MusicTherapyassign1.docx

Running Head: MUSIC THERAPY 1

MUSIC THERAPY

Music Therapy
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation
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Music has been within society for a long time, primarily for recreational purposes. However, music in the medical field is an effective tool for various diseases. Music therapy denotes a form of evidence-based practice that helps treat multiple conditions. Music has become an evidence-based practice that has become well-established within the healthcare industry. Music is a form of therapy that helps treat various dis s, including substance abuse, autism, lower blood pressure, cardiac conditions, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and help lower stress levels and improve self-esteem.
Music therapy affects various conditions affecting individuals in society. Firstly, the members of the military service and veterans are a group of people who benefit from the rehabilitating effects of music. This is a group of people who faces so much stress and trauma due to warfare and the traumatic effects of war. Music, therefore, helps relieve and lower their stress levels and recover from the traumatic experiences they go through during their professional line of duty. Additionally, for people who experience frequent high levels of stress, trauma, pain, and anxiety, music is the solution for such experiences. Music therapy can help individuals decrease these adverse experiences by improving their mood, helping them feel confident and in control of their lives, and also provides a non-verbal outlet for feelings and emotions.
Music therapy utilizes several methods, including dancing, singing, listening to music, and playing instruments. These methods can help people recover from substance abuse dis by creating a sense of community, self-expression, and confidence. Music therapy affects individuals experiencing substance abuse dis because it helps therapists identify and articulate their emotions. Music helps these individuals relax, build connections with their therapists and their feelings, and feel accomplished. Music therapy in the rehabilitation of individuals experiencing substance and drug abuse is utilized in two methods. The two methods include the receptive and active methods. The receptive method involves listening to live or pre-recorded music that the therapist selects (Hohmann, et al., 2017). It offers the patients relaxation and is a form of analytical exercise. On the other hand, the active method involves collaboration between the patient and therapist in playing musical instruments. This helps in evoking various emotions and feelings within these individuals.
Music therapy can assist in treating autism. The treatment can help individuals with autism grow their skills in several areas, including communication, behavior, sensory, cognition, motor, social, and self-reliance skills. Music therapies strike a chord with specific individuals hence makes personal connections and builds their levels of trust. Music therapy has been known to have several benefits for people with autism. The benefits include improved vocalization and verbalization, proper social conduct, attention towards tasks, communication, body awareness, coordination, and self-care skills. Additionally, music therapy reduces the anxiety levels of people with autism. Individuals within the autism scope show interest in and are responsive towards music. Music is engaging and motivating; hence it can help with autism patients who have sensory aversions to particular sounds and help them navigate sound sensitivities or personal differences in their auditory sound processing.
Music has a calming effect if individuals listen to the music of their choice because everybody has a different genre preference. The calming effect of music can help lower the blood pressure of individuals (Do Amaral, et al., 2016). Listening to a calming genre of music helps decrease blood pressure and therefore reduces the heart’s working rate. Additionally, calming music can be incorporated in meditation which is a technique that is becoming increasingly popular in lowering high levels of blood pressure. The calming effect of music helps significantly control individuals’ blood pressure levels, hence putting their health in a better position.
The effect of music on cardiac-related issues cannot be underestimated. Music has benefits for individuals’ cardiovascular health. Music therapy is beneficial for the health of the human heart by altering an individual’s chemistry in their brain. The most prevalent example is the ability of music to help individuals exercise for more extended periods during cardiac stress testing. Music has been found to improve the functioning of the blood vessels, help the blood pressure levels and heart return to normal levels following physical exertion, and help with anxiety in surviving individuals of heart attacks. Additionally, it allows persons in the recovery path following heart surgery to feel less stress and pain. Although music therapy has considerable benefits to cardiac issues, patients need to remember it is not the only form of treatment. Therefore individuals experiencing these issues should follow up on their prescribed medication and other instructions from their physicians.
Music therapy takes the form of listening to music and singing songs and is linked to behavioral and emotional benefits for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. This is possible through the brain regions associated with musical memory, which are undamaged by the disease. Music benefits the patient and their caregiver by reliving their stress levels, lightening their mood, and offering ways for connecting with the individuals under their care suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. To help individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers can make playlists regarding their patients’ preferences, set the mood by singing along or dancing, and avoid overstimulation. Additionally, caregivers can encourage their patients to make movements and pay attention to how their patients respond to the music stimuli.
Music is rooted in human identity and culture. Music evokes a distinct emotional experience for those who listen to it. This is similar to the experiences of persons with dementia. Music has the power to evoke emotions and memories that helps an individual acquire a link to their past (Fusar-Poli, et al., 2018). Music also improves interconnections between dementia patients and their caregivers. Dementia involves severe levels of brain impairment. Despite this factor, some activities remain rooted in a person’s brain and do not decline easily. Music therapy helps evoke these memories for people with dementia. It might include a person pedaling a bicycle, for example. Although they might not remember who the person is, they will remember the memory.
In addition to treating diseases, music can help raise the self-esteem of individuals. This is possible through the creative environment that music stimulates. Music creates an environment for a creative process within individuals. Through music, individuals can realize their potential and talents in various fields. This helps build their self-confidence in considerable ways. Additionally, music comes in different genres including, love and motivation music. These kinds of music can help individuals feel better about themselves and get over their insecurities. With a boost of music, an individual can initiate the necessary steps towards a life issue or their desired career, which helps build self-confidence and, therefore, boosts their self-esteem.
In conclusion, music plays a critical role in society. The society holds individuals including dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, substance abuse dis , autism, cardiac conditions, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, and boosting self-esteem. Music is commonly known as an entertaining element in society. However, the medical field has re-invented the purpose of music in the community. Currently, music therapy is increasingly becoming popular and has depicted considerable benefits. Individuals experiencing various conditions improve on their basic skills as a result of music. Music therapy is an essential part of the medical field And has shown that it is effective in treating various illnesses affecting society. Ultimately, music is good for the soul.

References
Do Amaral, M. A. S., Neto, M. G., de Queiroz, J. G., Martins-Filho, P. R. S., Saquetto, M. B., & Carvalho, V. O. (2016). Effect of music therapy on blood pressure of individuals with hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal of cardiology, 214, 461-464.
Fusar-Poli, L., Bieleninik, Ł., Brondino, N., Chen, X. J., & Gold, C. (2018). The effect of music therapy on cognitive functions in patients with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging & mental health, 22(9), 1103-1112.
Hohmann, L., Bradt, J., Stegemann, T., & Koelsch, S. (2017). Effects of music therapy and music-based interventions in the treatment of substance use dis s: A systematic review. PloS one, 12(11), e0187363.