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Kelly Tipton

English Composition 1201

Dr. Adrienne Cassel

08 December 2017

Soothing Songs

For many years of my life I have listened to music for many reasons, for fun, for school,

to help concentrate, to share experiences, or when I become anxious or upset for any number of

reasons. When sitting down and trying to do my homework, or even sitting in classes in high

school and sometimes now in college, I would become distracted from my work. Of course, in

the end I would get it all done because of the stress it would cause if I did not. But I soon found a

solution to constantly getting distracted from my work listening to music or nearly anything,

such as podcasts or gaming videos on YouTube, that would keep my thoughts from wandering

and becoming scattered. I use this method during work as well, as I work in a small office and

cubicle with small plain grey walls surrounding me as I type away on a computer at an equally

dull desk, and distracting conversations go on around me from the other people in my office

building. I tend to find myself staring off into space or hearing the conversations of my co-

workers, as they are just lively enough to hear over headphones on most days. So, with my

phone, earbuds, and YouTube, I effectively get my work done in a decent time.

Aside from using music to concentrate on my work, I also use it to calm myself if I feel

overwhelmed by a sense of anxiousness, which happens often as I constantly worry about things

that could be considered very trivial to most people, or if I feel upset over something. Most of

my distracting thoughts pertain to things I have to do later, something I did in the past,
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conversations, or even random ideas I have then feel the need to write down before I forget.

Listening to familiar music usually draws my attention from my nerves and thoughts, allowing

me to relax a little from distressing thoughts. Music has become a important stress reliever for

me since I was a child.

Music stands as an outlet for many things; self-expression, tradition, culture, bringing

people together, or even just sending a message. Therefore, this topic is potentially important

Music can do so many things. Music becomes about the experience in most cases, and that could

be why many enjoy it and find some peace in familiar or even new music. Music holds a kind of

power, it can bring together so many people for events like concerts or festivals, it can send a

message in the song, lyrics, and video, invoke certain thoughts or feelings, soothe a crying child,

and help heal. Music speaks to us on different levels of communication, and is certainly an

effective form of communication. But how does music affect anxiety and depression? How has it

been used to help people with these conditions? Music and music therapy have proven to affect

those with anxiety and/or depression in a positive way, decreasing their levels significantly,

improving memory, improving overall health, and quality of living. Although, it can have

negative effects by bringing up a bad memory or mood.

What is anxiety and depression? What is Music Therapy? One can define Anxiety as

extreme apprehension or worry and in some cases excessive and it also a general term for

many Anxiety Disorders (Eells). Depression may be defined as a state of feeling low that can

affect the body, mood, behavior, thoughts and in cases interferes with someones daily life.

How can someone measure levels of anxiety and depression though? In his study of music

therapy effects on anxiety and depression, Enrique Gutierrez used the Beck Anxiety Inventory

(BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), both of which are self-administered scales used
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to estimate levels of anxiety and depression, and are the most commonly used scales in the last

ten years. Music therapy can be separated into two kinds of interactions. There is active and

receptive music therapy. With active music therapy, the client participates as part of the music

making process along with the therapist, using their voices, instruments or even dancing with the

music as part of a personalized therapy session. Receptive music therapy uses prerecorded music

or music solely played by the therapist (Gutirrez) (Rook). With more people living to older

ages, there are also more people experiencing anxiety and depression along with other conditions

so can music really help?

In many studies, it has been proven and shown that music is an effective anxiety and

depression reducer. It has also proven beneficial for someones health and quality of living as an

effective form of therapy to improve ones mood, thoughts, and behavior (Eells) (Gutirrez)

(Rook). From twelve, two-hour sessions of music therapy in a study conducted by Enrique

Gutirrez, The results obtained on the BAI, which was applied before and after the treatment

with MT, indicate while the mean on the pretest was 24.8, the score on the post-test had

decreased significantly, to just 8.2. The test for the effect on depression also showed dramatic

results in decreased depression with help from music therapy.

Figure 1 Comparison of total averages for the pre-test and post-test results for anxiety (Gutirrez).
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Figure 2Comparison of total average pre-test and post-test results for depression (Gutirrez).

From Gutirrezs study, the result displays the positive affect that music has on anxiety

and depression based on the BAI and BDI scales, as levels for both conditions dropped

significantly after the music therapy sessions. This is important because music is such a big part

of many peoples lives already, for any number of reasons, and now many small studies have

given out positive results that show just how effective a healer music could become if used

properly. Therapists and doctors have used music many times in the past for many conditions,

including helping patients with Dementia in reducing their anxiety, confusion, and agitation as

well as helping improve memory (Eells) (Gutirrez). Music can help change someones mood

positively, however, it can also have the opposite effect and bring up negative emotions or

memories (Eells) (Rook). This is important to consider when thinking about music therapy for

different people or different conditions, even though it has proved effective in other cases such as

reducing anxiety and depression in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Dementia.

Anxiety and depression can rule over someones life entirely. Excessive worrying causes

emotional and even physical strain that can be hard to overcome, so looking into ways to help

with stress, anxiety caused or not, could prove beneficial to many people, even if they do not go
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see a therapist. According to the Worry Less For Better Health article by the NYTimes, one

can investigate mindfulness and possibly talk with a therapist about methods to divert ones

attention to something else rather than the subject of their worry. Look for activities you can do

to divert your attention rather than let worry increase and overtake your practical side (Worry

Less). Simple things from singing, to dancing, to playing an instrument, or merely listening to

music, can help reduce anxiety and stress of everyday life. It is hard to worry over something

while occupied with something else, usually. Music therapy happens to use many different ways

of reducing stress, anxiety and depression among its clients, including singing dancing, playing

an instrument or just sitting down and listening to music of some kind. Music therapists work

with individuals of all ages to help them communicate, process difficult experiences, and

improve motor or cognitive functioning (Rook). Many people listen to music therapeutically

and do not even realize it.

Is it possible to use music to relax and change someones mood without having to visit a

professional music therapist? Many people get upset or angry, or are already in a good mood, or

need some motivation, and they turn to music. People turn on Pandora or YouTube and just let it

play to hear the music, for any number of reasons, adding song after song to their favorites list.

According to music therapist Jenni Rook, by creating a specialized playlist of around half an

hour long, it is possible to achieve relaxation, positive emotions and increased motivation.

Music is really a combination of many different elements, such as pitch, tempo, and dynamics.

How fast, slow, or loud the music, the differently it impacts our brains (Rook). By finding

music that matches the current mood and transitioning into music that evokes how someone

wants to feel and slowly moves them into that mood over the half hour period of the playlist. By

using familiar music, songs that speaks to the listener, that they like, some without lyrics and
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music that matches their mood, someone can create their own relaxing playlist (Rook). This

holds the potential to help people who just want to relax on their own a little, and even provides

good insight on how actual music therapy works.

But music has had effects on other conditions as well, not just anxiety and depression.

Physiological effects are seen during studies that review the effect of music on anxiety. Listening

to music has shown to reduce blood pressure, pulse and heart rate. Studies also show that those

who listen to music before, during and or after surgery had lower anxiety about the surgery than

those who did not. According to Pam Mellskog, a Colorado health reporter who observed and

researched the effects of music therapy,

In 2000, Cheryl Dileo, a music therapy professor at Temple University, launched one of

the most ambitious studies to measure the effects of music therapy. She reviewed 183

studies published since 1963 that involved more than 8,000 subjects. She found that

music therapy was effective in decreasing aggression in Alzheimer's patients and

relieving pain in cancer patients.

Many dementia patients see reduced anxiety, depression, and improved memory. According to

Mellskog, Maria Brignola, coordinator of the Counseling and Therapy Department at Portland's

Adventist Medical Center, says that hospitals provide the quiet places needed for therapeutic

work and Music encourages recovery because it mirrors life-giving biological rhythms such as

the heartbeat. This is interesting to think about and could be why music is said to be a universal

language. These studies only contribute to the conclusion that music reduces anxiety, stress, and

depression things that interfere with healing and health (Eells).

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However, while music can help change someones mood positively, it can also have the

opposite effect and bring up negative emotions or memories (Eells) (Rook). A bad memory

associated with a certain song could trigger an undesired reaction from the client. A slow song or

a song too fast paced, like heavy metal, might accidently make their mood worse or potentially

violent. Therefore, it is very important to consider if music therapy is a good alternative

treatment option for different people, who all have gone through unique situations and different

conditions. According to Ells research, these findings contrast with those of Cooke et al (2010),

which indicated that participation in the music programme did not significantly affect agitation

and anxiety in older people with dementia. While it has proved effective in other cases such as

reducing anxiety and depression in patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Dementia, it

could have the opposite effects for other people or conditions.

Music has become about many things; self-expression, tradition, culture, bringing people

together, the experience, or even just sending a message. How has music been used to help those

with anxiety/depression? How does music affect anxiety/depression? Music has become usable

in various ways, from simple self-made playlists to music therapy, to help people with anxiety,

depression and other such conditions/disorders by changing their mood, thoughts, and behavior.

Although there are potential negatives from music therapy, the positive effects far outweigh

them. Various small studies have proven that music is an effective therapy capable of reducing

anxiety and depression levels in patients with different conditions like Generalized Anxiety

Disorder, Depression, or even Dementia. It has also proven to improve memory, overall health

and quality of living. Music speaks to us on different levels of communication, and has the

capability in aiding the healing process and treatment of many conditions if used correctly.

Music has holds a great power, it can bring together so many people for events, it can send a
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message in the song, lyrics, and video, invoke certain thoughts or feelings, and behaviors. Music

has become a rather popular form of art therapy, and it has worked wonders in helping people in

various ways, like a mystic power that speaks to people across the world. So, plug in some

headphones and turn on some music.

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Works Cited

Eells, Karen. "The Use of Music and Singing to Help Manage Anxiety in Older Adults." Mental

Health Practice, vol. 17, no. 5, Feb. 2014, pp. 10-17. EBSCOhost.

Gutirrez, Enrique Octavio Flores and Vctor Andrs Tern Camarena. "Music Therapy in

Generalized Anxiety Disorder." Arts in Psychotherapy, vol. 44, July 2015, pp. 19-24.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1016/j.aip.2015.02.003.

Mellskog, Pam. "Music Therapy Is Used in Many Ways to Help Patients Heal." Alternative

Therapies, edited by Sylvia Engdahl, Greenhaven Press, 2012. Current Controversies.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010562261/OVIC

?u=dayt30401&xid=8d49581. Accessed 30 Oct. 2017. Originally published as "The

Sounds of Healing," Vibrant Life, vol. 25, Nov.-Dec. 2009, pp. 14-17.

Rook, Jenni. 6 Ways Music Eases Anxiety. Anxiety.org, 29 Oct. 2016,

www.anxiety.org/music-therapy-stress-reducing-playlist.

"Worry Less For Better Health." NYTimes.com Video Collection, 4 Aug. 2017. Opposing

Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CT503628230/OVIC?u=dayt

30401&xid=19c63974. Accessed 26 Oct. 2017.