moods.


What is music therapy?

      The official [and professional] definition of Music Therapy taken from the American Music Therapy Association: “Music Therapy is the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” There are 4 methods of music therapy that are most commonly used:

  1. Receptive method- This usually involves listening to music and further discussing emotions brought up during the song. This method also allows movement (such as dancing) to be expressed in response to the music.

  2. Re-creative method- This includes singing along or playing an instrument to music that already exists. This method can help improve motor skills, orientation to reality, social interaction, memory recall, breath support, and relaxation.

  3. Improvisation method- Improvisation can be intimidating, but it’s something that can be altered to your comfort level. This method can open the door to self-exploration, emotional awareness, and communication with others.    

  4. Composition method- Creating music can range from writing a whole song to filling in the blanks of lyrics. Composing music can give some of the same benefits of improvisation.


     Some common misconceptions about music therapy include being proficient at playing an instrument and/or singing and that the music therapist is present as a form of entertainment. These two claims are not at all true. A music therapist is there to guide and help the client through musical tools to help mental health. They are there to support the client through how they want their music therapy sessions to go. The patient does not have to be musically gifted at all, however they do have the power to control how their sessions go in terms of what method(s) of music therapy they choose.        


How did music therapy originate?

     Music therapy was earliest referenced in the late 1780s, but it wasn’t particularly recognized until the 1900s. There were three main people who were innovators and key persons in the development of music therapy [as a clinical profession]. Ira Altshuler was a psychiatrist and music therapist in Michigan. She continued this practice for close to three decades. Her contribution involved the promotion and recognition of music therapy as a legitimate aid to mental health clinical treatment. Willem Van de Wall “pioneered the use of music therapy in state-funded facilities” and wrote about music therapy. His written work claims the title Music in Institutions (1936). Lastly, E. Thayer Gaston was known as the “father of music therapy”. He greatly contributed to moving the profession forward both organizationally and educationally. Michigan State University was the first college responsible for the first academic program in music therapy (1944) and since then, other universities have followed. The three individuals mentioned have trailblazed the path for music therapy, and even though it’s still a niche form of therapeutic practice, there are over 10,000 mental health professionals who have become board-certified in music therapy. 


 



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