Therapies come in all shapes and sizes these days, with each having different results on different people.
If you have already attempted cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), talking therapies, group therapy, art therapy, or even animal therapy, you might want to try something else alongside it.
Music therapy has become increasingly popular over the last few years, helping people to tap into their creative side, become more mindful and distract themselves from intrusive thoughts.
What does music therapy help with?
Music therapy can help you cope with whatever you are struggling with, including managing chronic pain, a stressful life, hypertension, anxiety, depression, or physical ailments.
Relieve depression
Research has shown that either listening or playing music can help relieve symptoms of depression.
A 2017 study looked at 421 participants who were being treated for depression with music therapy. It concluded that: “Music therapy plus TAU [treatment as usual] was superior to TAU alone for anxiety and functioning.”
The findings also showed that music therapy as well as TAU had “short-term beneficial effects for people with depression if compared with TAU alone”.
Helps process emotions
One reason why music therapy might be so effective is because it engages the limbic system in the brain. This helps people process their emotions, which is why listening to certain tunes or lyrics can trigger deep feelings.
Dr Amy Belfi, an associate professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, told New York Times magazine: “I think music is able to bring about these emotional responses that then also facilitate the memory retrieval.”
Listening to specific songs can trigger memories that might have been buried, helping patients to start processing historic events that may still be having an emotional impact on their current lives.
It can also enable people to get in touch with their emotions instead of pushing them aside, allowing them to be present with their feelings, instead of bottling them up.
Reduce cortisol levels
Music does not just have an emotional impact on listeners or players, but a physical one too.
It can reduce the stress hormone, cortisol, helping people to be able to relax more easily, become less irritable, and lower their anxiety levels.
At the same time, it can produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that encourages pleasure and motivation. Imbalances in dopamine levels are linked with mental illnesses and addiction.
Some people get a dopamine high from shopping, spending money, sex, illegal substances, alcohol, or eating. However, these can all lead to unhealthy habits, affecting their health, relationships, and finances.
Listening or playing music, however, is a far safer and healthier way to boost dopamine levels naturally.
Self-expression
Music is a form of therapy for many people, as it gives them a way to express themselves. It allows them to write their feelings down, release their pain through singing, or get their anger out with the music they play.
Many people find it easier to produce songs that explain their feelings rather than telling their loved ones in person, allowing their friends and family to understand what they are going through without having to say a word.
Sociable
Lastly, music therapy has been found to be effective, as it can be sociable. While some prefer to write or play alone, others find they can be more creative when jamming, bouncing ideas off each other and being inspired by the talent they are surrounded by.
Going to concerts, gigs, operas or musicals is also sociable, while there are many community choirs, orchestras or bands available to join that can help people to build friendships and have a reason to leave the house.
These both help to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression before a note has even been played.
