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October 23, 2005
Music Therapy
When I was in massage school, one of the students had experienced a massage by an outside therapist who had bought a new set of music CDs. The CDs claimed to be music therapy. The student became upset because they got emotional during the session and blamed the CDs for bringing on an unwanted emotional response. Upon reporting this to the class, one of the instructors commented that they thought any music could be considered therapeutic.
The American Music Therapy Association explains music therapy as a method of achieving individual goals through the use of musical intervention. Those goals could range from learning to deal with the stress of midterm exams, to learning to interact socially, to fighting off the urge to drink.
It may not be the most traditional way of intervening in an addict's life. But the therapy--whether it involves listening to music, writing lyrics or playing songs--can help addicts sort through the emotions that propel their abuse. Borling said substance abusers often are very cut off from their emotions. "Music becomes a safe container through which emotional recovery happens," Borling said. "We give ourselves permission to have fun again, and everyone can have a lot of fun in a musical environment."
The elderly also are often the recipients of music therapy services. In nursing homes and with hospice patients, the therapy can help increase or maintain physical, mental and social functioning. It's also used to help with pain management.
Posted by linda at October 23, 2005 12:30 PM
