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Final Draft of IIR - Yaslene Camilo
Final Draft of IIR - Yaslene Camilo
Introduction
Music therapy is a common type of therapy that is used to help people although many
aren’t aware of it. This source of therapy uses music that helps people accomplish a goal like
reducing stress or physical pain. This is based upon the engagement of musical activities that can
help improve cognitive function or reduce anxiety and the struggle of depression. This topic has
been researched by many people who seem to believe music therapy has benefited many people
but in different ways. According to the Cleveland Clinic, music therapy has benefitted different
aspects of a person's life. This form of treatment is used to manage a range of conditions on any
age group ranging from children to adults. Music therapy can be beneficial for people with
physical and mental disability, cancer or cardiac patients and kids with special education
disability.
Music therapy is well known to work better for people with mental and physical
disabilities. This has shown to have worked to help people with anxiety and people struggling
with depression. This form of therapy has been known to help people who are trying to reduce
anxiety or depression. According to the Cochrane Library, they found that music therapy with
treatment is more effective than treatment alone because it reduced symptoms of depression and
anxiety. This also helps improve functions such as maintaining a job and relationships with
people. “Music therapy for depression is likely to be effective for people in decreasing symptoms
of depression and anxiety. Music therapy also helps people to function in their everyday life”
(Maratos, 2003). Music therapy can help people with physical conditions. People with physical
disabilities use music therapy to either help with muscle movement or communication skills.
“Music therapy is utilized as a way to develop muscle function that can improve fine motor
control, range of motion and can help enhance respiratory and cardiopulmonary function.”
(author, 2023). Other major benefits are helping peoples wellness, managing stress, reducing
pain tolerance, and can improve your memory. Some of the benefits a Cleveland Clinic said
about music therapy is that this can help better their communication skills, reduce your pain
Even though people who struggle with physical and mental disabilities benefit from
music therapy, people who are struggling with health issues. Cancer and Cardiac patients prefer
music therapy rather than other forms of therapy because they are able to relax while going
through surgery and radiation. A study on women with breast cancer found out that music
therapy has had the better outcome to help them. In the article, Expectations of hospitalized
cancer and cardiac patients regarding the medical and psychotherapeutic benefits of music
therapy, they mostly focus on the study and effect that music therapy has on women with breast
cancer and on patients with cardiac problems. The effect that music therapy has had on cancer
patients with different diagnoses have been shown to reveal many benefits.“Cancer patients
struggle cognitively with whether they should hang on or let go while seeking some kind of
transcen-dence;” (Bruscia, 2009). They Are more willing to engage or interact more with others
in music therapy if they are allowed to listen or hear music before speaking on their preferred
music types. But this does not only relate to women with breast cancer but also cardiac patients
have found that it also helps them. Cardiac patients have found that music therapy has helped
with relieving stress, pain and helping with their emotions. “cardiac patients struggle emotionally
with depression,”(Bruscia, 2009). Cardiac patients have been known to fall into depression
because of what they have or are going through. Throughout the research they found that there
were major benefits to this. Some benefits were that it relieves stress or anxiety, they had
emotional support and comfort, and enjoyed music and life to the fullest.
People who are using music therapy because it benefited them while battling through
cardiac problems or breast cancer. Kids with special disabilities like autism prefer music therapy
because they benefit from this greatly to better themselves. Kids that have autism believe that
music therapy helps them better because it helps people who are autistic improve in many skills.
“Music therapy for autism can help improve an individual's skills in social interaction, verbal
communication, initiating behavior, and reducing anxiety”(author, year). They suffer with these
problems for a long time and only some can get the help they need with music therapy.
"Reported benefits included, but were not limited to increased [neurotypical] social behavior;
comprehension; increased communication and social skills; enhanced body awareness and
coordination; improved self-care skills; and reduced anxiety." This can benefit them in more
ways than others because they can get better at communicating with people in the word and are
less likely to get nervous. Kids who also have developmental disabilities prefer music therapy
because it can help them in many ways that are beneficial. Music therapy might respond to music
and build up functions in the body that aren't helping or working.“Music can help BUILD up the
areas of the brain that are not functioning to their full capabilities. Music can even help build
new centers in the brain to process input such as speech.” ( author, year). Music can really help
those kids who need access for kids who have special disabilities.
Solutions
Though music therapy is known to some people, not everybody knows about it or has
access to this type of therapy. The solutions to making music therapy more accessible for people
with many types of mental or physical disabilities would better help benefit people. To get better
access for people with mental and physical disabilities, this ensures that the services are all
inclusive and accessible and also breaks down barriers that cause this issue to happen. For
starters, we can begin by making it accessible for people in the comfort of their own home.
Spouses or partners with disabilities will advocate for this if they feel more comfortable doing
this while being comforted in their own home. They can help by expanding collaboration with
community centers or support groups so that this can reach a bigger audience of people. By
establishing assistance people financially or having scholarships, this can make music therapy
more affordable for people. Seeking funding from the government can also be beneficial to
helping people gain more access to this therapy because it’s not covered by insurance.
Work Cited
Regarding the Medical and Psychotherapeutic Benefits of Music Therapy.” The Arts in
Chen, Carl. “Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei.”
Cleveland Clinic. “Music Therapy: What Is It, Types & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland
crilon52. “How the Physically Disabled Can Benefit from Music Therapy.” Cril Online, 20 Aug.
2021,
cril-online.org/2021/08/20/how-the-physically-disabled-can-benefit-from-music-therapy/.
Kievisiene, Justina, et al. “The Effect of Art Therapy and Music Therapy on Breast Cancer
Patients: What We Know and What We Need to Find Out—a Systematic Review.”
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vol. 2020, July 2020, pp.
1–14, https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7390321.
Maratos, A., and C. Gold. “Music Therapy for Depression.” The Cochrane Database of
https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd004517.
Music Therapy on Young Adults Diagnosed with Severe Autism.” The Arts in
Psychotherapy, vol. 40, no. 5, Nov. 2013, pp. 465–72,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2013.09.004.
www.verywellhealth.com/music-therapy-for-autism-260057#:~:text=Music%20therapy%
www.verywellhealth.com/music-therapy-5211613#:~:text=Music%20therapy%20is%20a