Illustration courtesy of Kristen Cawog // @kristencawog

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” – Plato

Since the dawn of time, art has helped us deal, heal, and conceal our emotions. With a generation so desperate for therapy and self-rehabilitation, people look towards different art forms, especially music, to help them escape from their hardships. In such a polarized society, resorting to music therapy - preferably with some softly lit candles - helps us ease our minds with all the stressors piling upon us. With a return to the social-exhaustion after months of “self-care” isolation, compiled with professors adding a massive workload and simultaneously telling us to take the semester easy… a little music goes a long way.

However, some people are skeptical of music’s healing powers or simply want a reason to believe why it works. Music therapy works with expressive arts, using music to improve and aid the physical, emotional, neurological, and social wellbeing of individuals. Examples of this range from singing alone to dancing, meditating, and playing an instrument.

Throughout history, this form of therapy has proven to help with sensory impairments. First iterations of this date back as far as 6th century BC when the God Apollo was said to be considered both the god of medicine and music. After this, Greek philosophers suggested listening to music such as dulcimer music to recover from depression and calming flute music to soothe manic patients. In addition, they predicted that learning musical instruments would enhance an individual's ability to become a better educated and skilled citizen with enhanced cognition skills. More recently, we can find scientific evidence that proves the way music benefits the body.

Have you ever wondered why when you’re depressed you listen to sad music that only enhances the way you feel as you sit and rebel in your own sadness? Well, there’s scientific proof on how music evokes or enhances certain emotions.

Through hyper scanning the brain, neurologists have been able to deduce that music has the ability to activate different parts of the brain at the same time. The patient’s brain responses are observed while different genres of music are playing to understand their receptors and which genres benefit specific emotions. There are five main domains: rewards, motivation and pleasure, stress and arousal, immunity, and social affiliation. These domains parallel several neurochemical systems such as; dopamine, opioids, serotonin, endorphins, and cortisol. Music releases endorphins into the bloodstream to improve the emotional state and is a pain blocker - acting as musical morphine. The feel-good chemical, also known as Dopamine, releases while listening to music in the same way it’s triggered when we eat or sleep, by increasing pleasure receptors. Lowered levels of cortisol are seen whilst listening to calm music, easing the anxiety and stress of a patient. These chemical reactions display our body’s way of responding to music; it even has the power to control our heart rate given the tempo and the beat of the song.

Just like every other art form, music is a mode of communication between the audience and the artist. In this situation, however, music therapy sessions are conducted the same way other forms of therapy are; one-on-one interaction or group therapy. Music interaction helps provide a non-verbal chance for patients to communicate their emotions on a deeper level. Depending on the methods being used, a specially trained practitioner employs music healing in different forms on the patient or assists the patient as they endure the process. A session may involve lying down while listening to healing sounds from instruments, having vibrations applied to or around the body with a special tool such as a tuning fork or Buddist singing bowl, or the patient may be encouraged to sing, dance, or move to the music.

The only limitation of this form of therapy is that it may not treat deep-seated issues that can only be induced medically, meaning that it shouldn’t be used as a stand-alone method of treatment in such situations. That said, there’s little to no risk involved in music therapy because it can easily be integrated or is already a part of people’s lives, so what’s the harm in giving it a try?

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