Music therapy and stress relief

In this jet set age, people are often exposed to immense stress and anxiety. Pressure from every nook and corner of the society creates havoc. We often don’t find enough time to ease up our stress. Also we don’t find the ways to de-stress. We often fall into wrong hands advising pills that are of no use. But why don’t we try something that is readily available into us and that will not harm you any way? Yes, I am talking about music as stress reliever.

You must be thinking can it be true? Can music really help us in a condition of stress? Well, if you can believe me, music has the power to lessen your stress. Actually, the World Federation of Music Therapy describes it like ‘the use of music and/or its musical instruments in a process designed to facilitate and promote communication, relationship, learning, mobilization, expression and organization in order to develop or restore functions of the individual’. If you count on them, please go through the entire discussion here and give it a try.

Now the question comes – does music just soothe or it has really the power of healing? It may be hard to believe that the body’s vital organs and systems like blood, different glands, hormones, cells, muscles, nerves, brain and bones besides the celestial life energy system are regularly affected by the sound waves generated by the environment. Anxiety is the bodily response to high level of stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol). The moment somebody listens to relaxing music, the levels of the hormones are lessened and the person feels calmer. The harmony between mind and body is reinstated thereafter. Researchers have proved in a recent study that music defies all kinds of blockage – retention of excretory products, diabetes, inflammations, arthritic pains and menstrual cramps. It assists the development of communication and motor skills in infants with physical or learning disabilities. Music induces the release of important healing hormones and fights against stress and depression. There are also impressive results seen in the patients of Schizophrenia. The basic idea of music therapy is to reorganize the body’s regular functions and establish balance between them.

However, music therapy is not meant for the stressed persons alone. Every healthy people can use music to de-stress everyday through active music making like playing the piano or through passive listening. Hum your favorite tunes whenever you are in stress and you need to boost you up or your spirit. You will feel good within couple of minutes.

Music has a vast arena starting from a lowest pitched note from a stringed instrument to the deafening rhythms of drums. So, which one to choose? It depends to the individual requirements. A general blend that helps is percussion with the flute or sitar. It has to be kept in mind that the tempo matches the heart rate – within 60-80 beats per minute. It is imperative to note that the tune may have different effects upon different persons. As for an example, a tune that resonate the belly of a tall and thin person may not produce the same result in case of an obese person; the optimum frequencies must be individualized to them.

The basis of all music therapy is its undertones or sometimes named as drones. Most of the undertones are prolonged, undisturbed and continuous – the magic comes from the interval of the tones. Most of the music instruments like the sitar, bagpipe, jaw harp, didgeridoo, mountain horn, chiming bowl, and all the single and multiple-stringed instruments can be tuned to the drones. Some cardiologists say music therapy works best when jointly administered with meditation or yoga.