No Musical Experience Required: The Power of Music Therapy

Music affects the body and mind in powerful ways and has been a part of our culture for thousands of years (see sidebar). Music is once again gaining prominence, and this time as an established form of therapy called Music Therapy (MT). MT is defined by the American Music Therapy Association as an established healthcare profession, similar to physical and occupational therapy, that uses music as a tool to improve, rehabilitate, or maintain mental and physical health. How can MT help? By managing pain and discomfort; reducing anxiety and stress, facilitating movement, providing an outlet for expression of feelings, as a distraction from medical procedures, helping maintain a sense of control over life experiences, providing motivation and improving quality of life.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center (KRMC) has a new clinical Board Certified Music Therapist, Bill Dluhosh, MT-BC. Bill grew up in a musical family with both his grandmother and mother teaching piano for decades. Bill took piano lessons as a child and switched to guitar in his teens. On a personal level, both listening and playing music helped Bill get through those “obnoxious teen years.” Bill has played in many bands, both professional and for fun, but it wasn’t until he and a vocalist went to play at Children’s Hospital in Seattle, WA, that he found his calling. The experience changed his life and although he knew music had helped him, he saw first hand what it could do for others. He began researching music therapy and in 2004 began his Bachelors degree in Portland, OR.

As a clinical music therapist, Bill uses music in ways that go beyond entertainment. Bill conceptualizes our bodies as rhythm instruments. Our hearts beat in rhythm, we breathe in rhythm, and we walk and talk in rhythm. It’s understandable that we would then respond to the familiarity of music and rhythm as healing tools. Music is such a powerful and unique tool that it has a way of reaching people in very individual ways.

This certainly holds true for people dealing with neurological disorders. Bill offers, “In conjunction with traditional medical care, patients with neurological disorders and their caregivers may find that music provides another way of coping with pain management--in addition to promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety.”

Music is being used in support groups in many areas including Stroke, Parkinson’s, and Caregivers. Sometimes group members listen actively to music as a relaxation tool, as they did when Bill recently attended TNRC’s Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia support group. Other times group members play instruments to create a group musical experience. Music has a way of expressing thoughts and emotions differently than words do and because some people aren’t as comfortable as others talking in groups, playing music can allow them to express themselves in a safe environment. Instruments such as drums, shakers, and tambourines are a great way for people who didn’t learn an instrument growing up to experience music. There is no musical experience required to participate in music therapy.
Bill says, “Listening to songs provides another way of looking at experiences and talking about them. I believe everyone has heard a song at sometime in their lives that expresses exactly how they felt. For example, when we are sad, we tend to listen and respond to sad songs. The song doesn’t judge us and it doesn’t try to fix us, the song just supports us in how we feel. In group sessions, the music can help connect people who may be in similar situations.“

A couple years ago, Bill and another music therapist were working with a group of seniors with significant memory loss. The two of them began singing the song, “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do.” Immediately feet began tapping, instruments began playing, and voices were heard as they spoke and sang the words. This group music intervention sparked conversations about courtship, weddings, and bicycles. It brought up memories that were still accessible in people with memory challenges. Group musical experiences like this bring music back to an interactive, personal experience that previous generations did naturally, whether it was a community sitting around a fire where everyone sang and danced in celebration, or a family gathering around a piano after dinner to sing familiar songs.
For more information about music therapy, please visit the American Music Therapy website at www.MusicTherapy.org. If you are interested in finding out more about KRMC’s Music Therapy services, please contact the Therapy Services Department at 942-2660. Some insurance companies do cover MT; call your insurance company to see if your policy covers MT. Medicare criteria include: a physician’s prescription, that it be considered reasonable and necessary for treatment, and based on a treatment plan that includes treatment goals showing improvement.

But you don’t need a doctor’s prescription to let listening to music become a therapeutic activity. This can be done at home! Choose some music that you really enjoy, and find a comfortable position, perhaps sitting or lying down, and then actively listen to the music by either listening to it as a whole, or perhaps focusing on specific instruments. Bill reminds us that, “Music can be a source of refuge or escape. We focus our attention to the music and let the outside world—and sometimes even our physical bodies—take a back seat, if even for a few moments.”

TNRC is excited about Music and the Brain and will be having a conference in October featuring Concetta Tomaino, DA, MT-BC, LAT, Director and Co-Founder of the Institute for Music and Neurological Function. Stay “tuned” for further details!

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