Music Therapy essays

Music Therapy essays Today there are many ways to deal with pain. Many people choose medicines to cure these pains. Another less known method used to manage pain is music therapy. Music therapy can be used to reduce anxiety and pain during childbirth as well as in dental hygiene. Music therapy has been used for a long time. Frequently music is said to be one of the most ancient healing techniques (OKelly 130). Plato said that different types of music could be used to relax or to bring out aggressive characters in people (qtd. in OKelly). Extensive research of music therapy did not begin until the early to mid 1900s. Musicians played for recovering victims of war to reduce anxiety (OKelly 130). There are many organizations that have been established for music therapy such as the US National Association of Music Therapy, The Association of Professional Music Therapists, and the British Society of Music Therapy. In America there are over four thousand music therapist. (OKelly130) In recent years music therapy has grown to become accepted in the reduction of pain, and its research has developed extensively (Browning 272). Research conducted by Eagle and Harsh suggested two psychoneurological connections between music and pain. [First,] both music and pain can be identified with sensory input. [Second,] since the limbic system is concerned with emotional output for pain and music, evidence suggests that the perception of both pain and music travels along similar neural pathways, each affecting the other. (Browning 272) A good definition of music therapy as described by Leslie Bunt is music therapy is the use of sounds and music within an evolving relationship between client and therapist to support and encourage physical, mental, social, spiritual and emotional wellbeing (OKelly 130). Many people fear going to the dentist due to the fear of experiencing large amounts of pain. &...