Absolute Awakenings Offers Music Therapy as Part of our Mental Health & Addiction Treatment Programs.
Listen Or Play Your Way To Renewed Purpose and Healing.
Your quality of life and wellness are cornerstones of your relationship with yourself and how you connect with others. When mental illness or mental health disorders and their symptoms trap you in loops of negativity, it’s time to tackle the problem differently. While medication and talk therapy can do wonders, music moves the soul and rejuvenates the spirit.
Music therapy sessions can decrease anxiety and improve depressive symptoms and functioning of people with depression compared to treatment as usual.
Additionally, music therapy has a strong positive effect in enhancing contemplation, treatment readiness, motivation, and cravings in addiction treatment. Music for addiction and mental illness is proven effective healthcare.
”Music is one of the longest standing self prescribed therapy in history.
Erin SeibertMusic therapist
What Is Music Therapy Therapy?
The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) defines music therapy as: “the clinical & evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.”
Music therapy is an evidence-based addition to your treatment plan. Utilizing music to foster self-connection and drive to change while navigating sober life is safe and effective. Both actively creating music and listening to it have been demonstrated to stimulate the dopaminergic pathways in a manner comparable to that of many illegal drugs. This reaction could lessen cravings and lift your spirits. Additionally, listening to music reduces anxiety and soothes the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation
Music therapy has powerful effects. When working with a board-certified music therapist, they help you manage your symptoms. By taking a compassionate and non judgemental approach, your music therapist encourages self-expression through the kind of music that you relate to. You might play music, listen to music, or learn a musical instrument when in therapy.
Examples of Music Therapy Exercises
Music therapy can improve communication skills, slow heart rate, improve motor skills, and increase self-esteem. While there is no specific type of music you should listen to or play, lean toward music that makes you feel good. At Absolute Awakenings in New Jersey we use music therapy to improve mental, emotional, and physical health in people with addiction and other mental health disorders.
Popular music therapy activities are listed below.
Music Meditation
Music meditation is great for young adults and adolescents. It’s often used in yoga retreats and treatment centers where music therapy is encouraged. To get started, listen to music and close your eyes. Focus on the sounds, lyrics, and message.
Music Journaling
When listening to a piece of music, sometimes your thoughts might whirl around in your brain. Memories, flashbacks, and plans for the future may arise. You might simply just feel good listening.
Play your favorite album or piece of music and pick up a pen and paper. For the duration of the song or album, write continuously. Get everything out of your head and release it.
Once you finish, feel free to file it away or burn it as an extension of that release
Music Bingo
ask the others to guess which it is. When guessed right, the group sings the song together.
Painting Music
This exercise combines music therapy with art therapy. It’s best for instrumental music as to not influence the flow of thoughts that arise while listening.
Start by collecting your materials. You’ll need a blank canvas, paper, or even cardboard — whatever you have on hand. Gather paintbrushes and paint.
Play your selected music and begin to paint what you hear. Can you imagine shapes in the music? Do certain colors coincide with the notes you hear?
Use your paint brushes, hands, feet — whatever to get your interpretation out.
How Can Music Therapy Help?
We have known the power of music since the dawn of time. Music calms the mind and is a known treatment for many forms of mental health conditions. The rise of music therapy programs shows us that the benefits of music therapy increase well-being. Here are some of the advantages and effects of music therapy:
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Music Therapy Reduces Anxiety
Listening to music reduces stress chemicals like cortisol and adrenaline which contribute to feelings of anxiety. When someone listens to music their anxiety tends to lessen.
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Music Therapy Encourages Self Expression
Music therapy encourages self expression in multiple ways. The first of which are evident when giving the patient autonomy over what kind of music they’d like to listen to during a session. When given an exercise on songwriting, the feelings and state of mind of the writer becomes apparent.
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Music Therapy Eases Symptoms of Depression
Although music therapy cannot be used solely to treat depression, it can have a positive impact in the short term by enhancing mood and fostering connection and self-expression which can improve the quality of psychotherapy sessions following music therapy.
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Music Therapy Eases Symptoms of Schizophrenia
Like music therapy for depression, using this form of therapy for schizophrenia produces similar effects. In a Turkish study, patients who were subjected to music therapy felt more relaxed, at peace, and experienced less audio hallucinations.
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Music Therapy Helps Manage Alzheimer’s
Those with Alzheimer’s benefit from this form of therapy by being able to link music to a memorable event. It accomplishes this by recalling specific feelings that become associated with earlier memories. Additionally, it can aid in fostering memories of close relationships.
A person with Alzheimer’s disease may still be able to tap their foot or sing the words to a song they remember from their youth. Listening to music also helps with behavioral problems that often result from Alzheimer’s.
Nursing homes often use music therapy to elevate residents’ moods and improve memory.
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Who Can Music Therapy Help?
When attending regular music therapy sessions and music therapy interventions, a significant difference is evident in the quality of life for those who participate. Music therapy helps sufferers of substance abuse and those struggling with mental health. Music therapy also has positive effects on people with anxiety and trauma disorders like PTSD.
Music therapy for mental health is the perfect treatment companion as music can be associated with good memories. Music listening may also help individuals face difficult memories and assist in processing emotions surrounding certain events.
Our New Jersey Music Therapy Program FAQs
What do music therapists do?
Music therapists are highly qualified, board-certified professionals who assist a wide range of people in managing pain, reducing stress, expressing emotions, improving memory, and communication. Using music improvisation, reactive music listening, song creation, lyric discussion, and other techniques, they create music sessions for individuals and groups based on client needs. Certification is granted through the certification board for music therapists.
What does a music therapy session look like?
There is no such thing as a typical music therapy session because music therapy caters to a diverse range of people who have different needs. Sessions are created and music is chosen in accordance with each client’s unique treatment plan
What’s the difference between music therapy and listening to music or playing a musical instrument?
Participating in a music-based intervention session combines the therapeutic benefits of a therapy session with the benefits of listening to and interacting with music, as opposed to merely listening to music or playing an instrument, which anyone may do on their own.
Do I need to play an instrument to attend music therapy?
You do not need to know how to play an instrument to attend music therapy or receive the benefits of attending music therapy.
Enjoy Your Recovery With Music Therapy For Addiction and Mental Health At Absolute Awakenings
Life has ups and downs. You don’t need to stay down for long. At Absolute Awakenings, our staff believes the use of music in therapeutic sessions increases the effectiveness of other therapies coinciding with it. If you are struggling with addiction or mental health illness, reach out to us today to talk about treatment options that include the use of music therapy at our New Jersey location.
Yes, You Can Get Your Life Back. Call Absolute Awakenings Today.
With our trained and compassionate professionals in your corner, freedom can be yours. All it takes is you choose yourself. Choosing a better tomorrow.
