Snehi Ram

The following is an essay I wrote for my English class. All written by me, Snehith Chittavajhula. All rights reserved. No publishing, copying, redistributing, modifying, or changing my text in any way is allowed. Not without my express written permission.

The body of a living being is a very complex network of functions and reactions. The human body is no exception. Sometimes though, certain parts of the human anatomy do not function as well as they were intended to. Examples of such a case include paralysis, certain types of cancer, autism, and other disorders. Fortunately, several methods of therapy have been developed to combat some of the symptoms of the patient. One of them is music therapy, or the practice of healing the mind and body through music. Music therapy is a relatively new concept compared to the other types of therapy available; though its roots go back thousand of years, scientific research on the subject by the modern world only picked up a little more than a half a century ago. Music therapy is quickly gaining popularity as a creative form of therapy and as a strategy of not causing additional pain to the patient[1], should it not be as immediately effective as the treatment was first planned out to be. Music can calm the mind, relax the body, and bring a subconscious and pleasant effect that motivates the human body to actively mend itself and resume proper functions, usually quicker than otherwise. Music can also be supplemental, that is to say, the minimum effect music can bring to a patient is reducing anxiety and relieving tension enough for them to cooperate peacefully with surgical procedures and other therapy treatments required for their medical conditions[2].

One of the immediate reactions associated with the human body is pain. When a person comes into physical contact with something— sometimes at a speed and force— that harms the body, nociceptors (or sensory receptors that acknowledge pain) that reside near the skin surface use the nerve fibers to send a signal to the brain. The brain in turn interprets the signals as potential harm and commands the respective limb to retract, to prevent further harm. An example of this is when a person burns their finger; their first reaction is to pull their arm away. Music can help reduce the intensity of the pain, if not cure it altogether. According to an article in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, a study was conducted on 60 patients recruited from chiropractic clinics, all suffering from various levels of chronic pain, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and disc problems. The study was an experiment, conducted to test whether chronic pain can be reduced by listening to music. Twenty people were given a choice on which music to listen to, another group of twenty chose between five different but relaxing genres (piano, jazz, orchestra, harp and synthesizer), and the remaining twenty patients were not treated with music therapy. All participants were kept under supervision and maintained a journal, recording the results and present conditions. The two groups that were exposed to music reported a 12-21% decrease in pain, whereas the third group reported an overall 1-2%. Those listening to music for an hour a day felt physically more in control of the pain situation and psychologically less disabled. The doctors and researchers accredited the patients’ improvements to the musical aspects of the treatments (“Listening to Music Can Reduce Chronic Pain And Depression By Up To A Quarter”),

Anxiety and stress can also affect the human body. The emotional and mental suffering can start out as a short-term problem but become a long-lasting effect on the physical and physiological aspects of the human anatomy. Stress, often associated with an external pressure of some sort, is usually caused by worry and fear. Anxiety, often triggered by stress, is more of a psychological series of thoughts than a specific feeling. This is an advantage, as it becomes possible to break down a person’s thoughts and solve what are perceived to be problems, one after another. Music has been proven to reduce anxiety, relax and stabilize pulse and respiratory rates, and lower blood pressure. A study conducted in 1989 by researchers resulted in a lower systolic blood pressure in the nine patients exposed to two music albums, both with a slow beat (Gaynor 80). The reports of various separate experiments seem to suggest that one music-listening session can reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure down by five points, with the pulse rate decreasing by approximately four to five beats per minute (Gaynor 81). The calming effects of music on the nervous and respiratory systems can do wonders to the person. Anxiety and stress levels come down, the patients are relieved of tension, and they allow their mind and body to relax, thereby passively encouraging themselves to heal.

The brain of a child is relatively simple, yet almost as complex as that of an adult. Since a child’s mental structure of thoughts is not completely organized and relatively developed as that of an elder, the brain of the child is open to all social interaction and communication with the outside world. The child develops a language of his own, recognizing objects around him and associating them with different-sounding words. He uses this newly-learnt language to speak to those he sees, especially peers, and brings a difference in his tone to imply a question, a wish, or a dislike. Unfortunately, sometimes a child does not interact much with other people. He is not in favor of the prospect of meeting another person, or his thoughts are completely outside the idea of who is around him. The unfortunate part is that these symptoms often indicate autism, which is a disorder associated with brain development. Autism is more often observed in infants and children. Musical interactions have brought forth great improvements in the way an autistic child reacts and responds to certain situations. Medical researchers from Wales have done a case study on an autistic three-year-old girl. Just two years of therapy has seen a drastic improvement in the little girl. Before therapy, the girl acknowledged her mother’s presence every six minutes on average, making eye contact once every three minutes. The time dropped to one minute post-therapy, with eye contact twice a minute. After follow-up therapy sessions, the little girl could acknowledge the presence of her mother in just nine seconds, giving eye contact six times a minute (Campbell 237). In the words of Clive E. Robbins, Ph.D. (director of the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Center at New York University), music “can be used as flexibly as we use speech to reach children with language problems” (qtd. in Campbell 237). Music therapy has helped autistic children in the past, and will continue to do so in the future.

Every person’s brain and body synchronize with frequencies and sounds waves that follow a steady beat[3]. These sound waves will try to provoke the brain to either speed up or slow down to match the music that is being played. Once synchronization is achieved, the body and brain “follow” the frequencies; thoughts and actions tend to go slower and play catch-up to maintain the beat, making the person feel more alert. If the music increases tempo, the flow of thoughts on the person’s mind tends to go faster along with gross motor skills, or basic physical movements, playing the beat. Once the brain interprets the incoming sounds waves and matches them, the rest of the brain and body keep up the pace. Very soon, the body starts using its fine motor skills, while still making basic movements such as nods and taps. These fine motor skills are movements that require hand-eye-brain coordination, such as driving or playing a jigsaw puzzle. These precise actions are not distracted by the beat, but rather supported by it and depend on
it to keep the thoughts flowing. Having thoughts and actions flowing in this steady pace creates space for a new level of concentration, which is always a highly productive one. The time spent focusing on a task at this stage is highly reduced, with no decrease in quality. The mind is working faster, often organizing thoughts subconsciously and in the most effective, practical manner. Everything falls into place, all because of the music playing in the background.

Music has its effect on not only the body and the brain, but also the complex human emotions. Negative emotions can cause depression. The most common feelings associated with depression are melancholy, fear, doubt, and apprehension (Lingerman 28). Depression is not a frequent occurrence, but unfortunately it is not uncommon, either. Nine and a half percent of the American population suffers from depression (“9.5% of Americans Battle Depression”). Soft music is often used by psychiatrists, hypnotists, and doctors to relax the person until he or she feels comfortable enough to share their story. This allows the patient to remain in a calm state throughout the conversation, without feeling agitated or tense. Musical interaction is added into the treatment plan, and over the course of time, positive results start to show. The patient’s depression will have receded from extreme thoughts, like suicide, to hopefully less dangerous thinking. Soft slow pulses and beats in the music help to ameliorate thoughts, and reactions usually come out as less intense responses.

Whether the patient had pain, hypertension, autism, or depression, music is the cure. Anything can be cured by music, whether the problem is physical, mental, or emotional. Music therapy goes back thousands of years, back to a time when music was considered magical, spiritual, and even divine. Discovered by primitive man and perceived as a phenomenal power, music was literally worshiped, as was the musician-witch-doctor who was feared the most for his power. The healer would chant, sing, and dance, as he believed the evil spirit causing the pain would surrender (Alvin 7-20). Modern science of today contrasts the beliefs of the primitive man. Music therapy has long been studied and practiced for millenniums, but today’s advances in technology help research and document the healing properties of music in a more organized, scientific way. Throughout the centuries, the credibility of music therapy was questioned with claims that the positive developments observed in the patients were a mere coincidence. Believers in this form of creative therapy, however, held that the music involved had everything to do with it. Most of the claims against music therapy have since been disproved, and modern physicians and psychologists started to actually recommend going to a music therapist, just as they would refer to another doctor of a specialized field. The fact that music can have no side effects gives music therapy a major advantage over other forms of therapy. Considering that this whole concept may be new to many people, this point alone can give them comfort, and may even entice them into trying such a treatment. Everyone goes by trust when their doctor prescribes them some medicine. Music therapy works the same way. Trust that music can heal is all it takes to feel the positive developments in the physical body, the brain, and psychological feelings. Whether music therapy classifies as a scientific art or an artistic science, its powers cannot be denied.

Works Cited

Alvin, Juliette. “The Origin of Music.” Music Therapy. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1975. Print.

Campbell, Don. The Mozart Effect. 1st. New York: Avon Books, 1997. Print.

Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. “Listening To Music Can Reduce Chronic Pain And Depression By Up To A Quarter.” ScienceDaily 24 May 2006. 1 July 2009 .

Gaynor, Mitchell L., M.D.. Sounds of Healing. First. New York: Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc., 1999. Print.

Gorloch, Karen. “9.5% of Americans Battle Depression: 10% of Adult Women, 4% of Men Treated With Antidepressants.” redOrbit Wednesday, 25 January 2006, 09:01 CST. 25 Jan 2006. Web. 1 Jul 2009. .

Lingerman, Hal A.. The Healing Energies of Music. Fourth. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988. Print.

——————————————————————————–

[1] I am a music therapy major, and this information is from general points I have picked up on the subject.

[2] Ibid.

[3] This section is something I have learnt, gathered, and formulated as a music therapy major. I am just wording the concept. Update: I have just “discovered” that this concept is referred to as Auditory Driving. Fascinating! (Update added after Spring 2010 semester.)