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Introduction:
For centuries music has brought healing and comfort to those in dying need, and it continues to do so today. So important have been the powerful effects of music that it has evolved into a field of study called music therapy.
Music therapy is the use of music. At the simplest level, music has the power to soothe and calm, and to enhance or alter moods. There may be others who exploit the power of music for one purpose or another. But Music therapy benefits in relieving stress and improving relaxation are widely accepted, as is its value in the well being of children and the elderly. Hospitals are increasingly using music as a means of creating a peaceful atmosphere in which treatment can be carried out more easily and with greater.
Music therapists work with all age groups, from infants to the elderly, and can be found in a variety of settings, including private practice, schools, senior centers and nursing homes, outpatient clinics, psychiatric and medical hospitals, hospitals and in many offices too.
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Origin of Music Therapy:
Music must be as old as language: speech is basically musical, and rhythm and phrasing are even more fundamental to language than the meanings of the words themselves.
The idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato. It is known that the ancient Egyptians and Greeks thought highly of the curative powers of music - in Greece, Apollo was the god of both music and healing. While Pythagoras formulated the rules of harmonics and used them as the basis for a school of philosophy and medicine.
Similarly, musical cultures evolved in ancient civilizations such as those in China, Persia India and in Europe. It has long been used for self-expression and as a healing remedy, and there are numerous accounts of the healing properties of music in the Bible. The 20th century discipline began after World War I and World War II when community musicians of all types, both amateur and professional, went to Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars and notices physical and emotional responses to music.
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How Does Music Work?
Everyday of our life is under some pressures - be it home, family, work etc that combine to increase levels of tension, and stress. It is very difficult for one to find time to relax, where one spends more time working and less time on leisure activities. Music is a great antidote to the demands of life today - whether you play a favorite CD, attend concert recitals or play an instrument - the therapeutic benefits of music can calm even the most troubled.
- Encourage expression of feeling
- Provide emotional support
- Elevate mood
- Increase coping skills
- Provide distraction from pain
- Facilitate relaxation
- Boost immune function, helping the body fight illness and speed healing.
- Reduce muscle tension and improve physician coordination.
- Help disabled patients "repattern" repetitive movements after accidents and illnesses.
- Help women in labor use less medication during childbirth.
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Music is used to communicate. With its beat, melody, and lyrics, music is a kind of language in and of itself. Most people tend to experience a visceral reaction to music: a burst of energy upon hearing an upbeat song or a sense of calm during a soothing classical piece. Music therapy harnesses this connection between music and mood.
Scientific studies show that music can affect physiological functions, such as respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure, as well. Music has also been shown to lower amounts of the hormone cortisol, which becomes elevated under stress, and to increase the release of endorphins, the body's natural "feel-good" hormones. It can also help the mentally and physically disabled express themselves. Encourage introverted patients to become more outgoing and can be used to draw schizophrenic and autistic patients out of their isolated worlds. |
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Music and Health benefits:
Music therapy is an allied health profession in which music is used to address physical, psychological, cognitive and/or social functioning of individuals with disabilities. Music therapists involve their clients in music activities, both instrumental and vocal, which are designed to facilitate therapeutic goals. Music therapy goals are personalized in both individual and group sessions and serve to:
- Relieve stress and anxiety,
- Help treat depression,
- Increase communication skills,
- Facilitate learning and memory retention,
- Aid in cognitive strategies,
- Enhance fine motor skills,
- Provide an outlet for emotional expression of feelings,
- Improve social interaction skills,
- Build self-help skills,
- Increase relaxation skills,
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Studies have found that music therapy allows people with emotional problems to explore feelings, make positive changes in mood, practice problem solving, and resolve conflicts, effective at promoting relaxation, relieving anxiety, headaches, stress and treating depression. It can strengthen communication and physical coordination skills, and improve the physical and mental functioning of those with neurological or developmental disorders. Passive music is used in these cases, where the person simply listens to music. The vibration of different tones or pitches of sound, and exposure to it can help bring the tissues and organs of the body into harmony. It may also be valuable in the care of those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, stroke victims and other patients with neurological problems and physiological functions, such as respiration, heart rate and blood pressure,
The muscle movements in the patients become synchronized with the beat, that become more regular and efficient, their motor skills improve in turn. Entrainment can also induce a sedative, relaxing response if the music has a slow, steady rhythm. It can help the elderly and disabled to maintain healthy mind and body coordination and can affect the rhythm of breathing and heartbeat, and can alter blood pressure.
It has also been used to complement the treatment of AIDS, stroke, Parkinson's, and cancer. Those with learning disabilities and speech and hearing problems may also find music therapy helpful.
It also helps people to distract patients from negative thoughts, feelings, and experiences. In clinics and hospitals it helps to keep people's minds from dwelling on the pain of dental work, surgery, and labor.
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Treatment:
Music therapy work in many different settings and with many different kinds of patients, treatment programs and durations vary. The therapist will first talk to you about your symptoms and needs to assess your emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through your musical responses. Treatment program will then be designed, which will probably include playing music, listening, analyzing lyrics, composing songs, improvising, and/or using rhythmic movement.
During your regular sessions, the therapist may participate in these activities with you or simply guide you. Some music therapy is conducted in a group setting that usually last for at least once a week, each session lasting an hour or longer.
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The group who have the same ailment or condition as you will be encouraged to participate in playing musical instruments or singing. You can choose any kind of music, from classical or New Age to jazz or rock. It is not important if you are not musical - rhythmic shaking of a tambourine or beating a drum can be just as satisfying as playing a flute or viola and if one is not interested you can interact and relax with others as music plays in the background. |
How To Choose a Practitioner
Music therapists work in private practice, in institutional settings, and as part of treatment teams that can also include psychiatrists, psychologists, rehabilitation counselors, and primary-care practitioners.
Make sure your music therapist has completed an approved college music therapy curriculum, including an internship. The therapist should also have earned the designation of Music Therapist, from Board Certified of Music.
Try to find a qualified music therapist in your area, by enquiring your primary-care physician, or your friends who have visited a music therapist for a referral. Visit few therapists and make sure you interview them before making your selection; you should feel very comfortable with the therapist you choose.
Cautions
Music therapy is not for everyone. Some people become agitated by the therapy and some do not respond to it at all.
If you have a specific symptom that you'd like treated with music therapy, consult your primary-care physician first to rule out any serious underlying medical problems.
Tips:
Music therapy is ideal for self-help. You can enrich your life if you can spare the time to learn a musical instrument; or listen to special therapeutic tapes or choose music from your own collection that accurately reflects your current mood or the mood you want to experience. For instance, if you want to feel confident, listen to brisk, cheerful music; if you want to feel romantic, choose something soft and melodic. It is advised not to hear any sad music when you are depressed or sad, as this will worsen your moods. However, this technique is not just to alter your mood, but also an avenue to explore and examine a specific, usually adverse, frame of mind.
Conclusion:
Everything is born with a certain vibrational character and forms an interdependent web woven out of multi-dimensional mental impulse threads. Problems or diseases start encroaching upon our normal ease when there occurs a shift or change in our inherited vibration character. It is always advised to considered one of the "creative arts therapies" or "expressive therapies" which include art therapy, dance therapy, writing therapy, and drama therapy. Music therapy used alone or in conjunction with other therapies will help to soothe, calm, and to enhance or alter moods and treat certain ailments in children, adults and the elderly. |
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