“I Found a Therapist, Music”

Music therapy is used for addressing physical, emotional, and social needs by using music. It employs activities such as: “listening to melodies, playing an instrument, drumming, writing songs, and guided imagery”, as written by Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing of Minnesota University.

Music is a way of therapy, especially when it comes to emotions. William Congreve, English dramatist of the 17th century wrote, “Music has charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” Listening to soothing melodies and music can be useful. Research has shown that relaxing music is beneficial in reducing anxiety, and it is even important in terms of brain development. Listening to violent music can lead to negative outcomes, as written by William Forde Thompson, Professor of Psychology at Macquarie University. For example, music with lyrics about death, suicide or violent melodies can have negative impacts on our brain.  In addition, the study of Finland investigators on a group of people suffering from a stroke in the left or right hemisphere middle cerebral artery has shown that people who listened to music had shown a greater recovery than those who didn’t. It was either the impact of melody or the lyrics. Therefore, listening to music is important, and it is even more important to know what kind of music or lyrics we need to listen to.

Melodies, especially soft ones, can have a great impact when it comes to emotion because music is engaging and communicative, according to Thompson. There are people who can’t express their feelings through words but feel comfortable doing it through music. Playing music or listening to it can help us in expressing our feelings, in the same way, it helped me.

I had heard, known, and searched about music being a form of therapy, but the experience I had was something completely new for me. As I heard that my friend, Xiutuan Qin (Xiu) had passed away, it was a great shock for me. I could neither cry nor believe that she isn’t with us anymore. That day, feeling depressed thinking about her, I heard someone playing piano at the Tale space. I went inside to listen as I like music; either melody or song, and surprisingly it softened my heart and made me cry. It helped me release the pressure that I had and at the same time helped me breathe easily. The music that I was listening to wasn’t sad music, but it softened my heart, helping me to cry and release my anxiety, though there was no therapist.

Listening to music, besides being fun, can be a great way for many people to calm down and feel relaxed. Even if we don’t have access to a therapist, still we can benefit from listening to melodies or playing an instrument ourselves. Besides listening to music and playing instruments, there are various other ways through which we can express ourselves such as writing, meditating, exercising, talking to counselors, friends or professors, etc. So, people should find ways in which they feel comfortable to release and express their feelings.