Music Therapy: Can It Really Improve Mental Health?

⬇️ Prefer to listen instead? ⬇️

• 🧠 A review found that music therapy significantly lessens symptoms of depression when used alongside standard treatment.
• 🎵 Music activates brain regions associated with emotion, memory, reward, and motor function simultaneously.
• 💊 Clinical trials show music therapy reduces cortisol, blood pressure, and psychological distress in chronically ill patients.
• 🫀 Music activities reduced anxiety and improved emotional functioning in patients with coronary heart disease.
• ⚠️ Experts emphasize music therapy must be led by certified professionals due to potential emotional triggers.

Rhythm and Recovery

When words fail, music speaks. Many people agree with that. They turn to music therapy to manage anxiety, depression, or trauma. For example, one woman in the hospital for severe depression described her first music therapy session as “finding the sound of hope again.” It was a quiet, steady beat on a hand drum. This helped her connect again to the world, past her pain. Stories like hers are not just one-off events. Science more and more supports music therapy as a useful tool for improving mental health. Here is what you need to know about how it works, what the research says, and how to get it.

What Exactly Is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is a type of care. It is based on evidence and given by trained, certified professionals. They use music in planned and specific ways to help people. Listening to a favorite song or playing guitar at home can feel good. But music therapy is more than casual listening. It is a planned process that focuses on the person.

Certified music therapists check what each person needs. Then, they match music activities to those needs. These activities might include singing, playing instruments, making up music, writing songs, or focused listening. Music activities do more than calm emotions. They directly affect how people think, act, relate to others, and feel physically.

Music therapy happens in hospitals, clinics, schools, nursing homes, and prisons. Also, it is used more and more through online platforms. The ways therapists use music differ. But they all have one goal: to help. They can reach parts of a person’s mind and body that other therapies sometimes cannot.

Understanding the Brain on Music

Music has a big and deep effect on the brain. It uses many brain networks at the same time. These areas handle sound, control movement, understand feelings, recall memories, and feel good.

Brain imaging studies (like fMRI and PET scans) show that music stimulates parts of the brain. This includes the auditory cortex, motor cortex, hippocampus (involved in memory), the amygdala (involved in emotion), and the prefrontal cortex (involved in complex thinking and social actions). Also, when someone is involved with music, their brain releases chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals relate to feeling relaxed, motivated, and pleased.

Krumhansl (2002) notes that music does more than make us feel good. It helps us understand emotions by reflecting and changing how we feel. For people with mental health issues like depression and anxiety, it is often hard to control emotions and feel good. So, this brain chemical response makes music therapy a very strong way to help.

The brain’s beat matching with sounds also means that slow, steady music can cause slower heart rates and breathing. This brings on a state of calm. For many patients, this physical change helps them feel safe and connected right away in therapy.

Types and Approaches in Music Therapy

Music therapy is not just one way to do things. Instead, it is a varied and flexible practice. It changes to fit the needs of many different people. A music therapist might use a few methods. This depends on the person’s condition, thinking ability, how they feel, or their age. The goal is to help reach good results.

Active Music Therapy

This method asks people to actively join in, using instruments or their voice. They might sing along with the therapist, drum to a beat, or play melodies. This helps with:

• Sensing and moving
• Showing emotions
• Talking without words
• Social connection (especially in groups)

People dealing with trauma, especially those who have trouble saying how they feel in words, often feel free using this method.

Receptive Music Therapy

In this method, people mainly listen to music. The therapist picks the music to help meet certain goals. Therapists might ask people to think about what the music brings up or write down what they feel after the session.

This approach can:

• Cause relaxation
• Bring up emotional memories
• Help with being present and thinking things over
• Provide gentle ways to lower stress

It is especially helpful for people with anxiety, thinking problems, or those in comfort care.

Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT)

NMT is a special type of music therapy. It uses brain science to help the brain work better. It often helps people after they have had:

• A stroke
• Parkinson’s disease
• A traumatic brain injury
• Autism spectrum disorder

Examples include:

• Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) to help with walking training
• Patterned Sensory Enhancement (PSE) to help patients plan movements as they relearn them
• Musical Speech Stimulation (MUSTIM) to make speaking better for patients with aphasia

NMT trains the brain. It uses planned, rhythm-based exercises to help people relearn how to move, think, and speak.

Guided Imagery and Music (GIM)

Guided Imagery and Music is a therapy process that goes deep. It uses music and images to help people understand their feelings. People listen to special music while saying what scenes or feelings come to mind. A trained GIM therapist guides this. This lets hidden thoughts come out safely.

This method is especially helpful for:

• Looking into spiritual ideas
• Working through trauma
• Putting together hard emotions and memories

Songwriting and Lyric Analysis

People may be asked to write their own song lyrics, write songs, or look closely at meaningful songs. This helps them:

• Show their emotions outwardly
• Think about who they are
• Tell their story in a new way
• Link past trauma to present healing

For teens and young adults, this can be a very interesting and strong way to show their inner feelings.

What Mental Health Issues Can Music Therapy Help?

Music therapy can be used for many mental health conditions. It can be a main help and also used with other treatments.

Depression

Music therapy makes it easier to show feelings when words are hard to find. It helps:

• Find hidden emotions
• Be more aware of emotions
• Lessen critical self-talk
• Boost drive by activating dopamine

Aalbers et al. (2017) found that people with depression who received music therapy alongside standard treatment improved much more. This was compared to those who received standard treatment alone.

Anxiety Disorders

Receptive music therapy has shown to be very good at lowering physical symptoms. These include fast heart rate, tense muscles, and quick breathing. Music improvisation and deep rhythmic listening can have a calming effect, making them feel grounded. This helps those who have generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or panic disorders.

PTSD and Trauma

For people who have lived through trauma, music offers a way without words to reach and let go of stored emotional pain. The rhythmic parts of music can make the nervous system steady. It can also create a feeling of what to expect in a mixed-up inner world.

Methods like drumming, GIM, and songwriting are used to gently look at painful memories again. Or, they help create new stories of strength and survival. Planned music activities help lower fight-or-flight responses. They also help make the body feel safe again.

Psychosis and Schizophrenia

Music therapy can:

• Make social interaction better
• Help with showing emotions
• Raise drive and involvement

In a Cochrane review, Gold et al. (2009) found clear improvements. These were in showing emotions and getting along with others for people with schizophrenia. This was among those who took part in planned music therapy sessions.

Chronic Stress and Insomnia

In both hospitals and clinics, music therapy is used to help with ongoing stress and sleep problems. Calm, rhythmic music can make heart rhythms match. It can also move the nervous system into a calm state. This helps with relaxation and better sleep.

Music Therapy and Depression: How It Targets Core Symptoms

Depression affects brain chemicals (like serotonin and dopamine). It causes twisted thoughts and often makes emotions feel flat. Music works right on each of these problem areas.

Music activities can:

• Cause emotional release
• Bring up memories and thoughts
• Give steady rhythm against inner confusion
• Help people connect socially through group music play

Very important, music therapy breaks the loneliness that often comes with depression. It uses rhythm, harmony, and sound to remind the brain what joy and connection feel like. This works not just as an idea, but in the brain itself.

The big study by Aalbers et al. (2017) shows that music therapy lessens depression symptoms better than standard treatments alone. This is especially true for people with moderate to severe symptoms.

Scientific Evidence and Clinical Trials

Much research supports music therapy. It is a real and good addition to standard mental health and medical treatments.

• Bradt & Dileo (2014) showed that music activities lowered cortisol levels. They also made people better able to handle emotions among ICU patients on breathing machines.
• Gold et al. (2009), looking at information from people with schizophrenia, showed better understanding emotions, talking, and handling problems.
• Bradt et al. (2011) also showed music therapy works well for heart patients. It lowered blood pressure and anxiety. It also made their mood better.

These are not just mood results. They are improvements that doctors can measure. These are medical and mental health gains in many groups of people.

Music Therapy in Pain and Chronic Illness Management

Long-term conditions like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and fibromyalgia often bring mental problems. These include anxiety, sadness, helplessness, or grief. Music therapy helps where physical and emotional pain meet.

Main ways it helps:

• Focusing elsewhere (taking attention away from pain)
• Putting emotions elsewhere (turning distress into sound)
• Boosting natural painkillers
• Better emotional coping through thinking about one’s story

In treatment centers for heart and cancer patients, music therapy means shorter hospital stays. It also means less use of calming drugs. And patients are happier with their care (Bradt et al., 2011).

Inside a Music Therapy Session: What to Expect

Music therapy is very personal. But it usually follows a flexible plan that changes for each place and goal.

What you might experience:

1. Assessment: Talking about mood, symptoms, background, and what music you like.
2. Goal Setting: Deciding what to focus on. For example, handling emotions better, easing stress, or bringing up memories.
3. Activity Phase: Musical activities. This could be drumming circles, understanding lyrics, guided breathing, or making music loops or tracks.
4. Thinking and Talking: Talking about how the music made them feel. Writing in a journal. Looking at emotions or feelings that came up.
5. Tools for Daily Life: The therapist may give exercises or music lists to use between sessions.

You do not need musical talent or skill. The therapy is not about making “good music.” It is about connecting to feelings, stories, and change.

Digital Tools and Accessibility: The Rise of Tele-Music Therapy

Since 2020, digital tools have made music therapy easier to get than ever. Online music therapy sessions can happen through apps like Zoom or special healthcare apps. This makes care available for people stuck at home, those in country areas, or people getting better after surgery or sickness.

Main good points of online music therapy:

• Rhythm and breath control through video chat in real time
• Tools for writing lyrics and shared online docs for songwriting
• Special “calming” music lists made by a therapist after checking someone’s mental health
• Live online groups that lessen loneliness

But, it is important to tell the difference between therapy use and just listening for fun. Music apps alone can help. But they do not have the clinical basis or personal touch of real music therapy.

Challenges and Considerations

Music therapy has many good points. But it also has some things to think about. Reactions to certain songs or lyrics can be strong or upsetting. This is true especially when working with trauma. So, professionals trained to help with emotions and music psychology must run the sessions.

Key things to know:

• Music therapy does not take the place of medicine or talk therapy for severe mental illnesses.
• Always check that your therapist is MT-BC (Music Therapist – Board Certified).
• Some insurance plans might not pay for music therapy. Ask about how to get money back or if they offer lower costs.

Adding it to a current treatment plan, not using it instead of one, is often the best way to help.

How to Get Started with Music Therapy

If you or a loved one are thinking about music therapy, here are steps to begin:

1. Find a Therapist: Go to the American Music Therapy Association website to find certified therapists.
2. Ask Questions: Ask what the therapist focuses on. Some work with trauma. Others work with long-term illness or young people.
3. Trial Sessions: You can book a one-time meeting to see if the method works for you.
4. Add to Daily Life: Keep a mood journal. Write how different types of music make you feel. Or, listen mindfully every day.

Music for Mental Health Help

Music therapy reminds us that healing does not always need words. Whether you are dealing with depression, trauma, or ongoing stress, music can be a strong way to find connection, understanding, and relief. More and more science supports music therapy. It is taking its place next to traditional treatments. This gives you more ways to get better. If you are curious, you do not need perfect pitch or years of experience. You just need an open heart.

Try a session. Try some methods. You might find that music speaks when you cannot.

References

Aalbers, S., Fusar-Poli, L., Freeman, R. E., Spreen, M., Ket, J. C. F., Vink, A. C., … & Gold, C. (2017). Music therapy for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004517.pub3

Bradt, J., & Dileo, C. (2014). Music interventions for mechanically ventilated patients. Journal of Music Therapy, 51(3), 213–257. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thu018

Bradt, J., Dileo, C., & Potvin, N. (2011). Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006577.pub3

Gold, C., Mössler, K., Grocke, D., Heldal, T. O., Tjemsland, L., Aarre, T., … & Gold, C. (2009). Music therapy for people with schizophrenia and mental disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004025.pub3

Krumhansl, C. L. (2002). Music: A link between cognition and emotion. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00165