Music Therapy For Emotional Expression

Introduction

The capacity of music to stimulate an emotional expression is well-known in music psychology research. It is a general belief that music elements such as tempo, pitch, and timbre are similar to the early communication of non-verbal emotion in infancy. Music therapy can, help people express a wide range of emotional expressions and is often used to support self-therapeutic emotion regulation of everyday life. 

In the past, musically induced powers showed t in the form of songs, rhythms, and sounds being used to ward off evil spirits, forgive sins, or appease the gods. Even in ancient Egypt, music was thought to bring about physical sensations that created a power that could influence the fertility of women.

This means that as a symbolic expression, music therapy provides the means to help an individual access difficult emotions like sadness in a structured, self-reflective, and sometimes pleasurable way by increasing awareness of emotions.

The therapeutic power of music

Historical background

Early evidence of the existence of music was of musical instruments such as clay flutes or ocarina that go as far back as 10000 BC. During this period music was attributed with magical powers with the perception that it could control the spirit and natural worlds and in turn help to continue creating and sustaining life as they know it.¹

Music therapy was developed in the mid-20th century and involves structured sessions with qualified and trained musicians or music therapists. It aims to help develop motor skills, interaction and enjoyment of music through active participation in the creation of music by the therapist and the individual. It involves an intervention where the therapist helps the client achieve better health using musical experiences and relationships.¹

Scientific basis

Music therapy describes the use of music to aid recovery and improve the quality of life. Studies on people living with cancer and those in palliative care have shown that music therapy has helped to reduce or eliminate psychological discomfort and improve the overall health status of individuals suffering from cancer-related health issues.

It is usually done with a collaboration of medical or music experts with the patient and it is known to have several advantages when used in conjunction with traditional treatment.²

Impact on brain and emotions 

Music therapy is commonly used as a supportive and creative method of treating psychosocial-related impacts of diseases like cancer. This involves the method of using music as a means of rejuvenating, maintaining, and improving individuals' psychological and physical well-being.²

Studies of the effects on the brain when listening to music emphasise that the brain is activated when listening to music which ties to their emotional experience and that even imagining music activates certain areas of the brain that show interest in emotional expression.³

Neurological Mechanisms

Music engages a variety of brain areas involved in emotion, motivation, cognition, and motor functions, hence, musical interventions have been used to increase socialisation and cognitive, emotional, and neuromotor functioning.

For this purpose, the use of music therapy consists of performing different musical activities using simple musical instruments, singing or songwriting allowing the patient and therapist to build a musical relationship. This helps to create music imagery and the combination of this with music listening is used for beneficial psychological effects and better processing of emotions and thoughts.⁴

Benefits of music therapy for emotional expression

A wide range of benefits are associated with music therapy, this includes promoting emotional, physical, cognitive, and overall social well-being. 

• Facilitation of Self-expression: It helps activate the brain function linked to communication for those who may have lost some degree of the ability to communicate

• Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication: For example, for children with autism, or adults who have developed speech problems caused by a stroke, music therapy can serve as a tool for understanding and developing speech patterns

Some studies have also suggested that music can support non-verbal skills and that music is a motivator for movement. The rhythmic cues in music can stimulate paced walking in people with neurological conditions. As the patient listens to the song, along with the tempo of the song, the patient can plan their next movement and pace. This can also help the muscles remember and emulate these movements in the future, even when no music is present.⁴

• Creativity and Symbolic Representation: Music therapy has also been used in group therapy to help participants express aspects of their lives such as family, culture etc. So, listening to music that connects you to new communities or ideas can help develop your interpersonal skills such as increased alertness, relaxation, and creativity, while promoting self-confidence and individuality⁴

• Emotional Release: Music therapy can help promote emotional expression and reduce psychological conditions. Music therapy is used in such situations as a distraction tool to manage emotions and divert an individual's attention from an unpleasant condition to a happy moment. This helps to reduce the mental stress caused by an unpleasant or life-threatening health condition²

Music selection in therapy

Individualised approach

With the increasing interest in more natural types of treatments for emotional issues, more treatments in the form of therapies have been developed by both medical and other types of therapists to treat their patients holistically.

Music therapists create a healing environment to be an essential part of treatment therapy, often supplementing this with soothing new-age background music. This means that the focus of treatment should not just be on the patient’s complaint, but the focus is on the patient as a whole and their environment.⁵

Use of various musical elements

Musical elements used during therapy sessions act as a powerful tool for therapists to help guide clients towards expressing their emotions effectively.

According to some music experts, certain musical elements evoke different emotions depending on the tempo, rhythm and dynamics.

To illustrate the connection between music and emotions, see the table below:

Techniques and interventions

Songwriting

This involves the therapist and client coming together to compose original songs created for personal storytelling and individual self-expression. Through this technique, therapists aim to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals can freely express their emotions through music.⁶

Personalised lyric creation 

Creating song lyrics can help individuals express their feelings by connecting their emotions and experiences which enables introspection and allows for emotional expression.

This means that it allows you to communicate your emotions through an organised form of artistic creation.

Narrative and storytelling

Another songwriting technique which allows clients to channel their emotions into creating original musical storytelling. It is believed that by doing this over multiple sessions you can gain a sense of empowerment by transforming your anxieties or stress into art. This technique not only encourages emotional release but also creates self-awareness and introspection.⁶

Improvisation

The individual can also be encouraged to play or sing spontaneously without any predetermined structure or rules. This provides an outlet for the individual to express themself without restrictions.⁶

Challenges and considerations

Cultural sensitivity

Some studies proved that respecting an individual’s cultural sensitivity during music therapy is important. It is believed that supporting an openness to the client’s personal, cultural and musical background helps with the spontaneous connectivity in the music during music therapy sessions.⁷

Adaptability to different populations

Awareness of the music therapist’s and the patient’s cultural backgrounds is needed, as music and culture are connecting topics that can be shared with others.⁷

Ethical guidelines

In their line of work, music therapists are frequently confronted with decisions that might be of conflict of interest regarding emotional and legal issues or questions concerning the autonomy of their clients.⁸

Future directions in music therapy

An Increasing amount of reviews have recently found that music therapy is an effective form of treatment for depressed clients. Therefore, there is a need for further study of emotional processing as part of a therapy process, to elaborate how it can be measured. Also, the successful processing of emotions with the individual’s emotional experience needs to be explored and reflected upon.⁹

Summary

The role of music therapy is to provide a complimentary therapeutic process, by offering a non-verbal way of emotional expression closely linked to emotions and allowing the creation of self-awareness and introspection. The music therapy process ranges from listening techniques to musical improvisation, but the different methods share the similarities of using music as a facilitator of emotional experience. 

The clinical process typically triggers emotional memories, images, and associations that can then be communicated verbally or non-verbally in addition to emotional expression. This is helpful with patients who have verbal expression difficulties.