The Amazing Benefits of Music Therapy
If you haven’t created a personal favourite relaxation playlist, here’s a good reason to do so: Healing music can help you fight stress, find comfort, and manage pain. And if you want an additional release through music therapy, put down your earbuds and pick up a drum! Getting your groove on enhances the effect of healing music.
Creating Your Personal Playlist
Start by identifying music that soothes you and helps you feel comfortable. Feeling obligated to include a little classical music? Only do so if it really works for you. Whether you like Mozart, Johnny Cash, or Aerosmith, the music that most helps you relax is a highly personal decision.
Grooving in Labour
Women planning vaginal childbirth are usually encouraged to bring along music that will help them relax during their labour; some women even hire musicians to provide live accompaniment.
“The way that music seems to be helpful is either as a distraction, where the mind creates images, or as an integration to more actively create breaths,” says Loewy, who recommends a mix of fast and slow music to support the breathing changes of labour. “It’s also used as a release of pain during labour.”
And don’t underestimate the benefit of control over your labour. Women generally recall the birth experience as positive in proportion to the amount of control they felt over their experience.
Having a supportive spouse is important of course, but the feeling of empowerment women gain from being able to choose music or the position in which they labour makes a significant difference in the birth experience.
Keeping the Beat
You don’t have to be a musician to appreciate playing a musical instrument or drum. The ability of rhythm to ease pain has been noted among patients in cancer wards and nursing homes, and it could even counter painful menstrual cramps or other daily aches.
Music therapy also fights addiction. Participating in group music-making can help people struggling with addiction find relaxation, social connection, and emotional release.
This is an amazingly easy and entertaining way to combat stress and boost your overall sense of well-being.
Source – Everyday Health
