What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is an emerging marginal subject. It is based on the theory and methods of psychological therapy, and uses the unique physiological and psychological effects of music to enable the seeker to experience the musical experience through various specially designed musical behaviors with the joint participation of music therapists, to eliminate psychological barriers. The purpose of restoring or promoting physical and mental health. ^[1]

Chinese name: Music therapy

Foreign name: music therapy
Applied discipline: psychology

Origins of Music Therapy

Development of Music Therapy Abroad Foreign music therapy started early. In 1890, the Austrian doctor Li Hittendal published the "music doctor" view. In 1944, the State of Michigan organized the first Music Therapy Society, and in 1946 opened a specialty in Music Therapy at Kansas State University. As a result, countries around the world followed suit. Australia had a music therapy organization in 1959. Between 1969 and 1970, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland and other countries also established music therapy organizations. It is an indisputable fact that music can cure many diseases.

At present, there are 4,000 registered physicians in the United States engaged in music therapy, thousands in Europe, and more than 50 people from Japan who returned from the United States in the 1980s and 1990s. Music therapy in China started relatively late. In 1979, Professor Liu Bangrui, a doctor of music therapy from the United States, was invited to give a lecture at the Central Conservatory of Music. The first introduction of music therapy in Europe and the United States to China opened the curtain on the construction of music therapy in China. China has been conducting music therapy since the 1980s. In less than 30 years, China's music therapy has achieved unexpected development. Such as: music electrotherapy, nursing home mental hospital music therapy, clinical exploration of music therapy for psychosomatic diseases, music therapy for geriatric diseases, music therapy for children with mental retardation, etc. Many medical institutions have also completed the installation and use of music therapy systems. The first independent music therapy clinic in China was also established at the Central Conservatory of Music in late 1997. On June 28, 1999, there was a strong propaganda on the theme of "Getting Close to Music and Away from Drugs" on the International Day against Drugs. The jumping notes of music have gradually penetrated into people's daily life, and music therapy has become a research topic that people have paid much attention to.

Research on the Mechanism of Music Therapy

Aesthetic Empathy in Music Therapy

Music as an independent art is aesthetic. In people's aesthetic activities, artistic images are born of emotions, making the aesthetic subject feel the same, and evoke all kinds of emotional experiences of the viewer. The change of melody tone and the rhythmic beat movement process of this aesthetic object of music radiates the unique charm of the human spiritual world. The essential connection between music and medicine is the influence and effect of this unique charm on human mind and body. When mobilizing people's thinking, memory, association, imagination and other factors, it evokes sympathy and resonates with people. The emotion of the aesthetic subject is released and vented in the induction of the musical modality, which strengthens positive emotions and excludes negative emotions. It can even transform the original negative state into a positive one, relieve the physical stress state, relieve psychological distortion and tension, and create opportunities for self-healing. Therefore, long-term and effective appreciation of music can relieve people's bad psychosomatic reactions, cultivate their temperament, and change their personality and taste.

Music therapy resonance theory

The human body is a dissipative structure. It must constantly exchange materials with the external environment and input negative entropy to maintain the movement of life. Music is a kind of material energy that acts on a person's physiological and physical fields. It conveys information through tune, rhythm, melody, strength, speed and other factors. These factors have a certain regularity and frequency of change. When the acoustic vibration acts on various parts of the human body, it will cause the harmony of the human internal organs, muscles, brain waves, etc., and promote the rhythms of the organs to become harmonious, thereby improving the disorder of each organ State to lift the disease and promote recovery. Therefore, by mastering the principle of resonance and selecting music according to the specific situation of the patient, it is possible to cooperate with the patient's rhythm, movement, and breathing to establish a reassuring and continuous relationship.

Music therapy neural activity theory

Modern scientific research shows that music can affect the human limbic system and the brainstem reticular structure through human hearing, regulate the cerebral cortex, and make the human visceral activities and emotions and behaviors have a good coordination. When music sound waves act on the brain, it will increase the excitability of nerves and neurohumoral fluids, and promote the body to secrete healthy biochemical substances. Such as beautiful and healthy music can promote pregnant women to secrete some hormones, acetylcholine and other substances that are beneficial to health, and play a role in regulating blood flow and nerve cell excitement.

Research on Music Therapy

Active music therapy

Active music therapy focuses on patient participation. Most of them use the therapist and patient cooperation methods to establish a therapeutic performance group. The therapist and patient use different instruments. The therapist and the patient combine one-on-one or the patient and the treatment group. Or a combination of several people, or let the patient sing his favorite song while strumming the piano, so that patients in the performance, singing mood is high, the psychological is full and achieve relaxation and treatment.

Passive music therapy

Passive music therapy focuses on the guiding role of the therapist, emphasizing the setting of the environment to appreciate music. There are many ways to take this form. Some combine psychotherapy with music therapy. During treatment, the patient is hypnotized first, so that the patient's subconscious activities are presented. By playing the selected music in advance, and listening to the neutral guidance, the patient has imagination. Then freely associate, constantly report his feelings, the patient follows the music, the doctor follows the patient, so that the patient fully realizes himself and re-understands the rich world without knowing it. Some people use music as a means to divert their attention. Each person is assigned a cassette recorder with a headphone device and their usual favorite music tape to listen to during the operation. Some studies have tried to combine the traditional Chinese medicine meridian acupuncture point theory with music therapy. Using a music electrotherapy device, the music signal is converted into low and intermediate frequency currents synchronized with the music. Patients are instructed to wear headphones to lie down, and then wet the electrode pads. It is placed on the electrode plate and placed in different acupoints of the human body. It outputs a current of 1 ~ 2mA. Through the input and output of different sound waves, it causes the physical energy to vibrate the body, resulting in feelings such as local tremor, muscle contraction, and urgency. Improve local blood circulation, play a role in sedation, analgesia, anti-inflammatory and relieve blood pressure.

Music therapy

Generally speaking, the specific treatment is not limited to the use of any method. Active and passive approaches often go hand in hand. Such as providing several methods of movement, in the sound of music led by the music therapist or by the patient to perform physical exercises. The overseas music therapies introduced by Wan's include gentle gymnastics accompanied by familiar and passionate music, facial massage accompanied by familiar relaxed music, or special relaxation music for the treatment of home or guidance, or tips before playing music. Lax imagery as opposed to depression and dysfunctional thoughts suggestive images accompanied by familiar title music, or direct patients with special imagery of music, conceive that they play an active role, solve a problem or improve mood, or play repetitive Slow music to speed up falling asleep or relax as much as possible, or rhythmic music to enhance vitality, or to listen to music while painting or other artistic activities to appreciate or cultivate emotions; others also use music guidance to practice Jingsong, Rehabilitation, induce patients to rest, use "inner qi" to treat diseases; or use popular light music, according to music style and personality type, biological rhythm, etc., and comprehensively consider illness, etiology, physique, patient's cultural background, occupation, Personalities, hobbies, and music prescriptions for dialectical Xerox. ^[2]

Music therapy type

Music therapy visitor initiative

(1) Simple listening style: transcendental meditation method, music method method, music meditation idea, famous song emotion conversion method.

(2) Active participation: simple musical instrument training, selective learning by music knowledge, appreciation of music, singing songs, music games, etc.

Clinical classification of music therapy

(1) Pure Music Therapy: The purpose of therapy is achieved simply by listening to music.

(2) Music electrode therapy: When patients receive music therapy, they also receive music current therapy to convert audio frequency to electric frequency, and the current is synchronized with the music.

(3) Music electroacupuncture therapy: Music therapy and acupuncture therapy are combined at the same time.

Characteristics of music used in music therapy

(1) Resonance therapy

Music therapy consists of three aspects: somatosensory music, treatment plan and somatosensory audio equipment. Somatosensory music is a kind of specially-made therapeutic music that is rich in low frequency and mainly sine wave. The purpose of treatment is different, somatosensory music is different. The treatment plan is determined on the basis of clinical research. The content includes assessment of the subject's physical and mental state, selection of somatosensory music and determination of volume, vibration intensity, treatment time, and treatment course. Somatosensory audio equipment mainly includes: sound source and crossover-amplification-transduction device. Its main forms are beds, mattresses, tables, chairs and sofas. Its effect is that when listening to music, the body can also feel the vibration of music sound waves. Different somatosensory sound equipment, the frequency range and vibration intensity of music sound waves are different.

Human's perception of sound comes from vibration. Generally, music is sent from the speaker after being amplified by the amplifier, and then reaches the eardrum through the vibration of the air. Generally, the bass portion of music that humans can hear is generally 50Hz-150Hz. The music vibration that humans can feel through the body is called "music somatosensory vibration", and its maximum range is 16Hz-20000Hz. The low-frequency part of 20-50Hz greatly enhances the sense of subwoofer, along with the sense of vibration and impact to give people an extremely strong sense of presence. At the same time, the frequency range of 20-50Hz can give people the most pleasant psychological and physical pleasure and intoxication. Because the bass part of the music (bass) is a relatively monotonous repetition, nearly l / f2 vibration, giving people a sense of safety and comfort.

The somatosensory audio technology is to sort out the electric signals of low frequency from 16Hz to 150Hz in the music, and then use the amplifier to amplify them, convert them into physical vibrations through the transducer, and use them for human body conduction perception. It can faithfully reproduce music in the frequency range of 20-50Hz Technology. This kind of vibration is close to 1 / f2, forming a factor that makes people feel safe and comfortable. At the same time, local vibration can also promote blood circulation of tissues.

(2) High frequency therapy

High Frequency Music Therapy is based on the theory of Alfred Tomatis, a famous French musicologist. It is suitable for all people over two years old. It is a systematic, scientific music conditioning and treatment product.

Tomatis three laws

First Law If our ears cannot hear a certain frequency, it means that we can't make sounds of this frequency.

If the second law changes the sound we hear, the sound we make will also be changed.

The third law is to help those who are deaf or deaf, they must first exercise the muscles in their ears.

The principle of treatment is to stimulate the ear's hearing system through air shock and direct conduction through the human bones. The two methods stimulate the brain. Although the patient cannot be cured in a short time, it can greatly improve the user's mental state and quality of life.

Mainly for autism, ADHD, dyslexia and depression. ^[3]