Music Can Be Positively Used as Therapy or in Self-Help
Music can be a deeply emotional experience. Daniel Västfjäll, researcher at the Department of Psychology, Göteborg University, Sweden, notes that, “Music can arouse deep emotions in the listener.” The National Institute of Mental Health observes that many musicians and other creative artists have suffered from the “mood swings” associated with bipolar disorder (NIMH. 2002). There may be higher incidence of mania and depression among musicians, and some studies link those predisposed with bipolar disorder to a higher level of creativity (Jamison. K.R. 2014).
When one connects with a piece of music, the emotional experience resembles a flow of electricity moving from the singer, to the CD or radio, and then to the individual. With this in mind, music therapy uses the various types of music to manage and positively influence people's emotional, physical, and cognitive needs. It is a "planned, goal-directed process" (Peters. 2000), and many researchers have been studying music therapy as a treatment approach for mental illness, including its positive use in treating bipolar disorder and substance abuse in both young people and in adults (Bednarz & Nikkel, 1992).
Music can positively affect people's mental health. It can bring about calm and peaceful feelings, and provides a healthy diversion from the harshness of life. Bednarz & Nikkel (1992) studied the effect of music therapy on mental illness by looking at five interventions: music discussion, music instruction, group participatory music, music listening, and expressive music interventions. The researchers found improvement in the quality of life among the clients exposed to music therapy.
Researchers have also found that music can affect mood. Choi, Soo Lee, & Lim (2008), for example, in a small study of 26 patients with mental illness (including mood disorders), non-randomly assigned patients to a music intervention group or a routine care group. They found that after 15 weekly sessions, those in the music intervention group showed signs of significant improvement with their depression, anxiety, and relationships when compared to the control group.
Music therapist Jacqueline Schmidt Peters, MMT, BC (2000), makes reference to the usefulness of integrating music of varying types in the therapeutic process, and this intervention can be effective on patients with bipolar disorder. The process is simple and goes as follows: after initial assessment and evaluation of a patient, the psychotherapist works with a music therapist to design an intervention with a specific music and rhythmic experience to affect the patient's mood.
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