Mental Disorders: Music Therapy

Therapy has been used as a healing process from disorders and traumatic experiences. It can heal the mind, which then heals the soul and is an alternative to taking medication. Music therapy is becoming a popular way of healing the body from everyday conditions. Music alone is a powerful source of communication between people. It’s able to evoke different emotions and enhance moods. We tend to forget how complex music can be and how it can actually aid in helping someone through a disorder. Greek culture used music as powerful healing medicine for the body and soul. Native Americans and the Ottoman Empire believed in singing and chanting for healing and dealing with mental illness (Ni, Maoshing). Music therapy became recognized after World War II, when musicians played in hospitals for veterans recovering from their injuries. Doctors noticed emotional and physical responses from the patients that led them to hire musicians to play on a regular basis (American Music Therapy Association). Dr. Benjamin Rush – a physician and psychiatrist – believed in using music to treat medical diseases in the 1800s (American Music Therapy Association). It has since evolved into a serious profession amongst many physicians. A music therapy session is unique to the individual and their specific needs. Each …show more content…
According to Dr. Catherine Ulbricht from psycologytoday.com, music therapy has proven to help disorders such as autism, dementia, and depression. Classical music especially has had positive affects on patients. “…Classical music has been found to cause comfort and relaxation while rock music may lead to discomfort” (Ulbricht, 2013). Music therapy actually increases patient’s responsiveness to antidepressants while decreasing blood pressure, heart rate, and depressed