What is music therapy
Music therapy is a practice that uses music as an alternative communication tool to the verbal one, aiming to stimulate the residual functions and potential of the individual, so as to improve physical, social, emotional, mental and cognitive abilities.
Music therapy differs according to the choice of method and the purpose of the treatment.
What are the benefits of music therapy
The benefits of music used in therapy and rehabilitation are found especially in the areas of neurology and psychiatry. Music has a role in reducing the perception of pain and metabolic recovery after an effort, as in the case of physical activity: it acts as a stimulus during physical exertion and helps to regulate the energy balance, improving the ability to recover.
Music therapy is also effective against stress: it reduces cortisol, the stress hormone, and therefore has a relaxing effect, also helping to reduce the level of anxiety associated with tension. Anxiety is also reduced by the production of endorphins and the regulation of blood pressure that the melody and rhythm can cause.
Sound therapy also helps people suffering from depression and is also used to treat patients with disabilities: by following the sound of the voice or instruments, or the rhythm of the music, the person suffering from psycho-motor disabilities is stimulated on an emotional level and is able to react through channels other than verbal, such as movement, or singing.
What is the use of music therapy for children?
Music has great power over children, influencing their psycho-physical health from the womb. Children’s creativity and well-being begin during pregnancy, when the emotional involvement of the mother also affects the baby. Making children listen to a melody from the time they are in the womb, or educating them to music from pre-school age can foster the development of creativity.
During the growth process, music therapy contributes to the prevention of anxiety and stress disorders, because it has the ability to channel energy towards the development of children’s skills, acting as an outlet and at the same time as a path of knowledge.
Moreover, music has a preventive role with respect to learning disorders and difficulties in the relationship with others: it is an alternative activity to study, but at the same time it can support school courses, offering a different way of learning, and pushes children to compare and listen to others, in the case of classroom teaching.
What is music therapy for the elderly for
Music therapy is also applied in services to adults and the elderly and in the treatment of diseases that afflict the body and mind, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Music has a preventive and curative effect on the physical pain associated with old age and the degenerative process of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
During the treatment, patients are invited to listen to popular melodies and dance, with the aim of promoting the well-being of the body and mental and sensory activity, in order to enhance the person. Listening to music and following a certain rhythm contributes to the recovery of the movement considered lost, helping to regain self-esteem and social relationship with the group.
Music helps patients at all stages of the disease, reconstructing the sense of time and promoting good mood and personal gratification. Even simple listening, suitable for people who are no longer self-sufficient, stimulates brain functions and memory, as well as having an emotional effect.
Music therapy at the spa
Music therapy is one of the treatments available at the spa and is often associated with chromotherapy and aromatherapy in a sensory path that promotes physical and mental well-being.
Sound therefore becomes a complementary treatment for diseases that affect the elderly, for the psychophysical health of children and for the well-being of mothers during pregnancy. A music therapy session is also a way to relax after physical activity or recover energy after an excursion.
At the spa, music is used as passive therapy, i.e. as an alternative language that arouses an emotional response, stimulates pleasure and contributes to the relaxation of body and mind. You can lie on the chaise longues and listen to melodies that stimulate the release of endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, which have effects on the perception of pain, mood and motor activity, producing a general feeling of well-being.
Listening to music in a relaxed state will help you become aware of your breath, in a way similar to meditation. The rhythm, in addition, promotes a spontaneous positive response, improving the mood, and, combined with the melody, stimulates brain functions.
The music you will listen to during the treatment will promote the harmony of the chakras. Each energy point has its own frequency and is associated with a rainbow color: the frequency of the chakras, influenced by that of the surrounding sounds, can be restored to balance by the music, while the colors act on the corresponding energy points.
The harmony of the chakras determines the well-being of the organs and the improvement of mental functions that the energy centers control. Thus, music therapy at the spa has a relaxing and regenerating effect that improves overall psychophysical health.