What Happens in Music Therapy?

Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions. Music is a therapeutic tool to accomplish individualised goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional. These interventions address goals such as alleviating pain, managing stress, anxiety and physical symptoms, supporting self-expression, enhancing memory, and improving mood and communication (AMTA, 2022). But what really happens in music therapy, and how can you benefit from it?

What happens in music therapy?

In music therapy, music serves as a medium for processing emotions and feelings. As opposed to talking therapy, the emphasis is more on non-verbal expression, working with an embodied approach. Let's look at how we can use music in therapy sessions.

Music listening

Listening to songs that have a special meaning evokes memories. It may be a song from childhood, a song you listened to on repeat during your teenage years, or something that reminds you of home. Another form is discussing the song's lyrics, meaning, and how these songs make us feel. It can significantly impact your understanding of yourself and your mental health, connect you to your culture and make sense of your early experiences.

Playing in therapy 

Playing together enhances connection and improves our well-being. For example, playing a rainstick or a handpan can create relaxing and soothing sounds that can be especially effective with ADHD. I have noticed that sometimes clients need a little encouragement when starting. When they listen to me playing a few chords on the piano or the guitar, clients may feel more relaxed and at ease in playing together and experimenting with sounds. Beginning to let go of anxious feelings that may arise. Playing together gets easier the more we play. It is about having fun with it and letting go of any expectations you may have for yourself. 

Writing songs

Writing can be a great way to express yourself. You are putting your thoughts and feelings on paper and finding a sound and a melody that matches the song's emotions. In music therapy, you can participate in one-to-one or group sessions. Meaning you will be in a relationship with others who will support you along the way. Songwriting supports connection and communication and helps to express thoughts and feelings creatively. 

Musical meditation

If feeling too overwhelmed, doing a simple breathing exercise to ground ourselves and let us come back to our bodies can have a significant effect. Listening to instrumental music, or music played live by the therapist, supports stress and anxiety and relaxes us into the present moment. It can be effective when working with complex and overwhelming feelings.

Drumming 

When drumming together, we can experiment with different sounds and dynamics, such as playing louder or quieter and trying out different rhythms. After playing, we can reflect on the playing and what happened in the music. Drumming helps us get more into our bodies and out of our thoughts. When overwhelmed by your thoughts and emotions, drumming can create distance between them and alleviate anxiety.

Online music therapy

Online music therapy emphasises working with the body, verbal expression, meditations, and vocal sounds since we won't be able to play simultaneously. There might not be access to instruments, but we can still work together in an embodied and musical way. Technology continues making connections and finding creative ways of expressing ourselves. 

Who can benefit from music therapy? 

Music therapy suits every age group, from infants to older adults. I specialise in working with trauma, substance misuse, depression, anxiety and neurodiversity. I use music as a tool to facilitate attachment and human connection. However, the techniques mentioned above are not necessarily used in sessions at the same time. By working together, we can explore what works for you. These are only some of the techniques that may be used. 

If you feel disconnected from yourself, struggle to make and maintain relationships, and make sense of your experiences, I look forward to hearing from you. You can contact me here or email me at arulacounselling@proton.me. 

References

AMTA (2022) American Music Therapy Association. 

Playing in Therapy

Play is a natural part of us. It lets us be creative and in flow with our whole beings. We begin to play from an early age, being curious about the world through sound, smell, taste, and touch. As we grow up, the ability to play may diminish, depending on our experiences in the world. When we are unable to play, or the ability to play is disrupted, something is holding us back. Something is telling us that we are not safe to express ourselves fully, that it is not safe to be 'ourselves'. 

The importance of play

British child psychiatrist D. W. Winnicott (1971) has said,

‘It is in playing and only in playing that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in playing that the individual discovers the self’.

It is about getting in touch with the younger part of us that we may have been trying to ignore and suppress for a long time. Showing compassion towards that part of us, giving them attention, showing them that it is safe to be in the world. We can begin to get curious about that part through art, which can act as a safe space to have feelings in.

Free improvisation

One of the foundations of music therapy is free improvisation. It is based on the subconscious principle, where music informs what is happening inside the person. Improvisation helps to connect us to our past experiences, integrate them with the present, and bring up memories or feelings we may not have been aware of. In therapy, we can start to better understand these experiences and work through them verbally and musically.

Principles of free improvisation:

1. Using creativity in therapy

No previous musical skill, such as knowing how to play an instrument or sing, is necessary to benefit from music therapy. What's important is to participate in the musical exchange and express yourself in a way that feels right to you. There is no right or wrong way of doing that. Through playing within the therapist-client relationship, you can start to gain clarity about your internal processes and behaviours since sometimes we cannot put our feelings into words. Some experiences are more somatic and challenging to describe. Hence, through non-verbal and free expression, you can start to make meaning of your felt senses. 

2. Authentic expression

As sometimes it is easier to hide behind words, you can start to let yourself free from these defences through free improvisation. The way you play and use instruments may give us a glimpse of what might be going on for you, connecting your body and mind. It takes time to feel and be comfortable in our bodies and learn how to express ourselves in a new way. It may be connected to our self-esteem, anxiety, fear of being seen, or fear of making mistakes. By slowly working through these feelings in a safe space, you begin to make room for yourself.

3. Expressing yourself in a non-verbal way

Humans are preverbal. We all have rhythm and sound before we have words. Therefore, expressing yourself musically can connect you to your early life experiences when you didn't know any better. We can now start to make sense of that and show ourselves compassion. Expressing emotions, thoughts and feelings in words can sometimes be difficult. Through improvisation, we have an opportunity to give them space. This provides another layer of expression and helps us better understand our emotions and work through them.

Working with a client through play

In client work, improvisation can be used anywhere in the session, depending on the client's needs. The intense feelings that are difficult to express in words can be expressed through music. In working with a client of mine, I offered to choose an instrument that described their feelings in the moment. They chose a small harp and started to play delicate and fragmented sounds on the instrument. After listening for a little while, I started playing the guitar with some soft chords. The sounds melted into each other, creating a safer environment for the client to express what they felt. Afterwards, we reflected on the music where they were able to translate their experience into words. We were able to unpack what was happening in the room and make sense of it. As a result, they felt more at ease and relaxed which wouldn’t have happened by only using words.

Connecting with your inner child through play

We are all surrounded and connected to play. It gives us information about how we interact with other people, play with the world, and express ourselves. It is important to show self-compassion towards us when this doesn't come naturally to us. Connecting with your inner child may be difficult at first but where can we begin? Here are some questions you may ask yourself:

• What does play mean to you?

• Do you allow yourself to play?

• Do you feel stuck or unable to play at times?

• Do you feel self-conscious whilst playing?

• What are the blocks, if any, that are holding you back from expressing yourself fully?

Doing that in a safe space and in a relationship with the other supports having shame around it. We can start to interact and connect to ourselves in a way that we may have forgotten or never experienced before. This way of working with play can fluctuate between verbal and musical expression. However, improvisation is not a substitute for the verbal expression but rather an indirect medium of expression where difficult material can be explored and an interpersonal relationship can be strengthened. 

Get in touch with me

I offer online and in-person counselling in Berlin. If you would like to participate in therapy with me, please contact me here or email me at arulacounselling@proton.me to arrange a consultation call. The first call is to get to know each other, explore the possibilities of music therapy and assess your suitability for treatment. After that, if you would like to continue with therapy, a consent form will be filled in, and a start time will be agreed upon. I look forward to hearing from you.

References

Eno, B. (2022). Apple Music podcast with Zane Lowe.

Rogers, P. (1992). Issues in working with sexually abused clients in music therapy. Journal of British Music Therapy, 6(2), 5-15.

Winnicott, D. W. (1971) Playing and Reality. London: Routledge.