Music Therapy is used to explore personal feelings, reduce states of anxiety, give the person a sense of control over their life through successful experiences…
Music Therapy work for many forms of Mental Health Care including:
Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Schizophrenia, Eating Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Personality Disorders, Impulse control and Addiction disorders.
The World Health Organisation defines Mental health as “the state of well-being whereby individuals recognise their abilities, are able to cope with normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully and make a contribution to their communities” (definition of WHO mental health, Okasha 2005).
Research has revealed that music therapy is beneficial for people with mental disorders as it allows people to explore personal feelings, make positive changes in mood and emotional states, have a sense of control over life through successful experiences.
Music Therapy for mental health care and self confidence helps the client experience inner emotions and thus gain insight into the essence of the psychic problem, supporting a psychological development, as it “invites and encourages participation from people of lower functioning levels and employs a non-verbal medium with which people have prior positive associations and in most cases have lifelong experience of using music for self-expression and pleasure” (Edwards, 2006, p. 33).
As psychiatric clients often find difficulty in expressing their feelings, emotions and experiences verbally, music therapy can provide beneficial outcomes, being “a structured interaction that patients are able to use to participate successfully, manage some of their symptoms, and express feelings relating to their experiences” (Edwards 2006, p. 33).
Music Therapy can promote socialization and communication skills, as well as a decline in the patient’s psychotic symptoms, as “the focus can be on potentials, both of psychotic and non-psychotic origin, instead of a one-sided focus on disease and weakness” (Jensen, 1999, p. 47).
Offers a safe space for emotional expression
Is a very enjoyable, motivating stimulus
Develops the persons self-understanding and self-confidence
Is a creative way to achieve therapeutic outcomes
Pre-composed Music
Improvised music (on percussion and tuned instruments)
Music listening
Singing
Composing
Lyric analysis
Music relaxation
Movement to music
Developing emotional expression
Reducing stress and anxiety
Improving social/interpersonal skills
Enhancing learning, memory and emotional response through imitation and the repetitive structure of familiar songs
Enhancing speech through vocalisations, the use of images, picture simbols or words, songs with repetitive elements
Reducing aggressive behaviour
Improving family interactions and support
Sustaining and developing attention
Enhancing the persons self esteem through the development of his/her creativity (creative song writing, improvisation and intentional choice making)
Improving functional skills (e.g. hand usage, eye contact, cause and effect relation)
Improving family interactions and support
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