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The
link between music and healing is an ancient one, but it is only since the
1940s that music therapy has developed in the West as a way of helping those
with serious disabilities, mental illness, or psychological distress. Making or
responding to music can provide a real alternative to verbal communication,
enabling the expression of emotions that may be too profound or primitive for
words. Within both complementary and conventional medicine worldwide,
particularly intensive care units and delivery rooms, patients are encouraged
to listen to music to ease anxiety and pain, and to promote recovery.
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| HISTORY
Music
has long been used to stir emotions, and there are accounts of the healing
power of music in the Bible and Homer's Odyssey. The modern practice of
music therapy developed in the US at the end of World War II, in response to
the psychological distress of returning war veterans. Success in their
treatment led medical authorities to employ musicians in hospitals, and the
National Association of Music Therapy was established in the US in 1950.
In
1958, UK concert cellist Juliette Alvin, renowned for pioneering work
among children with learning difficulties, formed the British Society for Music
Therapy. In 1974, American concert pianist Paul Nordoff and UK special
education teacher Clive Robbins, known for their work with autistic and
emotionally disturbed children, started their first training course in London.
There are about 7,000 qualified music therapists in America compared
with 300 in the UK and the same number in Australia. EVIDENCE & RESEARCH
Worldwide
research is taking place into the effects of music on the immune system.
Studies in the US, the UK, and Germany, published in 1991, showed that
patients who listened to music recovered more quickly than average and felt
less anxiety and discomfort. Some studies in the 1980s and 1990s, such
as those by Dr. Ralph Spintge in Germany, suggested that music with a certain
rhythm may reduce stress by lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and
respiration. Research in Europe, the US, and Australia in the 1980s confirmed
that music therapy can benefit those with physical and mental disabilities.
MEDICAL OPINION
Doctors
acknowledge that music therapy can help patients release emotions and relax,
and it may have a useful part to play in the care of mentally and physically
disabled people. Such patients are increasingly referred to music therapists,
although most doctors are not convinced of music's ability to treat illness by
affecting body systems directly.
CONSULTING
A PRACTITIONER
Treatment
takes place on a one-to-one or group basis, and patients range from those
seeking help for emotional problems to physically or mentally disabled people.
Sessions usually last an hour and the length of treatment will vary according
to your condition. The aim of therapy is to help you release tension and deal
with problems more effectively by expressing emotions in a nonverbal way and
building a trusting relationship with the practitioner or other group members.
A
session usually starts with the practitioner playing a tune or singing a song.
As your confidence grows, you will be encouraged to respond, improvising on
percussion instruments or with your voice. You will not be taught to play any
instruments, and musical knowledge is unnecessary. Eventually, you may be able
to express feelings in new ways.
For
stress-related conditions and pain relief, the practitioner may ask you to
select a piece of music to listen to that you find soothing. With elderly and
terminally ill patients, this can stimulate memories, a therapeutic effect in
itself. The rhythm of music is also said to affect physiological processes,
such as heart rate or breathing, and prompt the release of endorphins, the
body's own painkillers.
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