Mental Health Benefits of Music

Mental health is an incredibly important and often overlooked facet of health and wellbeing. As therapies for mental health issues are investigated and new treatments are developed, one factor that is often overlooked is the power of music. Music can have a major impact on mental health, from helping people to find solace and comfort to potentially even providing the type of cognitive and emotional stimulation that can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Music is thought to be an especially vital tool for emotional regulation and emotional expression. In particular, when we listen to certain types of music, we can experience feelings of connection and belonging or feelings of emotional catharsis. It is no surprise, then, that many people turn to music to express themselves and work through their emotions. However, music can also play an active role in regulating the emotions of someone struggling with mental health issues. This can involve purposefully picking out songs that make you happy, calm, and relaxed, or giving yourself permission to listen to whatever kind of music you are most comfortable with.

In addition to its power in regulating emotions, music can also play a role in more active forms of treatment. One form of therapy, called music therapy, uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Music therapists develop personalized programs of music instruction and performance to directly address the emotional or cognitive issues the patient is facing. For example, music therapy has been used to help adults and children struggling with anxiety, depression, and trauma.

It should also be noted that music can also have a powerful impact on people’s physical health. Studies have found that certain types of music – such as classical music – can reduce stress hormones, slow heart rate, and lower blood pressure. In addition, the rhythm of music can activate the body in a way that can help people manage chronic pain, improve balance, and even boost their immunity. Moreover, music can be used to create a positive environment in which people feel safe and supported, promoting physical and mental well-being.

Given the breadth of evidence showing the potential of music to support mental health, it is no surprise that a growing number of resources are now being developed for individuals looking for support in this area. From personal music therapy sessions to online resources and apps that use music to promote good mental health, there are a wealth of resources now available for anyone who is looking to take advantage of the power of music to support their mental health.

Ultimately, there is no single “right” way to use music to support mental health. Since everyone’s experiences and needs are different, it is important to experiment with different kinds of music and to find out which works best for you. However, with the right mix of music, it is possible to create a soundtrack of support that can positively impact your mental health.

Music therapy can be defined as the clinical use of music to fulfill individualized goals ranging from addiction treatment, stress management, self-expression, improving confidence level, etc.

It is important to mention that music therapy is evidence-based and is well recognized within the health industry. Generally, music therapy includes composing songs, singing, listening, or playing instruments.

Anyone who undergoes music therapy does not need to have the needed talents or skills because they can learn during their treatment program.  

With music therapy, individuals can provide the needed balance in their lives when it comes to their physical, psychological, emotional, social, and cognitive needs.

Benefits of music therapy

Reducing blood pressure

Participants in music therapy can use music to reduce their blood pressure. This is usually for those facing an undue amount of stress that made them develop high blood pressure. Under the proper guidance of music therapists, they can bring down their blood pressure.

Self-reflection

Music therapy is one of the perfect moments for the individual to undergo self-reflection. They can leverage this opportunity to understand more about themselves which would help them make the right decisions.

Increased motivation

When listening to the right music, you can get the motivation you’ve been looking for to achieve some of your goals. Music supplies positive energy and vibes that allows you to become resolute on the road to meeting your aspirations.

Improved social skills and communication

With music therapy, you can step up your social skills when you practice with other people in the rehab. You will notice that you will be able to properly communicate and articulate your feelings and emotions.

Improving memory

Another benefit that comes with music therapy is memory improvement. This means that you will easily remember things because of the inclusion of the music feature.

Apart from rehab, music therapy takes place in schools, outpatient clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, mental health centers, etc. Usually, music therapists work with Military service members and veterans, Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, victims of trauma and crisis, etc.

For several years, music therapy has been effective in helping people deal with substance use disorder and mental health problems.

According to the American Music Therapy Association, “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”

This suggests that music therapists can create a therapeutic alliance with patients who are receiving treatment for addiction. With this alliance, they can properly articulate their feelings, build connections, feel accomplished and achieve relaxation.

When an individual enters rehab for addiction treatment, the counselor creates a treatment plan based on their specific needs.

Not all treatment centers include music therapy in their treatment plan.

However, if you want music therapy, you can speak to the rehab, and they can provide this to aid your recovery.

When music therapy is in place, it can help the individual to deal with negative feelings and enhance self-growth.

During group sessions at the rehab, participants in music therapy can savor the delight that comes with being in a community.

They will learn new instruments, and songs and work together as a team. With time, the patients will feel a sense of belonging that would aid their recovery.

One of the vital components of music therapy is the part where individuals get to work on their self-esteem.

The participants in this program might need to learn a new instrument that can challenge their confidence level and self-esteem.

However, as they undergo proper guidance, they will learn the mastery of the instrument which will restore their confidence and make them feel more accomplished.

It is important to mention that this confidence can help individuals in other aspects of life like managing stress, making the right decisions, and handling cravings. Additionally, music therapy helps to enhance openness in different relationships.

After undergoing music therapy, the music therapist can help their patients understand their emotions better and communicate it the right way.

There is no one who does not love music. Although we might have our preferences, but the love for music unites everyone.

This is why it is necessary for us to have a list of songs that appeal to us, it would go a long way in connecting with our mental and psychological side. Knowing the kind of music you love would help you integrate it into your regular lifestyle.

If you are oblivious of the type of music that appeals to you and heals you, then it is best to see a music therapist.

One of the reasons why a music therapist comes in handy is because, he or she assists you in the evaluation and assessment of your taste. Visiting a music therapist comes with lots of benefits that you are unaware of.

Do you know that music aids some women in giving birth? According to research, music has been found to be therapeutic when women are in child delivery.

When they play their favorite genre of music, it relaxes their nerves and the pain they experience reduces.

The same also applies to patients who are experiencing great pain and are admitted within a medical facility.

Playing their favorite music assists them in pulling through and coping with the pain which could be severe at some points.

In addition to this, music provides great protection for the heart. During the course of working out, it would be beneficial to listen to your favorite music while you stretch your muscle.

Also, in the addiction process, music helps to facilitate recovery. The commonest form of recovery with music therapy is song writing.

Patients are also sometimes encouraged to write down their feelings in form of songs. With this, it becomes easy for the patient to be rid of needless views and thoughts-processes.  

With time, it is believed that the full benefits of music therapy would be harnessed and it would be utilized in aiding people to recover from addiction and attain full-time recovery.

The basic idea we have about music is, it affords us some form of entertainment. However, a good number of people are not aware that music can take a positive toll on your health.

If properly harnessed, the music you listen to can make you feel better. It can also have a positive effect on your thoughts and behaviors.

For some people, anytime they need motivation, they listen to music generally or they play their favorite song. This might seem to work like magic, but it is not. This effect is one of the most proficient effects that music comes with.

Music comes with great psychological effects that makes it one of the most powerful forces in the universe.

For people who have poor emotional health, music is a sure solution, as it aids people to effectively manage stress and improve their well-being alongside.

In treating mental disorders, it would amaze you to know that music comes in handy. For people who experience anxiety, depression and the likes.

Although, the effect might not come instantly, but as time goes on, people who have mental disorders will come to realize that they are getting better.

Also, music helps to improve your cognitive performance.

Based on studies, if you play music in the background and focus on other duties, your productivity tends to improve. So, for your mental performance to improve, you can switch on your music.

For your memory improvement, music also comes in handy.

Based on studies, students who love music perform better when they are studying and their favorite music is playing in the background. They assimilate better than before.

Music comes with a whole lot of benefits that we are not aware of. It would interest you to know that for people who want to lose weight, music is one of the best ways to go.

If you need treatment for a mental disorder and you opt for a rehab session, you might get exposed to the wonderful effects that music comes with.

Music can become your mental health’s best friend if you use it right. Mental health professionals have long understood the benefits of music to mental health. There are still a great many studies to be conducted in order to understand exactly how music heals mental health issues, but we know that music can greatly affect a person’s mood, heart rate, blood pressure and overall chemical balance. In order to understand how music can help your mental health, try experimenting with music in different arenas. Try the following to see what suits you best:

Listen to music while doing nothing else. Some people find that putting on headphones and closing their eyes while listening to music is their favorite way of taking it in. Focusing solely on the music and shutting out other stimulation can take you to a very deep, serene place within yourself. Try zeroing in on your favorite tunes to reach a state of Zen.

Listen to music while doing simple tasks. There are those who claim that music helps them the most when it is in the background to their mundane tasks. Doing chores and paying bills are tasks we grow very accustomed to and bored with, but if there is music playing in the background, it may be just the thing you need to convince your brain that you are doing something original.

Listen to music while executing a different creative task. Creative types tend to love working on their creative medium with music accompaniment. Whether it is drawing, painting, sewing, cooking or something other artistic medium, music can stimulate the creative faculties and inspire your own creative works immensely.

Write music. Never to be overlooked is the process of actually writing music. For those who choose music as their creative form of expression, the creative process can be highly rewarding. This outlet is not for everyone as music is selective in who it gifts with creative talent. But everyone should experiment with it to see what it can do for them.

Posted on July 10, 2015

Music is one of the oldest and most universal traditions that humanity holds. Every culture, both ancient and modern, has developed and experimented with different forms of music. Music has played a part in ceremonies, celebrations, meditations and other events throughout our documented human history, but only recently have we had the equipment with which to study exactly what effect music has on people. Incredibly, music does more for us than anyone previously realized, both physically and mentally.

Because music is intangible, we have long suspected its mental benefits, even before we could study them. Modern science can now monitor brain activity and interpret brain signals into images on a screen, and like our intuition would indicate, we have observed proof that music has the ability to improve our mental state. Music consumption and creation engages our brains in ways that no other activity does. Listening to music inspires our creativity, sharpens our focus, increases our relaxation and empowers our self expression, as well as many other benefits.

The mental health benefits of music are vast, but something that comes as a bit more of a surprise is the fact that music also aids in our physical health. The connection between physical health and music is harder to detect scientifically, but studies still indicate that music has the ability to effect physical health over time. Playing music has been connected to reducing the pressure of headaches and migraines. Because of its calming effect, music can lower blood pressure. Music is even capable of reducing pain symptoms and boosting the immune system. If you are struggling with mental hardships or physical discomfort, it is wise to increase the music consumption in your life for its health benefits. Not all therapies are cognitive or analytical. Simply absorbing music can give you the peace of mind that you are craving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fhs8etoMcY

Posted on July 10, 2015

It is arguable that music would not exist without people and inspiration. This is subjective, of course, because one could also argue that music exists everywhere in nature. However, humans organize music at a much higher level than the rest of nature and use it as a form of intellectual creative expression. People’s relationship with music is as old as time itself. There is no documented time in which people discovered music; it has simply always been a part of humanity. Music is as old as cave drawings and long lost societies. This reveals that people and music are intrinsically connected and are ever affecting one another.

It is common knowledge that music affects people. Music has been put to many practical mental and physical health uses. It inspires dance, art and masterful levels of musicianship that serve as people’s vocations and passions. It has long been said that music is the language of emotions, which is why music is good for people. Music expresses what words cannot. When a feeling is so powerful or overwhelming that words cannot suit it, music takes their place. Music can be something that people create or receive. Either use is powerful and impacting. Music aids in resolving mental health issues and is even proven to aid in the recovery of the physical body.

Equally true is that people affect music. Assuming that music could exist outside of humanity, people have taken music through an evolution of epic proportions. Music has gone from basic percussion, wind and string instrumentation in ancient times, to choral and symphonic groups that perform masterpieces, to the present music industry, which has become its own animal. Music as we know it has always been a product of human experimentation and expression, and over the course of humanity it has changed in resemblance a great deal. It is hard to imagine what kind of music awaits humanity in the future. There is no saying which way an art form will evolve. It is a product of too many mysterious factors to predict.

Posted on July 10, 2015

The idea that music has healing abilities is not a recent one. We have long known how music can soothe an agitated person or a send a baby off to sleep. Mental health professionals have discovered that music has enormous benefits to people’s mental and physical health. They have also noted that our need for music is very organic, much like how we need the vitamins that naturally occurring substances provide. Music is quite literally a medicine to us, physically and mentally. Some of the specific benefits we derive from music are as follows:

• Calm. Music has a calming effect on us because it is purely sensory and requires no mental organization to listen to. The mind takes pleasure from music because it does not have to do any work to experience it. The mind rests while it receives music.
• Clarity. Music is capable of opening up the mind and allowing a free flow of thoughts. It can affect the mind in a way that makes it highly productive and able to resolve challenges and piece many elements of life together in a logical way.
• Stimulation. Music is able to give people an appetite for creativity, fresh ideas, new experiences and other stimulating ventures. It gets a great many mental and even physical processes moving and flowing.
• Inspiration. The way that music inspires people is very unique. It has been found that playing music uses more of the human brain than any other endeavor that people go about. There is something about music that serves as our most perfect form of creative expression, and the inspiration we get from listening to it and creating it is overwhelming.
• Lowered blood pressure. One of the physical benefits of music is lowered blood pressure. This goes hand in hand with the calming effect it has on people. Music help keeps your blood pressure regular and at a healthy rate.
• Steady heart rate. Studies have shown that our heart rates actually fall in sync with the beat of the music we are listening to. Calming music is able to slow our heart rates down to a healthy, steady pace.

Posted on July 10, 2015

Treating cases of addiction and mental disorder is tricky business, but not all of it involves cognitive work on the self. Some therapies for addictions and disorders are merely sensory, such as music therapy. Applying the healing powers of music to addictions and mental disorders has proven to be a highly effective and accessible treatment option. Music has shown to relax, invigorate and balance people who are struggling with mental problems, alleviating a number of their symptoms. Music alone is not a fix for addictions and disorders, but it can be a strong component in recovery.

The process of listening to music is highly rewarding without being at all strenuous. Addicts and people with disorders are often given soothing music to listen to in treatment to help calm them and act as a therapeutic activity. Listening to music is a very sensory experience that offers the receiver a great deal of reward. They are free to let their imaginations wander, let their minds piece together a solution they have been grappling with, express emotion through tears or singing along, analyze the music to understand how it works or use it to enhance another activity.

For those addicts and people with mental disorders who are musicians themselves (which is not uncommon among musicians), the opportunity to write music is also readily available. Musicians who are struggling with addiction or disorder can greatly enhance their recovery by turning to their creative expression of choice to process what they are going through. Mental struggles have frequently spawned some of the best songs ever written because music can express what words cannot about a heavy mental struggle. Turning the devastation of addiction and disorder into a musical creation is one of the best ways to channel the energy that is generated by the mental struggle. Those who suffer from a co-occurring disorder of an addiction a mental disorder would benefit most from a dual diagnosis rehabilitation, but supplementing treatment with music therapy is always recommended.

There are many methods of enjoying the benefits of music. Whether you are receiving music or creating music, you will certainly discover mental benefits of it. If you are struggling with addiction or a mental disorder, it is important that you reach out to mental health professionals for treatment, but do not neglect the healing powers of music in your journey of recovery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUCq6Z-ydHQ