There are various kinds of therapy around the world.
Therapies are able to help mental and physical illness without taking medicines or surgical treatments, such as aromatherapy, art therapy, animal therapy, or music therapy. The people who need therapy are able to talk with a counselor to pick which therapy are the best for them. In recent years, music therapy has become the most famous therapy in the U.S, because there is an organization and a national license for music therapy. In addition, this therapy became popular worldwide. Music is so familiar for us to listen to and it can help cure all people, from children to older people, who have any mental illness or stress.
Therefore, music therapy has great advantages as a medicine. Music therapy can not cure the disease directly, however, it can help to solve the problems of a person who has mental illness.According to the homepage of American Music Therapy Association, “Music therapy has been an invaluable tool with many of our rehabilitation patients. There is no question that the relationship of music and medicine will blossom because of the advent of previously unavailable techniques that can now show the effects of music”(Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy , 2017). The first music therapy research was published in an article titled “Music Physically Considered” by Columbian Magazine in 1789. In the early 1800s, Edwin Atlee (1804) and Samuel Mathews (1806) issued two medical papers on music therapy. Atlee and Mathews were students of doctor and psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Rush, who strongly insisted on using music to cure illness.
In the 1800’s, experiments were conducted by music therapy. Music therapy began officially in 20th century after World War I and World War II. At the time, a lot of soldiers had physical and emotional trauma from the wars (History of Music Therapy, 2017).However, presently in the U.
S., there is an organization of music therapy. The National Association for Music Therapy was established in 1950 and the American Association for Music Therapy was established in 1971. Many purposes of AAMT were similar to NAMT, but there was a difference to the approaches, such as philosophy, and education. Since 1980, AAMT has published its own research and clinical journals, and by 1997, AAMT increased to 700 people. The United States has established a treatment method of music therapy (History of Music Therapy, 2017).
In other cases in Japan, they also have an organization for music therapy now. There are numerous music therapy research groups, each of which has conducted research and training activities. However, in 1995, the Bio Music Conference of the Research which objectively evaluated the influence of music on the body, and the clinical Music Therapy Society mainly studied, developed, and promoted the technique of music therapy in the clinical setting. The two groups were united and the “All Japan Music Therapy Federation” was established. Later, this organization changed its name and launched the “Japan Music Therapy Association” on April 1, 2001. Japanese music therapy has grown rapidly from the 1990s to the beginning of 2000. As a result, awareness in society increased, many professional and students specializing in music therapy were also growing, and music therapy activities spread nationwide (Japanese Music Therapy Association, 2017).
There are a lot of kinds of mental illness lately, such as problem solving skills, depression, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), developmental disorders, schizophrenia, and so on. Stress may cause mental illness, such as staying stress over a long period of time, strong shocks because of traffic accidents or deaths of family members, bullying at school, and power harassment from a boss at work. The reason why various diseases are caused by stress is that the body responds to stress and the sympathetic nervous system is excited among the autonomic nerves, so that when the stress hormone is secreted, the immune function is suppressed (Diseases caused by stress, 2017).There are two types of major methods of music therapy. One type is Active Therapy, the other is Passive Therapy.
How decide the treatment method of passive music therapy or active music therapy, the preferences of music are different for each patient, and even if the same music is heard, how they feel will be different depending on the person. Therefore, it is necessary to consult with a skilled musician or a professional who has the ability of counselor with high interpersonal skills (A world Forum for Music Therapy.n.d.).Active music therapy is performed under a music therapist, performing with instruments such as piano, guitar, flute and singing songs. Also, sometimes people play and sing along within a group.
Karaoke is also used as active music therapy, and such as dancing without putting a big burden on the body, and hitting the keyboard of the piano and composing it easily. This therapy is also effective for elderly people who have difficulty playing or singing musical instruments or care for people with disabilities in the limbs or vocal organs (What is the active music therapy?, 2015).On the other hand, in passive music therapy, the music therapist tells which music is suited to the patient’s taste and which music can expect the relaxation effect etc. Passive music therapy has been studied all over the world, and it is proved by the Mind Lab institute that music produced by the British Music Therapy Society has the effect of lowering heart rate and stress hormone (What is the passive music therapy?, 2015).After taking music therapy, it obviously helps the frontal lobe, which is part in the front of our brain.
This part is most significant for our emotional control. People who always smile use their a frontal lobe to control their emotion. For instance, there are positive physiological changes, such as lower blood pressure, reduced heart rate, and relaxed muscle tension (Bonde, Wigram, 2002).
In addition, the first study showed the effect of music therapy on diverse mental disorders. The following seven studies focused on patients with schizophrenia. In the first study, music therapy had a positive effect on psychiatric patients within the treatment process. Family relationships and the social environment of mental patients were deeply involved in the treatment. The purpose of the study was to set up a relaxed space and time without requiring communication, and to explore how patients change with music therapy. The results show that severe psychiatric patients were less expressive power of emotions and communication skills than others.
However, using music therapy, mental patients were able to take advantage of their expressiveness (Ramos, 2016).IMTAP Music Therapy Domain Profile.(2002). Licensed by Sally S.
ForbesMoreover, music therapy is so helpful in developing these social skills. It depends on people who join group work or individual work. For instance, according to one article, “Music-facilitated interactions and structured instrument playing are effective to improve social skills in school-age populations. Social problem solving skills in 5-year old students are increased on a long-term basis through creative musical activities. Positive effects induced by music helps to improve social problem solving skills in middle school students” (Special Education, 2017).Other case is according to another article, “Music therapy improves the health of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a new study finds. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.
S. Patients with COPD experience symptoms including shortness of breath, wheezing, an ongoing cough, frequent colds or flu, and chest tightness. The researchers found that the patients who received music therapy in conjunction with standard rehabilitation saw an improvement in symptoms, as well as their psychological well-being and quality of life, according to the study which appears in Respiratory Medicine(Libov, 2015).”In addition, listening to music can release anger and sad emotions.
We should have experienced the change in feelings once in our lives by listening to music. When I became homesick, I also often listened that music changed my emotions and I decided to do it hard again. After having fought with friends and family, when the mood is high, by listening to calm classical and slow tempo music, I calm the feelings. Also, when going on a trip, listening to an up tempo song in a car making your mood even more excited. Music enriches our daily lives.
As mentioned above, there is the evidence that how music therapy works for people who have mental illness. At various times and in various cultures over the past two and a half millennia – and probably still further back in time – music has been medicine. “Performing and listening to music has been thought to achieve something more than arousal or entertainment; something different than beneficially outlasts the performance – that maintains or restores the health of mind and, even body” (Horden, 2017). It is impossible to completely treat mental illness, however, music therapy is one of the great medical treatments.
