Mental Health and Music Therapy

 

Life is uncertain!

And what if something happened antithetical to the way you thought it would be happening? And this actually happens often.

Yes! This is life, having consequent crests and troughs.  And thus unfortunately, failures are a part of life. But these are pocket hole-sized reasons that must be stitched and recognised as life-lessons.

Alas! Instead of stitching it, the victim continuously gets more indulged and tangled in it and this results in agonization.

But in daily livelihood, all these awful agonies are just turned into some overused words with overlooked outcomes, like depression or mentally unstable.

Recently, an excruciating incident was witnessed by us, we lost one of our spellbindingly talented Bollywood stars, Sushant Singh Rajput. Keeping the debates regarding his murder aside, it was reported that he committed suicide because of depression.

And what happened next? Every particular question that arose were answered with just a single word ‘depression’. And it marked a full stop to every loudmouth!

His story got exposed because he earned the limelight throughout his life with his talents and struggles. But these incidents are obviously happening in the society of general public too.  And so, treatments are must.

Though medicinal treatment are there but sometimes alternative do exist and here the very effective treatment of music therapy comes into play.

                                                                                              -SUSHANT SOURAV

                                                         

Music therapy is the use of music to address the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of a group or individual. It employs a variety of activities, such as listening to melodies, playing an instrument, drumming, writing songs, and guided imagery. Music therapy is appropriate for people of all ages, whether they are virtuosos or tone deaf, struggling with illnesses or totally healthy.

Music therapy touches all aspects of the mind, body, brain, and behaviour. Music can provide a distraction for the mind, it can slow the rhythms of the body, and it can alter our mood, which in turn can influence behaviour.

Music therapy is a broad field. Music therapists use music-based experiences to address client needs in one or more domains of human functioning: cognitive, academic, emotional/psychological; behavioural; communication; social; physiological (sensory, motor, pain, neurological and other physical systems), spiritual, aesthetics. Music experiences are strategically designed to utilize the elements of music for therapeutic effects, including melody, harmony, key, mode, meter, rhythm, pitch/range, duration, timbre, form, texture, and instrumentation. The therapy is predominantly led by the client and is used to help the client to express their issues and problems when they may find it difficult to do so.

Some common music therapy practices include developmental work (communication, motor skills, etc.) with individuals with special needs, songwriting and listening in reminiscence, orientation work with the elderly, processing and relaxation work, and rhythmic entrainment for physical rehabilitation in stroke victims. Music therapy is used in medical hospitals, cancer centers, schools, alcohol and drug recovery programs, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, and correctional facilities.

                                                                                   -SATVIK SAXENA

                                             

You may be asked to tune in to your emotions as you perform these tasks or allow your feelings to direct your actions. For example, if you are angry, you might play or sing loud, fast, and dissonant chords.  In addition to using music to express your feelings without words, you may also explore ways to change how you feel with music. If you express anger or stress, your music therapist might respond by having you listen to or create music with slow, soft, soothing tones. 

You may notice that switching to calm music makes you feel calm—and there is a scientific explanation. Several studies have shown that heart rate and blood pressure readings respond to changes in volume and tempo.2Between sessions, your music therapist may give you shorter exercises to do at home. They may recommend using apps on your smartphone to play music, generate sounds, and track your progress.  It has long been suggested that music can help reduce or manage stress. Consider the trend centred on meditative music created to soothe the mind and inducing relaxation. Fortunately, this is one trend supported by research. Listening to music can be an effective way to cope with stress.

Research has shown that music can be very helpful in the management of pain. One study of fibromyalgia patients found that those who listened to music for just one hour a day experienced a significant reduction in pain compared to those in a control group.

At the end of the four-week study period, participants who had listened to music each day experienced significant reductions in feelings of pain and depression. Such results suggest that music therapy could be an important tool in the treatment of chronic pain. Another important psychological benefit of music lies in its ability to boost performance. While people have a preferred step frequency when walking and running, scientists have discovered that the addition of a strong, rhythmic beat, such as fast-paced musical track, could inspire people to pick up the pace. Runners are not only able to run faster while listening to music; they also feel more motivated to stick with it and display greater endurance. The ideal tempo for workout music is somewhere between 125 and 140 beats per minute.

                                                                                  -SHUBHAM JAISWAL

                                                

Music therapies have some benefits over traditional therapy as Music therapy does not rely on verbal communication like other therapy. So, it will be much more helpful to people who struggle to communicate verbally. Other therapy and counselling may not be suitable for people who are troubled to communicate. Additionally, doctors can bring music therapy directly to a person, such as if they cannot get out of bed or are unable to get to a therapist’s office which is not possible in most of other therapy. There are some other benefits which talking therapy might not have. For example, by working on a piece of music a person can improve is memory skills, coordination, comprehension. People can also get good sense of achievement in creating a piece of music. It can also help in improving their self-esteem and confidence and keep them motivated. It also helps in increased verbalization, interaction with other people. Although music therapy is not a cure for any mental health condition, it can be an effective and enjoyable tool for reducing the symptoms of numerous conditions, including depression and anxiety. Music therapy offers people a creative and accessible way of expressing their feelings and processing their experiences.

                                                                         - SHIVAM KUMAR 

                                      

Music Therapy can be broadly described as the use of Music in a therapeutic context in order to help improve mental health. Music Therapy does not simply imply the playing of music to patients, relaxing though this may be, but in fact it does involve more active involvement of the patient, so as to use the power of music in order to help improve the mental health of patients and in order to treat mental health conditions. We review the evidence for the effect of Music Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, Sleep Disorders, and Dementia. Encouraging singing appears to be a good adjunct to treating all of these conditions, and it also seems to help bonding between mothers and children within families. Music appears to be beneficial to both the individual, and to the improvement of social cohesion. The reasons for this must reside in the nature of music itself as an art form which supports human interactions within society.

A music therapy session may incorporate different elements, such as making music, writing songs, or listening to music. Music therapists are trained in more than music; their education often covers a wide range of clinical skills, including communication, cognitive neuroscience, psychological disorders, as well as chronic illness and pain management Music and sound therapy have several subtle but important differences. Each type has its own goals, protocols, tools, and settings. Music therapy is also a relatively new discipline compared to the concept of sound healing, which is based on ancient Tibetan cultural practices.

                                                                                -SMIT SOJITRA

                                        

Music therapy has been proven to be of beneficial use to older adults all over the world. Dr. Hanne Mette Ridder, a musical therapy expert from Denmark, studied the importance of the roles of musical therapists and caregivers on the mental well-being of patients suffering from dementia. The use of musical interaction has been proven as a key factor in many countries for the improvement of older adult’s overall health. According to Karen Stuart, South Africa has poor quality services provided by hospital care facilities to elders dealing with dementia, therefore she discovered singing to be an effective method for improving patient’s well-being. The playing of classical music or therapeutic singing resulted in enjoyment, awareness, and engagement. Providing a source of music in hospitals or care centres are valuable methods for contributing to the care of the patients, while also relieving stress placed on the caregiver and forming a bond between the patient and the caretaker. Also, passive listening to personalized playlists is being promoted in dementia care.

Like many of the other disorders mentioned, some of the most common significant effects of the disorder can be seen in social behaviours, leading to improvements in interaction, conversation, and other such skills. A meta-study of over 330 subjects showed that music therapy produces highly significant improvements in social behaviours, overt behaviours like wandering and restlessness, reductions in agitated behaviours, and improvements to cognitive defects, measured with reality orientation and face recognition tests. The effectiveness of the treatment seems to be strongly dependent on the patient and the quality and length of treatment.

                                                                                 -SAHIL YADAV 

                                 

We believe music has a unique role to play in the development of our personalities and lives. While this is a personal belief, we have encountered many people in the world who share it.  Furthermore, there is mounting evidence to support it.  There is something about music that broadens, deepens, and enriches our personalities and lives, thereby making it of vital importance to people in all parts of the world regardless of what type of music they listen to or prefer. This belief can be traced back to ancient times.  The great Greek philosopher Plato was a strong believer in the unique role that music can play in our lives, especially at an early age.  Not only did he say, “I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy, but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning,” but also, he believed that “musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul, on which they mightily fasten.” As we take an example of our Bollywood superstar Mr. Sanjay Dutt. That how music influenced his life while suffering from cancer and to make comeback in his carrier. As in the biography we seen that Sunil Dutt his father taught Sanjay dutt to fight fear with the help of Ustaad Sahir Ludhianvi’s song, Na Moonh Chupa Ke Jiyo, Na Sir Jhuka Ke Jiyo. This song is from the movie, Humraaz (1967), and gave Sunil Dutt Sahab alot of courage to fight his fear when he wanted to marry Nargis Ji. The same song helped Sanjay Dutt to fight his fear of not joining hands with the underworld. The second song which Sunil Dutt Sahab taught Sanjay Dutt (Sanju) was for the work ethics. Ustaad Anand Bakshi’s song, Duniya Mein Rehna Hai To Kaam Kar Pyaare,from the movie, Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) taught Sanjay the importance of work and why he should not give morning shot in evening. Sunil Dutt Sahab made Sanju focus on work and become successful actor with the help of Ustad Anand Bakshi. Coming to the third song, which taught Sanjay Dutt to accept criticism and figure out what is write. Sanjay has to figure out this song himself because before Suniel Dutt Saheb could tell him he passed away. The song was Kuch Toh LogKahenge, Logo Ka Kaam Hai Kehna, penned by Ustaad Anand Bakshi and filmed in movie Amar Prem (1972). The same song name was used by the famous biographer, played by Anushka Sharma, to pen down the name of biography of Sanjay Dutt. These three songs are not just important for Sanjay Dutt, but also for every person. We can always look up to the Ustaads, who have penned beautiful teachings in their songs, whenever we are stuck up in life. So, Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears – it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more – it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life.

                                                                                                       -SATYAM KUMAR

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AUTHORS- Sushant Sourav, Satvik Saxena, Satyam Kumar, Smit Sojitra,                           Sahil Yadav, Shubham Jaiswal, Shivam Kumar