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Music Therapy: A Peaceful Revolution

April 11, 2006

by Sam Pasco

You'll be in trouble with the law if you play your music too loudly in

Rochester, New York. Anyone found violating local and state noise ordinances

by means of overly loud "boom boxes," stereos, motorcycles, automobiles or

loud partying will be ticketed.

New York City has also begun to oppose the bombardment of noise. Its

Department of Environmental Protection has a Quality of Life Hotline. 70% of

the calls received concern noise. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has established

a Council on the Environment. There is a citywide group (with a somewhat

unfortunate acronym) called Friends Against Noisy New York. On April 25th,

there were observances of International Noise Awareness Day. The mayor also

established Operation Silent Night, a citywide quality of life initiative to

combat loud and excessive noise in New York City.

It's not that the state of New York is less tolerant than the rest of us.

It's that they've realized something a lot of communities don't know yet.

We all know that we're exposed to more excessive noise today than at any

other time in history. Modern life can seem like an ongoing struggle to rise

above the din. Home life fills our ears with barking dogs, air conditioning

units, televisions, boom boxes and the kitchen vent-a-hood. When we leave

the house or office, we yell to be heard over construction projects, car

alarms, traffic and other people's music. The list goes on and on. The US

Census Bureau has reported that noise is Americans' top complaint about

their neighborhoods and their main reason for wanting to move.

What New Yorkers have found and the rest of us need to know is that noise

pollution is more than just annoying; It can be dangerous. One Rochester

police officer explains that when blasting music in neighborhoods goes

unchecked, it indicates that respect is not required. "This type of

environment is friendly to other, more serious types of crimes," he says.

That's why police officers and neighborhood residents have decided to crack

down on excessive noise in their community. Police and concerned citizens

have been walking the streets together, knocking on the doors of noisy

neighbors and warning them about possible fines and legal action.

Noise is not only a health issue for communities, but also for individuals.

Research has shown dramatic physiological effects from exposure to excessive

noise. In addition to its damage to the ears, Dr. Luther Terry, former U.S.

Surgeon General identifies a host of other negative health effects due to

noise. A partial list includes cardiovascular constriction, elevated blood

pressure, increased heart rate, more labored breathing, measurable changes

in skin resistance and skeletal-muscle tension, digestive system changes,

glandular activity that alters the chemical content of blood and urine,

vestibular effects, balance sense effect and changes in brain chemistry. It

bears repeating that this is just a partial list. Terry details the negative

effect of noise on fetal development, as well.

The Surgeon General echoes the voices of many health professionals.

Researchers have found that after extended exposure to high noise such as

aircraft flyovers or workplace noise, blood pressure rises as much as 30%.

Increasing the negative impact is the fact that blood pressure stays at that

elevated level for a significant period after the exposure ends. So if

you're close enough to a landing plane that your blood pressure rises, it

stays up and affects your body long after the airplane noise is gone.

You don't have to live near an airport to be affected by traffic. Even noise

that we might consider moderate has its effect. A German study found that

those living on busy streets were 20% more likely to have a heart attack

than those living on a quiet one.

Studies have also linked learning problems to noise. It affects the ability

of children to learn to speak, to read, and to acquire knowledge in schools.

These effects have been documented near airports, train tracks and major

roadways. The inability to hear and understand all that a teacher is saying

can translate to poor grades and could even lead to a higher dropout rate in

schools.

Moreover, noise pollution has impact on the behavior of both children and

adults. One study looked at how passers-by responded to a person in need in

the presence of noise. While a noisy lawn mower roared nearby, a woman with

a broken arm dropped some books and tried to pick them up. No one stopped to

help her. When the lawnmower was turned off and the scene repeated, several

people stopped to help her retrieve her books.

With all that being said, it's no wonder that Americans have more problems

with sleeping, concentrating and dealing with stress in our noise-polluted

environment. Fortunately, there is more to sound than the negative effects

of noise. The opposite of noise is music. The ability of music to repair and

encourage health and harmony is as powerful as noise's ability to destroy

them. So powerful, in fact, that there is an entire field called music

therapy.

The full benefits of music therapy are still being studied, but we know of

quite a few already. Studies in mental health, for example, have shown that

music therapy is effective in relieving anxiety and stress, promoting

relaxation and treating depression. Music therapy allows people with

emotional problems to explore feelings, make positive changes in mood,

practice problem solving, and resolve conflicts. It has been used

successfully by mental health institutions during group therapy sessions.

The healing effects of music therapy are not limited to mental health. They

have been observed in hospitalized patients with burns, heart disease,

diabetes and cancer. As a complement to rehabilitation care, music therapy

seems to strengthen communication and physical coordination skills, as it

improves the physical and mental functioning of those with neurological

disabilities or developmental disorders. Those with learning, speech and

hearing problems may also find music therapy helpful.

Music therapy reduces the need for medication during childbirth and

complements the use of anesthesia during surgery and dental work, especially

when children undergo medical and surgical procedures. It is useful in

newborn care of premature infants. Aside from these acute situations, music

therapy helps ease chronic pain.

Music therapy can also improve the quality of life of terminally ill

patients and enhance the well-being of the elderly, including those

suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. It has been

used to complement the treatment of AIDS, stroke, Parkinson's and cancer. At

the same time, music therapy is useful in the support of the families and

caregivers of such patients.

Most of the reviews published on the subject have been published by the

American Music Therapy Association. The broad applications of this tool

warrant more formal reviews. We still don't know just how many conditions

could be helped by music therapy. Still, changes are that you could enhance

your mental and physical health with music therapy.

If you consult a music therapist for a particular condition, the therapist

will first talk to you about your symptoms and needs. In addition, the

therapist will assess your emotional well-being, physical health, social

functioning, communication abilities and cognitive skills. Using this

information, your therapist will design an appropriate treatment plan that

would probably include playing and listening to music, analyzing lyrics,

composing songs, improvising and/or using rhythmic movement.

During your regular sessions, the therapist may participate in these

activities with you or simply guide you. You may also be encouraged to talk

about the images or feelings that are evoked by the music. You and your

therapist will select the music used for your therapy according to your

needs and tastes. You can choose any kind of music, from classical or new

age to jazz or rock. You do not need previous musical experience nor any

musical ability to benefit from music therapy.

Some music therapy is conducted in a group setting. You might perform music

with others who have the same condition as you, or you may just interact and

relax with others as music plays in the background. If you are in the

hospital for surgery or to give birth, your music therapy might simply

entail listening to your favorite songs to help you relax and reduce pain.

As you may have guessed by now, the presence of a professional is not always

required in music therapy, though you may need help in getting started.

Westerners are only beginning to use music as medicine, though it has long

been used successfully in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. To

encourage you to create your own music therapy sessions, I will share with

you the basics of my own brand of music therapy. Take what you like and

leave the rest.

When I practice music therapy, especially for relaxation, the first thing I

do is to find a calming environment, where I won't be disturbed or

interrupted. Next, I light incense or a scented candle, as I find that

aromatherapy helps to calm my body.

Next, I choose the music, which becomes easier the more you learn about your

body's response to different kinds of music. I then sit on the floor, in an

upright position with my legs crossed. I breathe deeply, inhaling and

exhaling very slowly through my nose.

As the music plays, I listen intently to the instruments as if the players

were right there in the room playing to me. Often I position myself directly

in front of the speaker, so I can feel the vibrations as well as hear the

music being played. Some people use headphones. This is fine, but I

recommend you feel the sound coming into your body, and not just into your

head.

Visualize the sound waves coming from the speakers and going through you.

Not only should you position yourself physically to catch the sound energy

in your body, but you should also focus your mind. Focus on where you want

the healing vibrations to go. Listen as you visualize the sound waves

beaming through your body and replenishing your cells, tissues, and internal

organs.

As you practice music therapy you will develop the method that works best

for you. Once you know how your body responds to certain instruments,

timbres, and musical styles, you can design sessions in the sequence you

find most beneficial to you.

Ideally, you practice music therapy for at least 30 minutes to an hour per

day, although even a 20-minute daily session would yield positive results.

It can take 10 minutes just for your mind to unwind, so I recommend 30-40

minute sessions.

Those are the basics. As you can gather from all of the above, music therapy

can be as involved or as simple as the situation warrants. The main thing is

just to get started. In this world of noise pollution, practicing music

therapy may well be the way to start your own peaceful revolution!

References: American Academy of Audiology (Consumer guides) World Council on

Hearing Health (In the news) Friends Against Noisy New York (2005

Newsletter) National Campaign for Hearing Health

Sam Pasco - is founder and director of  http://www.InnerHealingMusic.com. He is also a Practitioner of music therapy, as well as a Composer and Performer who has performed at some of the largest health and wellness expos in the US. He frequently leads workshops on the vast benefits of music as therapy.