Apr 5 2011

Music Therapy? Why not?

One definition of therapy is a process that aims to reduce the level of man’s behavior and simultaneously enhance the ability of adjusting one’s self. What is the method?
Many studies show that classical music is one of the best music for relaxation and meditation. Classical Music Baroque era music proved as the most effective way to reduce stress. The famous composer from this era include JS. Bach, GF Handel, Brahms, Vivaldi and Mozart. Those who studied the influence of classical music on stress reduction or relaxation also found that when listening to classical music and was associated with a machine EEG (electroencephalogram) = machine which measures brain wave activity, demonstrated record brain wave activity similar to brain wave activity that is meditation. In more specific they found that the composition of the Adagio from the era of Baroque music (which has a rate 60 per minute) is the most able to provide the relaxed atmosphere and increase alpha wave production or activity which is equivalent to the perfect relaxation, hypnosis and meditation. Mozart’s music is an example of this Baroque Adagio, and therefore became very popular as a tool of music therapy which is now known as “the Mozart Effect.”

New Age is the flow of other music which also has grown, well accepted and effective for Stress Management. Included in the flow of New Age, among others, New Instrumental, Space Music, Music for Meditation, Ambient Music, Jazz, Fantasy, World Fusion, Celtic Music, and Acoustic Guitar. Usually this type of music is played in instrumental, without words or poetry
Music turned out to be therapeutic and healing.

Music produces rhythmic stimuli that were captured and processed by the hearing organ in the body’s nervous system and glands of the brain reorganize the interpretation of the internal rhythms of sound into the audience. These internal rhythms affect human metabolism so that the process is going better. Better metabolism will result in the body can build a better imune system, and with a better system body imune system becomes more resilient against possible infections (in Campbell, 1997)
So Let’s Beat The Music:)

 


Mar 16 2011

Music Therapy Benefits And Mental Health

People noticed the healing, almost miraculous influence of music on people’s mental health long time ago. Nowadays these observations are being successfully scientifically confirmed. Did you know that, according to British scientists, classical music contributes to longer dinners at restaurants? Ever heard that the level of stress hormones in our blood decreases strikingly if we practise listening to relaxing music? Don’t you know that cheerful songs are healthy for people with heart disease?

In case you don’t know a thing about facts enumerated above, this article will both educate you on the issue of music therapy and help you improve mental health through music. So what wonders exactly can music do with people’s mental and physical health? Below are music therapy health benefits explained in detail.

Some scientists conclude that music is a panacea for a lot of mental illnesses. It stabilizes breathing, pulse, helps our muscles relax and speeds up the recovery process.
Music cures insomnia, neurosis, indigestion, depression and relieves stress. What is more, according to the research, music therapy is even used to prevent hair loss in balding men!
Music develops intuition, boosts speed of thought and spices up imagination. It catalyzes one’s intellect and prevents people from sticking to generalities. Music breaks stereotypes and prevents categorical thinking.
Musictherapydevelops communicative skills. It is well-known that music is an international language that unites people of different nationalities, cultures, ages and professions contributing to the unique case of speaking without words – communication through music.
Psychologists state that music helps them establish contact with patients. It eases the process of emotional reactions. Music helps people resolve conflicts and find the long-lost understanding which in its turn enhances their mental health.
Music therapy contributes to intellectual relaxation as well. When ‘listening’ to classical music, for example, human brain enjoys the healing rest… Music provides colourful emotions and helps us get rid of anxieties.

Music therapy also releases emotional tension, influences certain hidden psychological possibilities of people. According to the scholars, music helps us find a way to our souls… What is more, music therapy helps people establish defense against threats and dangers of the world and increases our social activity…

In other words, a truly healing influence of music on one’s mental health cannot but amaze us. We should know that there is also music which causes harm to one’s emotional state though, but if chosen to fit one’s mood and thoughts and if sounds right to you, music therapy will definitely enhance your mental and physical health.

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Mar 16 2011

Benefits Of Music Therapy

Music therapy uses music to promote positive changes in the wellbeing of an individual. These positive changes may be manifested in changes in physical development, social and interpersonal development, emotional or spiritual wellbeing or cognitive abilities.


The therapeutic benefits of music have been known and harnessed since ancient times. However, music therapy in modern times dates back to the World Wars when music was used in hospitals in the rehabilitation and recovery of soldiers who had suffered physical or emotional trauma. The University of Kansas was the first University in the United States to offer a degree program in music therapy in 1944.


Early exponents of music therapy in the 1950′s to 1970′s included the French cellist Juliet Alvin and Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins. The Nordoff-Robbins approach is still used in many countries around the world including the USA, UK, Australia, Germany and South Africa.


So, how does music therapy work?


Music is universal and connects across language barriers. Most people can respond to music in some way regardless of illness or disability.


Music has an inherent ability to generate an emotional response in the listener. It stimulates a relaxation response which can therefore lead to physiological changes in the body. Music is known to reduce stress thereby producing related benefits such as lower blood pressure, improved respiration, reduced heart rate, better cardiac performance and reduced tension in muscles.


Music is processed in both hemispheres of the brain and this stimulation has been shown to help in development of language and speech functions. It promotes socialization and development of communication, self expression and motor skills. Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder have been found to respond very positively to music and many of them display high levels of musical skill.


Music encourages verbal as well as non verbal communication and promotes social interaction and relatedness. It’s a valuable outlet for self expression and creativity. It has also been successfully used in pain management by providing a distraction from the painful stimulus as well as a means of relaxation and stress alleviation.


Children with developmental and learning difficulties,children and adults with autism spectrum disorder or special needs as well as the elderly and dementia sufferers have all been shown to benefit from music therapy. Although the benefits of music therapy have been accepted intuitively and based on anecdotal evidence it wasn’t till recently that quantitative evidence of its efficacy started to emerge.


In a recent study conducted by the University of Miami School of Medicine blood samples of a group of male Alzheimer’s patients who were treated with music therapy were found to have significantly elevated levels of melatonin, epinephrine and norepinephrine which are chemicals which act on the brain to control mood, depression, aggression and sleep. The benefits of the therapy were still evident even six weeks after cessation of the therapy and in the case of melatonin the effects persisted even longer.


Music therapy is gaining wider acceptance in the general medical community and has certainly stood the test of time. Music therapists can now be found practicing in a variety of institutions dealing with mental health, developmental and early intervention programs, correctional institutions and special education programs to name but a few. Many are having success where traditional treatment methods have failed.