Bjorgvin prison, nestled within Norway’s open woodlands, challenges conventional perceptions of incarceration. Established in 2006 to address long waiting times for sentencing, the prison houses 90 male inmates, each with surprising freedoms, including keys to their own rooms. In this unique environment, music therapy emerges as a powerful force in shaping emotional landscapes. The prison’s music room becomes a “musical emotion zone,” offering a sanctuary for self-expression. Inmates describe their music room as a non-judgmental space where they feel like musicians. This study sheds light on the nuanced role of music therapy in prison settings, emphasizing its potential to create emotional spaces, challenge stereotypes, and foster connections. While acknowledging the…
In the hustle and bustle of our modern lives, stress has become an omnipresent companion, affecting our physical and mental well-being. As we search for holistic approaches to manage stress, one avenue that I have a biased preference for, with its ability to soothe the soul and elevate our mood, is the practice of music therapy. Music has the unique ability to stimulate various regions of the brain responsible for emotions, memory, and even physical responses. Listening to or creating music triggers the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, promoting feelings of pleasure and relaxation.
Music therapy continues to gain acceptance in hospice and palliative care with each passing year. Music therapy is a modality that can work towards improving pain perception, communication and quality of life for terminally ill patients. Additionally, a music therapist can use music to decrease agitation, depression, and disruptive behaviors. The music therapist focuses on using patient preferred music along with their expertise and education to accomplish these goals. Throughout the profession’s growing body of literature, some studies have suggested that music therapy can decrease the use of pain medicine while increasing the effectiveness of hospice team members and other caregivers…
Many people with neurological disorders, like stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease, also experience mood disorders and depression. However, these conditions are often not diagnosed or treated adequately, impacting the patients’ recovery, treatment adherence, quality of life, and even mortality risk. There may also be a connection between depression and the development of neurological disorders. Despite the known benefits of music therapy (MT) on various aspects of neurological disorders, there’s a lack of updated information on how music interventions affect mood, emotions, and depression in these patients. This article aimed to review existing studies on musical interventions and their impact on mood and depression in neurological patients.
Camryn is a music therapist from Springboro, Ohio. She received her bachelor’s of music in music therapy from the University of Dayton with a minor in psychology. Camryn completed her music therapy internship with University of Kentucky HealthCare in Lexington, Kentucky where she worked in many units of an acute care hospital as well as an inpatient psychiatric hospital and with adolescent behavioral health. She now enjoys working with people of a variety of ages/settings. Camryn also loves playing tennis and hiking in her free time.
José N. Claros O. is a board-certified music therapist at Central Ohio Music Therapy LLC from Bogotá, Colombia. Currently, he is a Graduate Assistant pursuing a master’s degree equivalency track in music therapy at Ohio University. Throughout his practicum and internship experience, José has worked with a wide range of populations, including mental health care, children, forensic music therapy, and medical music therapy. He focuses on providing holistic and eclectic care that is meaningful and comprehensive. José received his undergraduate degree in Music Business with an additional major in Business Administration from Marian University. He is also a certified Music Producer and Deejay from Deejay Academy in Bogotá, Colombia.
A review of this nature allowed for a quick, succinct look into the clinical uses of music therapy with the military population and the variety of benefits shown in the current literature. The use of music for entertainment and to increase motivation, stimulation, and morale dates back to the Civil War, and this tradition continued throughout both World Wars. Eventually, in 1945, the military incorporated music into their programs. This marked the very beginning of the music therapy profession! The medium of music therapy can be used in the treatment of active duty military service members, veterans, and military family members. Music therapists can and have worked with military…
Being in the hospital for any length of time can be anxiety-provoking for many individuals. Not only is there a high rate of anxiety associated with hospitalization, but this anxiety can also create additional negative somatic (i.e., chest pain, palpitations, etc.) and psychological effects. Anxiety in hospitals may be treated with drugs to help alleviate symptoms, but these often offer short-term effects. Researchers Brown, Patton, Freilich, & Heiderscheit completed a retrospective review of medical charts, focusing on verbal anxiety ratings of adult hospital patients before and after music therapy sessions. All music therapy sessions, as is typically in the nature of music therapy, were tailored to each individual based…
As a therapist, re-evaluation is always a part of the process. Is what I am doing working? Is this really benefitting my client? I find myself asking these questions many times in sessions and often will look to see if a new technique or intervention is needed. If I don’t do that, then I am not being the best therapist I can be. A study by T. B. Janzen and M. H. Thaut wanted to take a closer look at how music interacts with those diagnosed with ASD (Autism spectrum disorders). Knowing that many studies have been conducted and that sometimes those on the “spectrum” have challenges in social situations…