Everyone has experienced crying, smiling, or thinking fondly of someone when hearing a certain song. Music is tied to physical and emotional responses and can preserve and enhance cognitive function. The brain has a rhythm or pattern that changes based on what activity someone is doing. Explore how music therapy may aid brain-damaged patients by healing the brain through music.
What Is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is a clinical practice in which a therapist uses music to help patients address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. After making an assessment, therapists create a treatment plan that includes creating, singing, movement, and listening to music. As a therapy, music can strengthen patients’ ability to communicate, relieve stress, treat depression and anxiety, and aid with memory loss.
How Does Music Therapy Work?
Music rich in rhythm has been shown to affect heart rate and breathing, and cause the brain to release natural painkillers known as endorphins. Music can reduce muscle tension, promote relaxation, help release negative feelings and memories, and improve fine motor skills.
Music therapists are typically skilled musicians who have deep knowledge of how music draws out emotional responses in order to relax or stimulate the mind. Combining this knowledge with a range of musical styles, music therapists find the right style of music enjoyed by patients to help them. Therapists may play music for patients or teach them how to play an instrument.
Playing music is complicated and uses several areas of the brain at once. At any moment while playing music, the brain is using fine motor skills, visual and auditory processing, mathematics, emotional response, and coordination. All this multitasking makes music a workout for the brain which keeps it healthy.
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Can Music Improve Memory?
Songs and lyrics can trigger unique memories deep in the brain and allow patients to remember things from years past. The brain uses some of the same systems to process both music and language, specifically memorizing information.
Having some form of musical training or involvement protects the brain as it ages and keeps it healthy. Musicians perform better on mental acuity and cognitive tests related to visual and spatial memory, naming objects, and adapting to new information than non-musicians.
Can Music Help With Healing?
Music impacts the nervous system which is responsible for a heartbeat, brain function, and blood pressure. Besides, music impacts the limbic system too which is responsible for emotions and feelings. When the brain perceives music, it issues a psycho-sematic response. Slower-paced music causes the heartbeat to slow down, lowers blood pressure, slows breathing, and allows the body to relax. The more the body is relaxed, the less physical pain is felt, resulting in faster healing time.
Any time the need to have a relaxing moment occurs, pop in a pair of Bluetooth headphones and block out distractions. NewEgg is a top e-commerce provider of Bluetooth headsets and accessories perfect for music therapy patients. With a wide range of brands, models, and prices NewEgg has something for every unique need.
Can Music Ease Stress And Anxiety?
Music is linked to emotions and you can use it as a tool for effective stress management. Not only can relaxing music calm the body, but it can also relax the mind. Everyone has their own definition of relaxing music, but it has been generally found that cultural stringed instruments, flutes, drums, nature sounds, and easy listening music all help with stress reduction.
