The human brain's reaction to music
music therapy
Music therapy is an established psychological clinical intervention that uses music to help people whose lives have been affected by injury, illness or disability through supporting their psychological, emotional, cognitive, physical, communicative and social needs.
The therapy process is open, dynamic, it has to be delivered by registered music therapists and its main objectives are to improve social, physical, emotional and intellectual knowledge and wellbeing.
Receptive music therapy
Receptive music therapy is a very old technique that consists of listening to music with a therapeutic purpose.
Acoustic instruments such as the gong, the Tibetan bowls, the drums or the didjeridu are the foundation of these therapies, used in self-discovery courses and treatments for mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
The Tibetan bowls used in most receptive music therapy sessions are made of quartz. In this video that I recorded at a music therapy session you can see how the water inside of them vibrates as a result of the sound waves.
Active music therapy
In this type of therapy, the patient participates in the act of making music and improvises. Active musical therapies are based on psychological theories and their orientation can be both artistic and pedagogical.
Functional music therapy
This type of music therapy uses the properties of music to increase well-being. Music is used to reduce heart rate, stress hormones or decrease sensitivity to pain. The sessions can be in a group or individual and the therapist plays music with the patients to improve their communication.
It is used in clinics, geriatrics and spas.
These are the most common instruments used in active and functional music therapies since most of them don't require a previous musical education in order to be played.