The Uses and Benefits of Music Therapy

There are a few different types of sound therapy, each with different benefits, though not all have been supported through research.

Guided meditation

Guided meditation is a form of sound healing in which you meditate to voiced instruction, either in a session or class, or using a video or app. Meditation can involve chanting or repeating mantras or prayers.

ResearchTrusted Source has found that meditation offers a number of health benefits, including:

• stress reduction
• decreased anxiety and depression
• improved memory
• reduced blood pressure
• pain reduction
• lower cholesterol
• decreased risk of heart disease and stroke

Neurologic music therapy

Music therapy can reduce stress and promote relaxation. It’s been shown to be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety levels before surgery. A study published in 2017 found that a 30-minute music therapy session combined with traditional care after spinal surgery reduced pain.

Music therapy is administered by a credentialed provider who assesses the individual’s needs. Treatment involves creating, listening, singing, or moving to music. It’s used for physical rehab, pain management, and brain injuries.

Named after Helen L. Bonny, PhD, the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) classical music and imagery to help explore personal growth, consciousness, and transformation.

A 2017 study showed promising evidence that a series of GIM sessions could improve psychological and physiological health in adults with medical and mental health needs.

This sound healing method is delivered by skilled musicians who complete the Nordoff-Robbins 2-year master’s program. They use music familiar to those being treated, create new music together, or work toward a performance.

The Nordoff-Robbins approach is used to treat children with developmental delays (as well as their parents), mental health issues, learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorder, dementia, and other conditions.

Tuning fork therapy uses calibrated metal tuning forks to apply specific vibrations to different parts of the body. This can help release tension and energy, and promote emotional balance. It supposedly works similarly to acupuncture, using sound frequencies for point stimulation instead of needles.

There is some research suggesting that tuning fork therapy may help relieve muscle and bone pain.

Also known as binaural beats, this method stimulates the brain into a specific state using pulsing sound to encourage your brain waves to align to the frequency of the beat. It’s supposed to help induce enhanced focus, entranced state, relaxation, and sleep. Though more research is needed, there’s some evidenceTrusted Source that audible brainwave entrainment reduces anxiety, pain, and symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, as well as improves behavioral problems in children.

What music therapy treats

Music therapy is used to treat symptoms of a number of conditions, including:

• anxiety disorders
• depression
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• dementia
• autism spectrum disorder and learning difficulties
• behavioral and psychiatric disorders
• cancer

Some of the supposed benefits of music therapy include:

• lowers stress
• decreases mood swings
• lowers blood pressure
• lowers cholesterol levels
• teaches pain management
• lowers risk for coronary artery disease and stroke
• improves sleep