When Words Fail, Music Speaks: Adding Music to Talk Therapy

Stressful situations are sometimes unavoidable. Stress is a normal human response to situations and experiences at work, with family, and even internally- our attitudes and beliefs. There is a growing emphasis on taking care of our mental health these days, for good reason. There are many ways for people to alleviate symptoms of stress, including exercise, meditation, social support, and therapy. Music therapy is the use of music (singing, instrument playing, and songwriting and other interventions) to address the physical, emotional, mental, and cognitive needs of a person. Research has shown that listening to music affects our autonomic nervous system, helping us to recover from stressful situations faster. 

Music therapists are trained to initiate this by guiding patients through music listening exercises and sync their breathing to match the rhythm of music, which can slow their heart rate. But therapy sessions aren’t just two people listening to music together. We help patients process the memories and emotions that are evoked when engaging in music, and then explore their reactions to these through verbal discussion. We can then work through music improvisation, lyric writing, or singing to make changes to our reactions in order to re-process difficult situations. 

Music therapy can be an excellent modality to explore feelings and situations that are difficult to convey in words. There is no pressure to come into the therapy room and sing or play an instrument, the sessions often look like traditional therapy- with the added sensory experience of sound and the extra tool of learning to use music for self-care.