Music therapy is the use
of music to gain physical and emotional healing and wellness. A trained and
certified music therapist can provide music therapy. Therapy sessions can
involve listening to music, music-making, or both.
beginning to reveal how music works to heal the body and mind.
The rhythm and tone of music can excite you
or relax you. Music therapy can help reduce your heart rate and blood pressure
and increase your ability to think, learn, reason, and remember.
Music-making is a healthy way of expressing yourself.
What is music therapy used for?
You can use music
therapy to help your mental and physical health. It helps people express
themselves, find new memories, and calm the body and mind through its rhythm,
order, and predictability. Music therapy is sometimes combined with movement
therapies, such as dance.
the brain produce a calming substance (melatonin).
well you speak.
Improving long-term and medium-term memory.
May help children deal with
necessary but painful procedures. Crying is often affected by
Is used to reduce the pain of cancer treatment.
Is music therapy safe?
Music therapy is considered
Always tell your doctor if you are using an alternative
therapy or if you are thinking about combining an alternative therapy with your
conventional medical treatment. It may not be safe to forgo your conventional
medical treatment and rely only on an alternative therapy.
Freeman L (2009). Physiologic pathways of mind-body communication. In L Freeman, ed., Mosby's Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach, 3rd ed., pp. 1-29. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.
Rodgers D, Micozzi MS (2011). Mind-body modalities. In MS Micozzi, ed., Fundamentals of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, 4th ed., pp. 106-129. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.
ByHealthwise Staff Primary Medical ReviewerAdam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Specialist Medical ReviewerKathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine