The Power of music

By: Cristian

Listening to music, playing music, and music therapy is increasingly used to help patients cope with stress and to help improve healing. It’s almost impossible to find someone who doesn’t feel a strong connection to music. Even if you can’t carry a tune or play an instrument, you can probably reel off a list of songs that evoke happy memories and raise your spirits. Surgeons have long played their favorite music to relieve stress in the operating room, and extending music to patients has been linked to improved surgical outcomes.

If you’re listening to music to relax, to meditate, or to heal there are many benefits to this art form.

“Focus on the sound of the instrument,” Andrew Rossetti, a licensed music therapist and researcher said as he strummed hypnotic chords on a Spanish-style classical guitar. “Close your eyes. Think of a place where you feel safe and comfortable.”

The healing power of music — lauded by philosophers from Aristotle and Pythagoras to Pete Seeger — is now being validated by medical research.

It is used in targeted treatments for asthma, autism, depression and more, including brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and stroke.

So grab an instrument, headphones, or a stereo and prepare to heal!

Citation: Schiffman, R. (2021, April 8). The Healing Power of Music. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/well/music-therapy-treatment-stress.html