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ENG 112
Mrs. Carroll
Music therapy is constantly used to aid in mental health even though it is not viewed by
medical professionals as medicine. Some doctors think that prescription medicine is the
only medicine that can help, despite music therapy helping a wider range of people than
Music therapy can be used by every generation, every background, for many issues
including psychological, physical, and health. Veterans of war use it to help them
People who suffer from medical problems have show a decrease in stress, pain, and
depression when using and after music therapy is administered. These individuals were
overall happier and it made their healing, or dying, process easier. In a study conducted
from Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, family members were there to witness the benefits of
music therapy for loved ones in hospice and also those undergoing serious medical
treatments. What the study was looking for was the effect on family member's stress
level, quality of life, mood and helpfulness of the music therapy session for the patient
and theirself. The research showed that patients reported significant improvements in
pain, depression, distress, and mood scores. Family members of patients in palliative
medicine and hospice settings reported an immediate positive impact of music therapy
on the patient and on themselves,” (Rehabilitation). There are some of us that suffer
from being mentally handicap. Music therapy encourages stimulation of the brain to
accomplish motor skills like writing, walking, talking in complete sentences, fully
completing tasks that are put in front of them. Although music therapy is praised for the
bigger issues it handles, it is also used in very minute ways in many different settings.
An example of this is picking the right music to work out or study to. When you get into
the right mindset to accomplish what is put on front of you while using music therapy the
task becomes enjoyable. Music in this way acts almost as a reward. Music therapy is no
magic pill you take to see these amazing results. Music therapy is hard work. When a
music therapist meets a patient they assess the problem, face it head on with the
individual, and teach them how to live and cope with what is going on in their lives. So
The benefits of music therapy vary from individual to individual. I believe that this is the
reason is it not accepted by doctor's. There is no hard core fact that it could improve a
person's last days or months alive. If the individual hates music and would rather sit in
silence then music therapy will not be of any help to them. You can pick the right music
to put on when working out, but if you are not up for your workout then you are not
going to accomplish your goal. Some doctors see it as getting in the way and finding a
way to cover up mental problems of patients. They believe that it acts as a damper to
the problems that lie underneath by giving the individual a sense of false happiness. I
well as reducing pain. With runners this is called a runner’s high. It's caused by the
body's natural pain killers - endorphins - which are released when we're out of breath
and the body is under pressure. These endorphins block pain for a time and allow the
runner to reach their “second wind” and keep going. The same can be said for when
music is used and causes happiness and relaxation. Endorphins are released that put
your body at ease. This is why tasks are easier to accomplish when listening to music.
To say that music is a distraction might be right, but the benefits you get from it are
undenyable.
In hospitals, hospices, retirement homes, and adult daycares music therapy needs to be
implemented more. Too many hours are spent sitting, wishing there was something to
do. There is not enough stimulation of any kind in these environments. Many facilities
like these allow patients or residents to sit in their own waste, talk back to them very
rudely because they see them as being in the way, and many more horrible things. Why
is it so wrong to administer music therapy to these individuals to make them happy and
professional helping you. Every issue or goal you are trying to overcome needs to be
addressed and worked with. A plan is made for how these goals will be reached and a
timeline of what needs to be done when. Some individuals can jump right into where
they need to be based off of the goals they are reaching. For others there is more time,
work, and therapy - outside of music therapy - that needs to be completed before the
goal is achieved. A goal does not have to be a one time thing. The goal set is
determined by the individual. It might be for accomplishing something during the day, or
Because of its wide range of possibilities without consistent concrete evidence to back it
up it is not a widely practice field in medical facilities. I believe acceptance that medicine
cannot fix every problem that walks through the door will open the eyes of many people
curious about music therapy and its benefits. By allowing music therapy to be practiced
and monitored in a variety of setting we can gather more information on it and how it
works and can benefits those around us. The path has already been laid, all that we
“American Music Therapy Association.” Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy |
Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy | American Music Therapy Association
(AMTA), www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/.
Burns, Debra S., et al. "Cancer Patients' Interest and Preferences for Music
Therapy."Journal of Music Therapy, vol. 42, no. 3, 2005, pp. 185-99, eLibrary;
ProQuest Central,
http://nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/22355793
4?accountid=11866
Hilliard, Russelle E. "The use of Music Therapy in Meeting the Multidimensional Needs
of Hospice Patients and Families." Journal of Palliative Care, vol. 17,
no. 3, 2001, pp. 161-6. ProQuest,
https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2
14201548?accountid=10163.
"Rehabilitation; Recent Findings from Cleveland Clinic Provides New Insights into
Rehabilitation (Perceptions of Family Members of Palliative Medicine and Hospice
Patients Who Experienced Music Therapy)." Health & Medicine Week, May 26, 2017,
pp. 942. ProQuest,
https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1
899996451?accountid=10163.
"Neurology; Studies from University of Minnesota have Provided New Information about
Autism (Effects of a Music-Based Short Story on Short- and Long-Term Reading
Comprehension of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cluster Randomized
Study)." Psychology & Psychiatry Journal, Jul 09, 2016,
pp. 279. ProQuest,
https://login.proxy039.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2
113646244?accountid=10163.