THE HEALING POWER OF MUSIC

 

                                                        

Recently I’ve seen this picture in the Internet and it made me ponder about the role that music has in our lives. Does music really have a healing, therapeutic power?

Have you ever experienced that moment when you’re sad and all you want to do is listening to sad music? That’s because music allows us to express our emotions: when we’re happy, when we’re sad or stressed, there’s always a suitable song that matches exactly what we’re feeling. This makes us feel relieved, understood, like someone else has our own same feelings and has gone through the same moments. Songs can really make us feel less lonely.

 

It’s called music therapy and studies are being carried out to find out and understand the science behind it.

It’s basically the use of music as a therapy that leans on the emotional power of music. In this way, music is used with a therapeutic and healing aim.

Music therapy is however a smaller set contained in a bigger one, called art therapy, which is when art is used to express or elaborate thoughts and feelings without words.

 

How does music therapy work?

 

According to a study of the American College of Cardiology, just 30 minutes a day of listening to music are enough to provide obvious benefits in people: it lowers the levels of pain and anxiety in patients who  survived heart attacks. It also slows heart rate, decreases blood pressure and can even cure depression.

 

If you don’t believe it, think about this: why do we sing to babies when they cry? Because music has a calming effect on people, especially on babies.

 

Julie Guy is a researcher from The Music Therapy Center of California. She pointed out that music operates in three areas of the brain: cognition, speech, motor skills.

 

She stated that music is a great ally of memory: when it comes to speech, it can be easier to remember numerical progressions if you sing them and you may also never forget them! This is because music uses several areas of the brain at the same time and your brain preserves that information for a long time.

 

Guy also found out that rhythm can help a person with Parkinson’s. She said: “They may walk without music but they craw and drag their feet. Instead with rhythm and training, they can improve their walking skills”.

Other studies done on children with ADHD have revealed that, those who listened to music, observed a calming effect and more concentration in what they were doing.

You may have also noticed that restaurants use music as a hidden way to encourage people to eat faster and get another course. Noisy environments, instead, can increase stress and tension.

 

Music has infinite resources: it doesn’t stop at entertainment, but it also has the power of healing body and soul. When words are not enough, put your headphones on.

Maria, 4scB