Well-being Live better through music therapy

  Music Therapy

 

Against sleep disorders, anxiety or pain, music may in some cases replace drugs. Provided, of course, to be receptive ...

Soothing melodies broadcast by your dentist to the nursery rhyme you put to calm a child, the mu-sique, everyone has the intuition, softens the life. But it does not just appease, it also stimulates and allows to unlock emotional states. This is what music therapy teaches us, using this art to accompany some patients and improve the quality of life of people in pain. It inter-comes both in maternity homes and in institutions for the elderly. Seen from the outside world, one would be tempted to reduce the diffusion of these ritornellos, or the un-academic use of the instruments, to a simple animation. But music therapy is much more than a recreational activity. This vast technique, which is taught in five schools in France, apprehends harmonies, timbre, melodies and rhythm to "touch" people where they need them: sensory, cognitive, emotional or behavioral.
You can listen to music or ... do it

Music therapy uses two different approaches according to the disorders and the objectives of the individuals. The mode "active", to favor the expression. The person himself "makes" music. The therapist will offer percussion instruments, a tambourine, a piano ... for an instrumental improvisation, which can also include singing, rhythmic movements, etc. Since the goal is not the quality of the sound produced, no musical knowledge is necessary to participate in an active musi-cotherapy session. The "receptive" mode, that is to say the listening of careful music selected by the music-therapist according to what the person has to work. Some will bring out emotions that can serve as a basis for a therapeutic dialogue, others will promote concentration and memory, even creativity and vital energy. Again, no musical culture is necessary.

Music therapy is everywhere

If there is not yet a recognized national diploma, two schools and three universities provide, on a weekly basis, three-year courses including memory and internships. Musicians above all, future music therapists benefit from theoretical courses in psychology. In many settings, nurses or caregivers are trained in music therapy. Thus, in weaning centers, maternity, rehabilitation services (pneumology, rheumatology, neurology, etc.), anti-cancer and anti-cancer centers, more and more music therapists improve the quality of life and responsiveness to patient care.

Multiple benefits

One-off studies evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy ... Against anxiety. Music can sometimes be related to sophrology for its anti-anxiety power. It benefits patients before or after an intervention, premature babies, people in palliative care ... Against pain. Its effects have been proven against pain related to arthritis, backaches or migraines, and even in chirurgia. In many cases, the re-course to sedatives, including morphine, is diminished by simply listening to suitable music. For a better sleep. According to a study of the elderly, music therapy could help you fall asleep and reduce the number of awakenings. So as to relieve symptoms related to dementia. Musica reduces behavioral disturbances (agitation, aggressiveness, wandering) and promotes communication and expression.