If you love music, you may be aware by now that this can have a huge effect on your mood. You may have listened to a rock band, and you find yourself getting hyped up in doing an important project for your company, or you try to listen to relaxing melodies before you sleep at night.
Scientific evidence shows that music can impact people, and it can even be used for therapy for those who have anxiety and depression. While the treatment itself is used to promote emotional and mental wellness, many practitioners may also utilize it to improve the overall quality of life of people who suffer from a medical condition.
What Exactly is Music Therapy
This kind of treatment may incorporate a lot of elements like listening to songs, writing lyrics, making tunes and more. For example, therapists in music therapy in Ireland have developed a practice covering many different skills like clinical therapy, communication, psychological disorders, cognitive neuroscience, pain management, and many more.
When you decide to work with a qualified therapist, you’ll take the first step of identifying what you want to achieve from music therapy and how will this impact your life. One example is, if you tend to feel depressed most of the days, you may be hoping to lift your mood during the day and have a more positive outlook on life. You may also want to start treating anxieties, inability to focus, and insomnia simultaneously. Some of the goals that you may accomplish may include the following:
- Mood improvement;
- Higher quality of life;
- Strengthened coping mechanism;
- You can better express your emotions;
- Relief from stress and anxiety symptoms.
What to Expect in a Session?
The things that you can expect will depend on the goals that you’ve set. Most therapies last from an hour to two hours. This is very much like time spent beside a psychotherapist. However, you can choose your own schedule – whenever it’s convenient for you. You may have it once a week or on an “as-needed” basis.
Some may prefer one-on-one sessions, while others want to be in a group setting. Sessions can take place online or in a studio. Most typically, however, the place will be in a private clinic, health center, or office wherever your therapist is practicing. Regardless of the place, the room that you can expect to find is one that has a calm environment, free from outside noise and distractions.
Each therapist may have their own ways and routines when dealing with clients. They may want to start a session and end it in the same way, so you’ll be familiar with the routines. Many will include movements that will help you with physical illnesses.
How Music Becomes Effective?
A licensed therapist will ask you to tune in your emotions according to your hearing’s beat. Others will ask you to produce sounds according to your feelings. If you feel anger at the moment, you may discover that you’ll play the guitar in a fast and dissonant way.
In addition to expressing your feelings without the need for words, you may also want to know how you change your senses with music. Your therapist may respond by creating soft, slow, and soothing tones on the piano if you are stressed.
You may notice that instantly hearing a soothing sound will make you feel calmer. There’s actually a scientific explanation for this because when you hear a slow tempo, your heart rate and blood pressure readings will decrease as well.
Who Can Benefit from this Practice?
You may not consider yourself a musically-inclined individual, and this is perfectly fine. You won’t need to have certain abilities or previous experience with being musical to undergo the therapy.
This alternative therapy process is highly-customized and personalized, that it’s very suitable for many people regardless of their ages. Even teenagers and young children can benefit from this therapy. In many preschool classrooms, this is one of the most recognized techniques and foundations of the teachers to help children have a strong ability to learn. This can also strengthen one’s motor skills and make an individual communicate more effectively.
