what do people do in music therapy ? | Health Grow

Today, we’re going over the hidden art of music therapy. Even more importantly, we want to show you what is music therapy and what do people do in music therapy ? If you have never heard of music Therapy, its alright. Its one of the lesser known methods of treatments, but is perhaps the MOST versatile methods of treatment out there and is used to treat MANY different kinds of illnesses. Also, make sure you read this full article until the end where we debunk the top 3 misconceptions that people have about music therapy. 

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is a VERY interesting form of therapy and one which most people have no idea even exists. With new scientific research coming out everyday, it has become more and more clear why music therapy is going to be HUGE in the future. And just before we jump to any conclusions, let us make it clear, NO, music therapy is not where you listen to drake to get your heart rate pumping. In fact, the art of music therapy is one which is VERY delicate. This is why, it can only be done by a professional and licensed music therapist, to help the patient reach their healthcare goal successfully. Music therapy is not only about listening to music, but for different patients, clients and their health care goals it could mean a range of different things. These include: listening to music, composing your own music or even re composing music that was created by other artists.

What Say research about Music Therapy ?

According to research, music therapy has a VERY high success rate when it comes to treating patients with dementia or Parkinson’s in particular. Music therapy when done on dementia patients helps to not only get RID of their agitations, but can also help to restore distant parts of their memory. In order to do this, the patient is taken into a relaxed environment. Then, a song which holds GREAT meaning to the patient is chosen. This song could be anything the patient connects with, for example: his family, childhood, or life events, meaning that the song holds nostalgic meaning for the patient. You will agree with this strategy as well, for example, when you listen to a song that perhaps was your go to song as a child, it INSTANTLY floods your mind with nostalgic thoughts, and takes you back into your childhood. Right? So, the same principle is also used when choosing a song for the patient. 

Because remember, the main goal here is to get the patient to reconnect with their life memories, whether they be of school, friends, family, childhood or ANY life event for that matter. Well hears a fun fact for you, specific memories can be evoked in your mind by having you listen to particular music that was connected to you at specific parts of your life. This is because, music essentially FOLLOWS us throughout our life and evolves as we age. This is why, a song that will take you back to your childhood for example: will be different to a song that can be used to get you thinking about your high school friends. So, once a song is chosen, which is usually done by family members or those closely related to the patient and who are aware of the patient’s music choices and its connection to their life. Then, under the guidance of music therapist that pre composed song is sung or played. 

Key of Therapy:

You must remember, that a KEY part of this therapy is getting the patient to engage and participate. This is also why the patient may be asked to sing along. In order to make this easier, usually the whole family will be asked to participate and sing along with the patient. After several therapy sessions and use of certain strategies the dementia patient may begin to recover certain parts of their memory as evoked by the song relating to a particular time in their life. It’s worth noting, that even though the song or music being played may be a important part of music therapy process. But, the presence of a experienced and a sharp music therapist is EQUALLY as important. This is because, a music therapist not only designs the music session for individuals or groups, but is also VERY much involved in always checking on the well being of the patient and how they are responding to their music therapy. 

what is a music therapist?

Then, based on the assessment a music therapist makes, it will all play a big role in whether or not the patient is able to recover and how fast they recover. So, in simple terms, what is a music therapist? Well, a music therapist is a special type of “doctor”, who must GUIDE individuals with certain illnesses through а  number  оf  асtivities  suсh  аs:  listening  tо  melоdies,  рlаying  аn  instrument,  drumming,  writing  sоngs,  аnd  guided  imаgery. If you are a music therapist. We would love to realize your experience with track therapy, and any secrets and techniques we should recognise in the remarks underneath. Well, we know what you may be thinking. I don’t see what other illnesses can be treated with music therapy besides revoking and bringing back memories. But the truth is that music therapy is versatile. And it can be used to treat MANY different illnesses. 

Types of music therapy?

So hears a big list of things music therapy can treat. These include: communication, social skills,depression, anxiety, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, self expression, building up your self esteem, evoking memories and just increasing the general quality of your life. Yes! That IS quite a lot. And with new scientific research coming out each new day we are just beginning to scratch the surface as to what music therapy can bring to the healthcare table. 

Misconceptions about music Therapy:

As promised, here are quick top 3 misconceptions about music therapy debunked.

 Starting of at number 1: Music therapy is only done in hospitals. As a matter of fact, music therapy can be found anywhere, like: private homes, care centers and even schools. 

Misconception Number 2: Its easy to become a music therapist. As we mentioned, music therapist is kind of a doctor and just like a doctor, they need to pass hard exams, internships and get special degrees before they can be licensed as a music therapist. And finally.

Misconception number 3: Music therapy is all about listening to music. Even though listening to music is part of music therapy, but as we mentioned it’s just one of many strategies used. Because, there are also many other strategies used as part of music therapy, such as: playing instruments, recording music, dancing and even composing your own music. 

So, in summary: Music therapy can only be done under strict guidance of a music Therapist to achieve the health care goals of different patients. Through this SPECIAL music intervention, patients suffering from any self disorder or memory loss can HAPPILY regain control back over their life. Also, the success of music therapy is very much based on the music therapist itself and how they deal with the patient. Even more importantly, research like the 2000 Parkinson’s study have proved time and time again that music therapy can SIGNIFICANTLY improve patients with long term disabilities, both mentally and physically. And there you have it, what is music therapy, how does it work and why in the world didn’t I know about it earlier. 

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