Still talking!

I am still talking about music therapy to everyone who will listen! Just today, the owner of the tree pruning company I hired to prune my huge plum tree asked me what I do. I had planned to be home after my client this morning to pay him but had gotten a call from another client who had previously needed to cancel this afternoon's session but ended up being available for music therapy today. So when he said, "so what do you do?" I launched into action!! He shared with me some experiences he has had with alternative therapies, and said although he considers himself pretty well informed he had not heard of music therapy. I still have so much talking to do! I have to add that I was stopped in the hall at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital the other day by a physician who wanted to ask me about what I do. He smiled and nodded and agreed that music is indeed, therapeutic. . . had a similar experience this past Monday. Another doctor and several nurses chatted with me about their own experiences with the healing power of music. I asked if they could refer me some patients on the floor who could benefit, and, instead of the usual "oh, I can't think of anyone" said, "Really EVERYONE on the floor could benefit!" Yes!! That's what I like to hear! (Actually music therapy is contraindicated in some situations.)

Music = Brain Exercise

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science/index.html When you play music, you are exercising your brain in a unique way. In fact, very few things change the brain like music does. "I think there's enough evidence to say that musical experience, musical exposure, musical training, all of those things change your brain," says Dr. Charles Limb, associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins University. "It allows you to think in a way that you used to not think, and it also trains a lot of other cognitive facilities that have nothing to do with music."

Music Therapy and Dementia

Here's a great article about music therapy and dementia: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-friedman-lmsw/music-dementia_b_1483446.html

"More Science Suggests Music Can Boost Mind and Body"

Great article at www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/well-being

It says that according to new research, music therapy can effect huge changes in the lives of people suffering from mental-hearth issues such as depression.

Lead researcher and professor Christian gold explained, "Music therapy has specific qualities that allows people to express themselves and interact in a nonverbal way.  Even when people can't find the words to describe their inner experiences, the music helps them to open up." 

However, simply giving someone an instrument to play wasn't enough.  "The greatest impact came when there was a coherent explanation of what music therapy does and why the music therapists were there."  said another lead researcher.

So how does it work?  The researchers on this study suggest music therapy is a fresh, less threatening means of getting people to open up, especially those feeling isolated or alienated.  Music helps people connect in a way that conventional counseling may not.

The physical act of drumming can produce a sense of euphoria, researchers said in the article.  These "feel good" hormones are produced when people engage in drumming, which can be an intense cardiovascular activity, and a good workout for the upper body.

An exercise scientist, Dr. Karageorghis, is quoted in the article to say that, "Since the Old Testament depiction of young David curing King Saul's depression with  . . . his harp, we have been aware of the therapeutic effects of music.   . .  but my research has also shown that music is able to achieve an efgogenic effect -- heightening arousal levels, creating positive mood states and distracting attention from perceptions of fatigue."

Journal of Biomusical Engineering

http://www.ashdin.com/journals/jbe/aims.aspx
Music, The Body in Time and Self-Similarity Concepts by Daniel Schenck

This abstract discusses how research into selfsimilarity and space-time can provide insight into the mechanisms by which the six elements of music (rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics, and form) are successful in eliciting profound physiological responses. When these mechanisms are more fully understood, they can be used  to develop diagnostic protocols which contribute a scientific basis for using music as a clinical intervention in a variety of diagnosed populations.