They provide the following:
- distraction and relaxation
- support physical rehabilitation
- help with learning skills, strengthening memory, and supporting learning
- encourage empowerment and self-esteem
Music therapists use music to meet the psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs of patients and their families.
Music has been found to be an effective therapy for several conditions. It lowers levels of loneliness and anxiety in the elderly, eases depression, reduces stress in pregnant women, decreases the heart rate and blood pressure in cardiac patients, and strengthens the immune systems of patients after surgeries.
Many people find that music distracts them from the painful moment, helping to reduce mental stress. In fact, in some hospitals, staff members give patients tapes of soothing music and reassuring voice-overs to use during procedures. In clinical studies, both doctors and patients agreed that listening to music produced greater decreases in peaks of tension, and it produced greater compliance with relaxation practice. While the studies are limited, it’s thought that music therapy can help to improve mood and pain tolerance. This therapy is thought to enhance the parasympathetic response through the effects of sound, encouraging relaxation at a deep level. Moreover, relaxation has been shown to alter perceptions of pain.