HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED A SONG AND INSTANTLY STARTED TO FEEL BETTER?
Well, there’s power in music and chances are, it impacts you more than you know.
Music stimulates almost every brain structure. You may view music solely as a tool for motivation (think: running on a treadmill). Music can also calm us down by interfering with our fight-or-flight response, impacting the parasympathetic nervous system, autonomic nervous system, and endocrine system. Music may even help us change our thinking in an anxiety-evoking situation. This is why the practice of music therapy exists.
We already use music to reflect on life experiences and make sense of how we feel. In music therapy, qualified professionals use clinical and evidence-based processes to expand on that, supporting clients dealing with an array of mental and physical health issues–from depression to post-surgery rehab.
It involves a trained music therapist who tailors interventions to meet the unique needs of clients, utilizing music to facilitate communication, emotional expression, and social interaction.
Board-certified music therapists have degrees in music therapy and a national MT-BC credential. They are not to be confused with art therapists, volunteer musicians, or therapists who happen to use music in their sessions.
Music therapy can be conducted in various settings, including hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and private practices. It is adaptable to individual or group formats, allowing for personalized or communal therapeutic experiences.
Methods used in music therapy include active music making, receptive music activities, and improvisation.
Music therapy is designed to meet the individual needs of patients, whether through active participation (like playing instruments) or receptive activities (like listening to music), ensuring it addresses specific physical health goals. Activities you can expect to see in music therapy include songwriting, lyric analysis, music listening, drawing to music, guided meditation along with music, and making music.
The benefits of music therapy for physical health can include pain management, improved physical rehabilitation, psychological and emotional support, and enhanced coordination and balance through rhythm and tempo. This is particularly beneficial for patients with neurological conditions, as it helps reinforce the motor pathways in the brain.
Music therapy is a versatile and effective therapeutic approach that harnesses the power of music to promote healing and improve quality of life across diverse populations and settings. You do not have to be musically talented to benefit from or partake in music therapy.
Ready to give it a try? Use a search engine like Google to look for music therapists near you.
There are several in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. Be sure they have the MT-BC credential.
Daniel J. Jachimiak, BA, is a writer and speaker. He can be reached at djachimiak@bex.net or 419-787-2036. ✲
