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Andrew Lytle

Mrs. Kitamura

English 1010

30 November 2022

Music Therapy

People listen to it in the gym, in a coffee shop, at the store, on the bus, in their cars, at

school, at work, etc. It's in movies, television shows, documentaries, video games, and even

social media. It sets moods and adds definition to moments, stories, and life. Music is

everywhere.

The way that people interpret music can vary from person to person. For some people,

music is just background noise, which is heard but not acknowledged. Others listen to music

religiously, using it as something that helps them get through their lives. People use music as

a tool to focus on a specific task at hand or even use it to fill the silence that they might find

awkward. Music is so diverse it can be used as an escape from reality or even a deterrent

against bad thoughts or emotions.

The number of adults and young adults in America who experience mental illnesses

such as depression, stress, and anxiety, is becoming a more surface-level issue. There has

been a rapid increase in people who commit suicide due to these outstanding mental illnesses.

For some people, commonly practiced therapies, such as psychotherapy, aren’t exactly what

they need or what works best. Everybody is different, and some people tend to benefit from

new and innovative therapies more than baseline therapies.

There have been many “new” types of therapies created, but they aren't always

considered viable forms of therapy. Yet one alternative therapy has people and psychologists

torn on whether or not it has therapeutic benefits. Music Therapy, or MT for short, is where
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patients listen, experience, and interact with music in different ways to help combat whatever

mental illness they may be experiencing.

MT is used clinically, or daily, depending on who needs it. For some people listening

to music is a great way to calm their nerves, relieve stress, help anxiety, and more. For others

listening to music can help with schizophrenia, PTSD, depression, and many extremely

serious clinical illnesses. The question is, can music be used as a therapeutic tool? Is music

therapy a viable alternative therapy to things such as psychotherapy, counseling, or any

commonly practiced therapy? This paper will review literature to help gain an understanding

of why music therapy is such a controversial form of therapy. There are many elements

regarding music therapy; the major concerns that will be examined are mental illnesses

among Americans, using music as therapy, and discussions.

Mental Illnesses

Mental illnesses are becoming a more well know issue in America. The amount of

people living in the United States who develop these mental illnesses is increasing. Illnesses

like depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia, and many more tend to be affecting lots of

people. Mental illnesses can vary in severity. They can be something as small as some

anxiety that a teen experiences from being in a crowded place to a clinically depressed adult

who is in the hospital due to a suicide attempt.

In the review, “Does Music Therapy Improve Mental Health in Adults? A Review”,

written by Jungup Lee, an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore, and

Bruce Thyer a distinguished research professor with a Ph.D. from the University of

Michigan, they state that “Approximately 26.2% of Americans ages 18 years and older suffer

from a mental disorder in a given year, which is about 57.7 million persons”. This is just for

people who are 18 or older. This doesn't include teens younger than 18 who could have
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depression, anxiety, or even PTSD. That just goes to show the mass amount of individuals

that combat mental disorders.

There is also the consideration of substance abuse on top of mental illnesses. “Mental

and substance use disorders have been identified as “the leading cause of disability globally”

(Whiteford et al., 2016, n.p.)” states Tasha Golden et al. in their review titled, “The Use of

Music in the Treatment and Management of Serious Mental Illness: A Global Scoping

Review of the Literature”. Claiming that these conditions can affect “one in every three to

five individuals throughout their lives” (Golden et al.).

To add onto that, in the meta-analysis, “Dose-response relationship in music therapy

for people with serious mental disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis”, done by

Christian Gold et al., they state that in an international mental health survey, serious mental

health disorders were prevalent between “0.4% in Nigeria and 7.7% in the United States”.

The seriousness of said mental health disorders was defined by specific states. Most of the

considered health disorders contained things such as “psychosis or suicidal behavior, a low

level of functioning or a severe global impression, or by chronicity and treatment resistance”

(Gold et al.).

Although even as health experts and psychologists were seeing the rise and effects of

these mental illnesses, there was an issue that individuals that required help with their

disorders tended to not get as much care as people with clinical diseases. The evidence that

Golden et al. use shows that, “the majority of people with mental disorders do not receive

specialized services”. The global resources provided for mental disorders were found to be,

“substantially lower than for other chronic health conditions.” (Golden et al.).

Because of the immense amount of mental disorders developing among Americans,

innovative forms of therapy began developing. Psychologists worked to find better ways than

clinical therapy to help patients struggling with mental health disorders. Complimentary and
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Alternative Therapies, or CATs, were created in hopes of being a better form of therapy that

would better suit the mental illnesses that patients were going through. “Some persons with

mental disorders are less likely to be satisfied with the results of conventional therapy” (Lee

and Thyer). Music therapy is one of the CATs used in addition to standard care that brought

out surprising results.

Music as Therapy

Music is seemingly everywhere. It has been around for centuries and has adapted into

something that many people include in their day-to-day lives. There are a vast majority of

tones, chords, and melodies that people can listen to. Individuals can interpret music in a

really personal manner, being able to picture memories or people through the audio they are

hearing. For others, it can even be emotional and lead to them generating strong feelings

toward a song. The way that music is interpreted is dependent on the person listening, which

makes it such a unique art medium.

Although music can be used for a lot more than just for personal enjoyment.

Psychologists and healthcare workers that have been working on new methods of therapy

have discovered that music can really help people with mental disorders. They have found

that music therapy can have many different forms and be adaptable to every person. This

really brings therapy to a more personal and fun level for patients, compared to clinical

therapy.

In the article, “The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health”, Molly Warren, a

music therapist with a Master’s Degree in Music Therapy who works at a psychiatric facility,

states that there are four significant interventions that she notices when working with

patients: lyric analysis, improvisation music playing, active music listening, and songwriting.

A lyrical analysis is considered a less threatening approach in comparison to talking therapy.

Talk therapy is when the patient discusses their thoughts, feelings, and emotions with a
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therapist. Whereas lyrical analysis allows patients to apply themes from songs to obstacles in

their lives.

Playing instruments or making noise can encourage a person to express emotions

through music. Warren states that a group of patients can create what she calls a “storm”.

“The group can note areas of escalation and de-escalation in the improvisation, and the group

can correlate the “highs and lows” of the storm to particular feelings they may have”

(Warren). Basically allowing patients to communicate and socialize through noises instead of

verbally.

Active music listening is crucial because music can help regulate a person's mood.

Warren tells us that because music is rhythmic and repetitive, “music engages the neocortex

of our brain, which calms us and reduces impulsivity”. On the other hand, while there are

many benefits to listening to music, “it can potentially keep us stuck in a depressive, angry or

anxious state” (Warren). In order for this method of music therapy to be effective, a music

therapist such as Warren must play music to match the current mood of the patient and then

work with them to slowly shift their mood into a more positive and calm one.

The greatest method of music therapy is songwriting. Songwriting allows expression

in a more positive way. Anyone can write lyrics that may regard certain moments in their

lives, or even thoughts and experiences. Warren states that this can help a person build

“self-worth”, by creating one of the most important aspects of a song. She also states that

songwriting can also inflict a sense of pride, as patients listen to the song they have created.

“Main techniques in MT include free and structured improvisation, songs, and

listening to music” (Lee and Thyer). Warren claims that even though patients have not been

in the best mental state when going to her for help, “music provided them with the

opportunity for expression and for experiencing safety, peace, and comfort”. Discussing a

particular patient that Warren worked with she states, “Music provided him with the structure
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and opportunity to process in an engaging way”, and was a healthier therapeutic method than

baseline treatments.

Similarly Lavina Rebecchini, an Italian Psychologist and author of, “Music, Mental

Health, and Immunity”, states that “scientific research has shown that it can influence

physiological processes that enhance physical and mental wellbeing”. Music therapy studies

have shown mass amounts of positive results regarding the outcomes of music therapy.

Patients that need help with their mental disorders can use music as an added-on tool to help

with whatever they may be dealing with. “Mental and physical illnesses can be costly in

terms of medications and psychological care, and music can offer a less expansive addition to

an individual's treatment regiment” (Rebecchini).

There are many studies done on music therapy, most of which show the health

benefits for mental health conditions such as depression, trauma, and schizophrenia for

example, but what else does music therapy do? “[M]usic therapy may be effective in an area

of outcome in which psychopharmacological treatments show limited success” (Gold et al.).

Music therapy can be effective in helping flat and blunting effects, poor social relationships,

and those who have low motivation among other people. People that are antisocial and feel

uncomfortable in public places may listen to music in order to provide comfort, or distraction

from a stressful situation. Music doesn't just only help people with severe mental health

disorders but it can be a tool that someone can use to feel comfortable around people.

Discussions

Is music therapy a viable source of therapy? Does music therapy help people with

mental disorders more than baseline therapy? Well, in the article, “Can music improve our

health and quality of life?”, written by Lorrie Kubicek, a board-certified music therapist at

Massachusetts General Hospital, she states that music therapy has helped patients going

through treatments for severe diseases. Music therapy was said to aid in “decreasing pain
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perception during cancer or medical treatments” (Kubicek). It was able to improve mood,

motivation, and expression of feelings compared to the therapies that they were undergoing.

Music therapy was used as a more positive form of therapy that provided patients with more

positive emotions and outcomes.

“Music therapy interventions involve a therapeutic process developed between the

patient (or client) and therapist through the use of personally tailored music experiences (de

Witte et al., 2019)” (Rebecchini). This distinguishes music therapy from other interventions

offered typically by medical or healthcare professionals. Music therapy can be used in a more

diverse or even group setting, adding a wide range of voices and music styles to collaborate

with one another so that patients can have more connections with people other than

therapists.

More so, patients tend to have more personal connections with their music therapists

than conventional therapists. For example, Warren states, “I was notified that a child refused

to continue meeting with his usual therapist. Even though he was initially hesitant to meet

with me, he soon became excited about our music therapy sessions”. She mentions how the

child's conventional therapist began going to their music therapy sessions to build a healthier

relationship. Since music therapy is increasingly being used as a CAT for clients with mental

illnesses, “there is a need for a review of high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of MT”

(Lee and Thyer). Much research has been done but many studies conclude that music therapy

is considered a valid form of therapy.

Conclusion

Music is everywhere and it impacts and affects every person in a different way.

People can listen to music anywhere they go, whether it is for personal enjoyment or for

something much greater. When music was used in a therapeutic manner, it was found to be an
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effective alternative method of therapy in comparison to baseline therapies such as talk

therapy, or even psychotherapy.

A big issue discussed in all of the pieces of literature is whether or not music therapy

is useful, viable, or even a logical form of therapy. The literature indicates that there are many

aspects of this conversation that need to be taken into account in order to understand the

grand scheme of everything. Some of those topics are mental illnesses affecting Americans,

how music is a form of therapy, and the greater discussions had regarding music therapy as a

valuable CAT. The larger questions asked were, can music be used as a therapeutic tool, and

is music therapy a viable CAT to things such as psychotherapy, counseling, or any commonly

practiced therapy? People all across America struggle with mental illnesses, and music

therapy is probably one of, if not, the most effective and used alternative therapy out there.

Many Americans need help with their mental illnesses and CATs such as MT are useful in

providing a healthy and positive therapy experience.

Further Inquiry

What hasn’t been discussed in the literature as much as I would’ve liked to see, was

more examples of patients that have undergone extensive music therapy. I feel like as

someone who is a music fanatic, to expand my understanding, I would’ve liked to learn about

what music therapy does for people that are ill mentally or physically on a more personal

level. For example, I would’ve liked to be provided with conversations, or even more visual

examples of music therapy sessions to expand my understanding.

I also think that it would be very interesting and really cool to provide even more

information on music therapy being more of an additional therapy on top of clinical therapies.

Like it was mentioned in the review, music therapy wasn’t always the only therapy being

used. It was sometimes used as the more positive side of therapy sessions. Furthermore, more

descriptions of what genres of music would work best out of all of them, or what chords and
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melodies provided the strongest reactions would’ve been good to include aswell. A deeper

dive into the nitty gritty details of how the songs, rhythms, and notes inflict emotions or

feelings on people is essential for a fuller understanding of MT.

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Works Cited

Lee, Jungup, and Bruce Thyer. Does Music Therapy Improve Mental Health in Adults?

A Review - Researchgate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274385051_Does_Music_Therapy_Im

prove_Mental_Health_in_Adults_A_Review.

Golden, Tasha L., et al. “The Use of Music in the Treatment and Management of

Serious Mental Illness: A Global Scoping Review of the Literature.” Frontiers,

Frontiers, 1 Mar. 2021,

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.649840/full.

Gold, Christian, et al. “Dose–Response Relationship in Music Therapy for People with

Serious Mental Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Clinical

Psychology Review, Pergamon, 22 Jan. 2009,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735809000026.

Warren, Molly. “The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health.” NAMI,

https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Impact-of-Music

-Therapy-on-Mental-Health.

Rebecchini, Lavinia. “Music, Mental Health, and Immunity.” Brain, Behavior, &

Immunity - Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 21 Oct. 2021,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8566759/.

Kubicek, Lorrie. “Can Music Improve Our Health and Quality of Life?” Harvard

Health, 25 July 2022,

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-music-improve-our-health-and-quality

-of-life-202207252786