STRESS RELIEF BY MUSIC THERAPY

Music can be used as a therapeutic tool to reduce stress, promote healing and improve one's overall emotional well-being. Application of music in modern medicine was popularized by Everett Thayer Gaston, (1901-1970) “Father of Music Therapy”. He was a clinical psychologist who promoted the music as Therapy. 

Research suggests that music can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety by providing a positive distraction from negative thoughts and emotions. Listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. 

Healthcare providers use music as therapy in many contexts, including at the bedside for people in hospitals. However, music therapy isn't the same as listening to music to help you relax. There are four main approaches to music therapy: receptive, re-creational, compositional, and improvisational. Each method focuses on a different way the client can get involved.  

Music can certainly be a powerful tool for calming and healing. Music Therapy may be helpful for people with depression and anxiety, and it may help improve the quality of life for people with physical health problems. Anyone can engage in music therapy; you don't need a background in music to experience its beneficial effects. 

Practicing music therapy activities include: 

• Writing and singing songs.  
• Playing a musical instrument. 
• Using musical devices and technology. 
• Listening to music (with and without visual imagery). 
• Exchanging information through music. 

Listening to music can also activate the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine and other feel-good chemicals that can improve mood and reduce stress. Research suggests that music can reduce stress and anxiety, improve mood, and enhance cognitive functions, such as memory and attention. Music therapy has been used to support people with mental health conditions, such as depression and dementia.

Music is effective for relaxation and stress management. It provides a total brain workout. Research confirms these personal experiences with music. Current findings indicate that music around 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronize with the beat causing alpha brainwaves (frequencies from 8 - 14 hertz or cycles per second).

If you listen to music you love, you'll quickly drown out your other thoughts. You can also use music to shift your mood. Since music is strongly tied to our memories, we can easily evoke memories of special times in our lives by playing music from that era. 

Studies have found that listening to music can help calm your nervous system and lower cortisol levels, both of which can help reduce stress. And the same goes for making music; research shows that creating can help release emotion, decrease anxiety and improve overall mental health. 

Listening to music at 432 Hz is a low cost and short intervention that can be a useful resource to manage anxiety and stress. Further studies are needed to assess medium and long-term effects of listening to music. 

You can use music therapy as self-care at home, on your own time. Set aside time to create a playlist of 5-10 songs which soothe you; songs that are easy to listen to, relaxing, peaceful, nostalgic, hopeful. Research has also shown that white and pink noise may help improve certain sleep problems. Brown noise may help with concentration and anxiety. 

• Pink Noise: Pink noise is a sound that contains all audible frequencies, but with more power in the lower frequencies. Pink noise is often described as sounding like a waterfall, steady rain, or rustling leaves. 
• White Noise: White noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. White noise acts like an audio blanket, masking disruptive sounds in the environment. A steady background sound helps our brain focus less on sudden, potentially disruptive noises. White noise can be especially beneficial for relaxation and sleep. 
• Brown Noise: In science, Brownian noise, also known as Brown noise or red noise, is the type of signal noise produced by Brownian motion, hence its alternative name of random walk noise. The term "Brown noise" does not come from the color, but after Robert Brown, who documented the erratic motion for multiple types of inanimate particles in water. People have even started using brown noise machines in their homes and offices to help reduce stress levels and improve focus. Improvising on songs and music pieces. 
• The term "red noise" comes from the "white noise"/"white light" analogy; red noise is strong in longer wavelengths, similar to the red end of the visible spectrum. The static-y sound neutralizes higher-pitched sounds and encourages relaxation and sleep. 

Noise that emphasizes low frequencies is also inherently relaxing to some people. That's because lower frequencies sound less harsh than white noise — think of a babbling brook or streaming waterfall rather than TV static.

« Previous        Next »