Music Therapy: Can Music Really Calm the Wild Beast?

It has long been suggested that “music soothes the wild beast.” But is this true? And if so, does this have any implications as far as humans are concerned? The answer, apparently, is yes. To illustrate this, the researchers point to the different physiological changes that occur within the human body in response to different sounds and noises. A loud noise that breaks the silence makes the human heart race and stimulates an adrenaline rush that prepares you to fly. On the contrary, a soft and relaxing sound helps us to relax.

In fact, music therapy has been around for thousands of years. Nearly four thousand years ago, the Hebrew Scriptures record that the boy who would later become King David was hired by his predecessor to play the harp and calm King Saul when he was enraged. Likewise, the use of music therapy is found in the writings of ancient civilizations such as Egypt, China, India, Greece and Rome.

More recently, scientists have been studying the effects of music therapy and have documented changes in respiratory rate, blood pressure, and pulse in response to musical stimuli. In addition, researchers in the field of music therapy have found that the use of music therapy can be effective in areas as diverse as IQ and recovery rates, pain control, and weight loss.

Some object that this sounds too good to be true. How can music therapy change something like pain management? Researchers tell us that the reason music therapy works is based on how we listen. Sound is little more than vibrations in the air that are picked up by the inner ear and transferred to the brain, which is a key component in your nervous system and controls body functions and the brain responds to stimuli given to it.

In light of this, music therapy can and often is used in a wide variety of applications. A common application of music therapy is working with autistic people because research has found that music can help autistic children express themselves. In addition, music therapy has been found to help people with physical disabilities develop better motor skills.

With music therapy, people with high levels of anxiety can be helped to express repressed emotions, thus venting anger or allowing the person to express joy that they would not otherwise be able to express. Similarly, research has found that music therapy can help reduce the anxiety levels of hospitalized patients who find themselves facing frightening prospects and unfamiliar surroundings. In addition, music therapy has been found to help medical professionals with pain control in such a way that they have been able to cut pain relievers by up to half by helping to stimulate the production of the body’s own pain relievers, called endorphins.

Music therapy can come in a wide variety of forms. In some cases, it’s as simple as having the person listen to a particular piece of music. In other cases, music therapy requires a more interactive approach, having the individual respond to music by either dancing or using some other form of expression. But in its many forms, music therapy has often been shown to be beneficial.