Evidence-Based Music Therapy Protocols in Integrative Medicine and Health

Journal

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Year

2017

Abstract

The evidence base for music therapy interventions is growing as this service evolves into a more accepted form of integrative medicine and health. This investigator has developed such music therapy protocols for medical patients, and tested their effectiveness in randomized controlled trials, 3 of which are presented here. The music therapy protocol for a family medicine unit involved an assessment of musical preferences and background, as patients sampled receptive and active musical experiences. The music therapist prepared individual music playlists, and met individually at bedside to demonstrate music-facilitated guided imagery, meditation, relaxation and breathing techniques. More active interventions included songwriting, improvisation, singing/chanting, playing instruments, lyric substitution, and lyric analysis. Results no significant differences between treatment and usual care groups, but post-treatment inter-views revealed positive outcomes in relaxation and the patient experience overall. Research with women who had metastatic breast cancer engaged these women during their chemotherapy treatment in the infusion unit of a major cancer center. They participated in relaxation exercises facilitated by live music, active improvisation on percussion instruments, and songwriting. Outcomes revealed post-session decreases in heart rate and positive changes in reported levels of anxiety, pain, and contentment. A set of eight music-facilitated stress management strategies were tested with depressed older adults. These included music listening techniques designed to relax the body and mind. Results included clinically significant changes in depression, anxiety, mood and distress, and statistically significant differences on multiple measures between music therapy participants and a no-contact wait list control group.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Anxiety; Breast Cancer; Cancer; Chemotherapy; Composition; Distress; Guided Imagery; Improvisation; Mood; Music and Imagery; Music Therapy; Pain; Patient Experience; Receptive Music Methods; Recreative Music Methods; Relaxation; Singing a Song; Songwriting

Indexed Terms

integrative medicine; Elderly; anxiety; breathing; cancer center; chemotherapy; controlled study; distress syndrome; exercise; family medicine; guided imagery; heart rate; human; human tissue; infusion; leisure; meditation; metastatic breast cancer; mood; pain; percussion; randomized controlled trial; singing; stress management

Study Type

Descriptive Analysis; Quantitative Methods

Document Type

Article

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