Music therapy

Music has always been important for people – as a form of expression, a way for communicating, a possibility to get aesthetic and emotional pleasure etc. Music is everywhere, it is always near by us even when we do not notice it. When a phenomenon of music is so big, it is quite natural that we study its effects on man to get better knowledge about how we can use music more effectively for well-being of man.

There is a very large field of components that are significant for the influence of music. According to scientific literature music certainly has influence on functions of heart, blood circulation, breathing, cerebral activity etc., which in each case may be different. By the way music helps to release muscle tension and to increase threshold of pain. Music is also helpful for psychic activities: it promotes self-regulation, release of emotions and feelings, release of psychical tensions, relaxation, it gives the possibility for self-realisation.

It is quite difficult to define what the music therapy actually is. There is the possibility for all music therapists to define it themselves because there are almost as many different kinds of music therapy as there are therapists. In July 1996 in Hamburg, Germany during the 8th World Congress of Music Therapy the meeting of World Federation of Music Therapy accepted one of the possible general definitions of music therapy: music therapy is the use of music and/or it’s musical elements (sound, rhythm, melody and harmony) by a qualified music therapist, with a client or group, in a process designed to facilitate and promote communication, relationships, learning, mobilisation, expression, organisation and other relevant therapeutic objectives, in order to meet physical, emotional, mental, social and cognitive needs. Music therapy aims to develop potentials and/ or restore functions of the individual so that he or she can achieve better intrapersonal and/ or interpersonal integration and consequently, a better quality of life, through prevention, rehabilitation or treatment.

There is the possibility for music therapy to make it individual as well as the group therapy. The choice depends on a concrete person, his problems and disorders.

Music Therapy is based on many psychotherapeutic models. This is a strength of this discipline. Music therapists assess the client’s strengths and weaknesses and establish the treatment intervention in order to design appropriate musical and non-musical goals for him to reach his fullest potential. For example in working based on psychodynamic approach music will be helpful being more aware of client’s unconscious conflicts and desires, focusing on the relationship between early childhood experiences and present functioning through identifying and working through these conflicts. Humanistic/existential model in music therapy proceeds from humanistic psychology. This model is generally concerned with the self-actualisation process, in which the individual is viewed as a purposeful creature of plans, strategies and choices. A music therapist might provide ego support through musical accomplishment and improve musical and interpersonal skills for a personal expressive outlet.

The two general techniques of music therapy are listening to music (receptive music therapy) and music-making (active/expressive music therapy). Listening to music enables free interpreting of music as well as free projecting of feelings and emotions. The therapist chooses the music for listening according to every client’s state of mind, his personality, cultural and social background, musical preferences, needs and aims of therapy. One of the most useful methods of listening to music is the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM) created by Helen Bonny. Musical relaxation belongs also to the methods of common use. There are the principles of general relaxation and the special music written for relaxation joined together.

In music-making within therapy the enjoyable aesthetically beautiful musical product is not important. By making music the individual can bring out such kind of feelings, emotions and experiences, pleasant or unpleasant, that might be impossible or not socially accepted to express in any other way. The client can contact with his/her internal world and know more about him/herself. The main method of music-making in music therapy is improvisation. The improvisation (free, associative, imitative etc. improvisation) is unique every time and expresses the state of client, his/her feelings and outlives at this moment. This musical material is very important for working on problems of client. It helps in understanding the nature of problems and is helpful in their solving. Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) by Mary Priestley is one of the most developed and used psychodynamic improvisation-based music therapy methods.

In many methods of music therapy there are musical activities joined with other creative activities. For instance music can provide thematic material for the art experience – so it is effective to combine music and fine arts (drawing, sculpting). In therapeutic use art is a medium for symbolic expression of psychical processes. Music brings out from unconsciousness material that will be expressed through the art. The product of this process tells different things about the client’s inner world. In music therapy there will be also used a method music and writing which proceeds from the same basics as art work. Musical psychodrama is the product of integration of music improvisation and other music therapy techniques with traditional verbal psychodrama. Musical psychodrama techniques lead to dramatic enactment of the music-induced imagery and the use of improvised music to provide an audible and nonintrusive form of group empathy for the protagonist during a verbal expressing.

It is important to mention that every person can participate in music therapy and benefit from it. No musical abilities are required to enter the process.

Music therapy does not have limits where and with whom this kind of therapy will be used. With techniques of music therapy the therapist can help people of different age and with different problems and disorders. Music therapy can be used in stress-release, self-development as well as for treating depression, anxiety and more serious psychical disorders. Music therapy can be also a help for people with special needs (mental as well as physical).