We all love to listen to music. Whether it’s a specific genre, instrument or voice, music often leads to an emotional response in the listener. Did you know the power of music is so great, it’s used for therapy?
According to House Call Doctor experts, music therapy is used to help with the physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs of an individual or group.
Music therapists use a wide range of activities for treatment, such as listening to melodies, drumming, guided imagery, playing an instrument and song writing.
It can be used for anyone at any age, whether they’re struggling with illness or healthy. Music is thought to help people suffering from stress, dementia, autism, Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia, among other conditions.
Here are a few ways people believe music can work as a therapy:
Music can help stroke sufferers to walk again: Have you ever listened to a song and realised that your foot is tapping away to the beat? This phenomenon is called entrainment. So, music therapists use entrainment to help people who’ve suffered a stroke to re-learn how to walk and help their upper bodies regain strength and endurance.
Improve emotional and physiological responses: If you’ve ever listened to a song and had a shiver run down your spine, that’s what is known as a physiological response. From early on in life, our brains become attuned to music. For instance, babies can be soothed by listening to lullabies from their parents. So, music therapists use this emotional and physiological response to help promote relaxation or even stimulate a patient in a coma.
Social activity: Music can help bond people together. Whether you’re in a music group or just listening to music with your friends, music is a very sociable activity. This helps music therapists to create and facilitate a group setting.
It’s important to note that many people question the validity of music therapy, as the effectiveness has yet to be proven. However, there is growing research on the topic.