Music Therapy & Pathology
Music Therapy
People often say that music can heal. However, only a handful of the people who say this know that music can actually appear on a person’s prescription sheet.
Music has a powerful ability to access the furthest corners of our consciousness. It can trigger emotions, access hidden memories, and expose suppressed and repressed emotions. Music can also help people with expressive or receptive language disorders communicate better.
This quality has made music therapy for the elderly a popular option for ageing individuals. Adult music therapy has also been instrumental in finding ways to get brain trauma victims back to work. In fact, out of all the therapeutic interventions we offer, music therapy has become one of the most popular.
Music therapy seems like the gift that keeps on giving, but how exactly does it work?
What Is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is a research-based technique that actively supports people as they attempt to improve their health, functionality, and well-being through the use of music. Music therapy is therefore the purposeful use of music by a trained practitioner who is registered with the Australian Music Therapy Association Inc.
Registered music therapists employ techniques that are informed by knowledge from a large corpus of research. They also adhere to an ethical code that guides their work. Music therapy is a legitimate, often enjoyable, and very much-regulated form of therapy.
Here are some of the most popular ways therapists in Australia have been using it:
Music Therapy Mental Health
Music therapy allows those suffering from mental illnesses to enhance their communication and expression. It can also assist patients in exploring their thoughts and feelings, as well as improving their mood and attention. Para-social relationships between artists and listeners can even help in developing coping skills when patients empathise and relate to the message of a song. Music therapy can also decrease anxiety by providing grounding and a constructive, healthy distraction.
Music Therapy Palliative Care
In a study, music therapy was provided to 57 patients and 53 family members. Following that, there was a significant decrease in anxiety and pain.
All patients said that music therapy helped them with stress relief, relaxation, pain alleviation, spiritual support, emotional support, and overall well-being. All participants even agreed that they would suggest music therapy to others.
Even the palliative care clinicians reported that music therapy created a holistic healing experience for the patients. Music therapy, therefore, has a positive effect on multiple domains of well-being for patients receiving palliative care.
Music Therapy Autism
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients’ core deficits create a significant impact on social interaction and communication. Music therapy aims to address some of the basic issues that affect persons with ASD by utilising musical experiences and the connections that grow through them to facilitate communication and expression.
Music Therapy for Intellectual Disability
People with intellectual disabilities often lack expressive language and may find it hard to truly express themselves and effectively communicate with those around them. This situation is frustrating and exacerbates social isolation. Additionally, it means that people with intellectual disabilities are denied opportunities and left without any means of subsistence.
In an attempt to communicate, a person with an intellectual disability may use vocalisations to express their desires. Even though most of the time others are unable to understand them, these sounds are all that is needed to create an avenue for communication through music.
Music therapy for learning disabilities is an effectual means of expression that can be used to effectively educate people with learning disabilities. Music therapy uses music as a channel for persons with special needs to learn how to properly express themselves, carry out day-to-day tasks, and even manage stress. Music therapy also hopes to allow people with intellectual disabilities to learn to interact and communicate in a safe space and then apply those skills in the real world.
Get Music Therapy in Australia
Indeed, music does heal. It can even transform lives. Do you know someone in Australia who would benefit from the transformative healing of music therapy? If you do, do not hesitate to contact us. Kita Therapy has individualised and group music therapy services run by some of the best-certified music therapists. We also provide a variety of payment options and covers to help you with the costs.
We would love to hear from you.
- info@kitatherapy.com.au
- 1300 941 174
- We are open from weekdays (8.00a.m. - 6:00p.m.)
- Saturday (By appointment only)
- Sunday (Closed)
- G04, 669, Gardeners Road, Mascot, 2020, NSW