Music Therapy: A Pain Relieving Treatment against All Odds

Sai Shradha^*
*Correspondence: Sai Shradha, Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, Email:

Commentary

Music therapy is the use of music to address a group's or individual's physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. It includes activities such as listening to music, playing an instrument, drumming, creating songs, and guided visualisation. Music therapy is appropriate for people of all ages, whether they are virtuosos or tone deaf, unwell or in good health. Music therapy affects the mind, body, brain, and behaviour. Music may divert the mind, slow the rhythms of the body, and change our mood, all of which can influence our actions. Music therapists that have been trained and certified operate in a number of clinical and educational settings. They frequently work with persons who are experiencing emotional health difficulties such as grief, anxiety, and depression. They also assist persons with rehabilitative needs following a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or chronic illnesses such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. Music therapy is a therapeutic method that uses music's inherently mood-lifting properties to assist people in improving their mental health and overall well-being.

Music therapy sessions are planned with the client's physical health, communication abilities, cognitive capabilities, emotional well-being, and interests in mind. After considering these criteria, as well as the therapy goals, the therapist decides whether to use the creative or receptive method. (It's worth noting that you don't have to be a musician to profit from either method). Music therapy can be an active process in which clients participate in the creation of music, or a passive one in which clients listen to or respond to music. Some therapists may employ a hybrid strategy that includes both active and passive musical encounters.

There are several established approaches in music therapy, including:

1. Analytical music therapy: Analytical music therapy enables you to communicate your unconscious thoughts through an improvised musical "conversation" such as singing or playing an instrument, which you may then reflect on and discuss with your therapist.

2. Benenzon music therapy: This method integrates some psychoanalytic notions with the process of composing music. The quest for your "musical sound identity," which identifies the exterior sounds that most closely fit your internal psychological condition, is part of Benenzon music therapy.

3. Cognitive behavioural music therapy (CBMT): CBMT blends cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and music. Music is utilised in CBMT to reinforce some behaviours and change others. This method is structured rather than improvised, and it may include listening to music, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument.

4. Nordoff-Robbins music therapy: Also known as creative music therapy, this method entails the patient playing an instrument (usually a cymbal or drum) while the therapist plays another instrument. Music is used in the improvisational process to aid in self-expression.

5. The Bonny guided imagery and music (GIM) method: Classical music is used in this type of therapy to enhance the imagination. In this method, you describe your sentiments, experiences, recollections, and imagery while listening to music.

Because music therapy can be highly individualised, it is appropriate for people of all ages—even very young children can benefit. It's also adaptable, offering benefits for those with varying levels of musical skill as well as diverse mental or physical health difficulties. Music can activate brain regions that impact memory, emotions, movement, sensory relay, some involuntary activities, decision-making, and reward. In group situations, meet the social requirements of older persons. Reduce your heart rate and blood pressure. Endorphins are released, and muscle tension is relieved. Reduce tension and promote feelings of relaxation, Improve communication and motor skills in children and young people with developmental and/or learning difficulties.

For decades, researchers have studied the uses and advantages of music therapy. Clinical researches have revealed that music therapy may be beneficial for those suffering from depression and anxiety, sleep difficulties, and even cancer. Music therapy has been found in studies to be a helpful component of depression treatment. According to the research, the use of music therapy was most effective to those suffering from depression when paired with other treatments (such as antidepressants and psychotherapy).