Did you wake up to the “alarming” sound of your alarm clock this morning? Why? Is it healthy to get jolted out of a good night’s sleep by a loud, obnoxious buzzing noise that makes your heart pound and gives you an adrenaline rush?  Music for therapy can start first thing upon waking.

The right sort of music has a definite beneficial effect on our health.  Think of a Mother’s bedside lullaby to her child.  This is a good example of how a soft melody can have a calming effect.  Now think of your favorite loud, blaring rock and roll tune that you are enthusiastically screaming along with while driving your car.  Although enjoyable, the latter is not exactly restful and relaxing.

Music Therapy is an established healthcare profession.  Wikipedia describes it as “an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets – physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic and spiritual – to help clients to improve or maintain their health”.  We’ve heard that prenatal stimulation through the music heard regularly while in the womb might provide some babies with a sense of comfort.  Progressive Doctors know that music has a soothing effect on their patients who are under stress or dealing with pain.  Modern day Dentists also know that while they are drilling around at high speed in their patient’s mouths that the patient can be distracted from the work while his attention is drawn to the background music.

While our Doctors and Dentists use music to calm us, many of us don’t think of using music for therapy in our day to day lives.  If you are not fortunate, as I am, in having musical family members who love to sing and play their musical instrument and music daily, then do yourself a favor and listen for everyday wonderful, soothing sounds such as birds singing outside your window.  Why not attend local choir concerts where children or adults are singing.  Regularly treat yourself to a musical theatre production.  Play your favorite musical tunes in your car to help calm you while stuck in traffic.  If you are stressed try humming a tune yourself.

Music does not need a prescription.  Put yourself in charge of your health and remember music for therapy when you need to:

– Manage Pain
– Lift your mood
– Reduce your dependence on sedatives
– Relieve anxiety
– Ease depression
– Enhance relationships and creativity
– Promote feelings of confidence and well-being
– Relax and enjoy your life

Believe in the power of music for therapy.  Music therapy combined with laughter therapy is the best kind of medicine with no prescription required.

Tags: Ease Depression, Manage Pain, Music for Therapy, Relieve Anxiety