Hard science pitches for healing melodies

A 27-year-old pregnant woman diagnosed with severe depression showed improvement after 20 sessions of

music therapy

. Concentration in a child with attention difficulty increased after a music-based intervention. A few sessions of singing and chanting helped a middle-aged diabetic relax and normalize his blood circulation, thus stabilizing his glucose assimilation. While the therapeutic effects of music on the physical, psychological and psychosocial aspects of an individual have been acknowledged over the years, researchers are now adopting a more scientific-based approach to understand why music is a powerful healing tool.

Music therapy today has graduated from being a ‘social model’ to a more evidence-based therapy with the more

research

being carried out on its scientific explanation. Many colleges today also offer courses in music therapy.

However, despite the change in its reception, music therapy remains a remedy whose effect varies from person to person. This subjective perception to music is an inherent limitation of this therapy. To establish music therapy as a holistic approach, scholars say more research needs to be done with larger sample sizes. They say intense research needs to be done on the therapeutic properties of various dynamic features of music such as rhythm, pitch etc. instead of just limiting music as a therapy based on an individual’s choice of genre and cultural experiences.

Shantala Hegde, assistant professor consultant, neuropsychology unit and neurorehabilitation unit at National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru says music immensely aids in sharpening the non-musical functions of the brain. "Music stimulates all parts of the brain. When the brain engages in producing music, it involves cognitive functions like memory, decision-making, emotion and creativity. Brain plasticity or the changes occurring in brain functioning and structure following the exposure to stimuli (music) can also be transferred to non-musical areas," she says.

In a review paper, ‘Music-based cognitive remediation therapy for patients with traumatic brain injury’, Hegde notes that intensely pleasurable music is known to engage the same areas that are used in other real-life emotions like mesolimbic (the reward area of the brain) and aid in an increase in dopamine levels — known for enhancing concentration and boosting mood. Listening or engaging in music also shows a fall in stress markers including cortisol levels. These findings in neuroscience have paved the way for a more scientific-based approach to music therapy research and practice called Neurological Music Therapy (NMT). Since NMT techniques are standardised in terminology and application, they can be employed for research.

Advancements in technology to study neural correlations such as ERP (Event related potential), fMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging) etc. have given fresh perspectives to reasons behind the success of music therapy. It has also encouraged research on the effect of music on patients with cancer, Parkinson’s disease and depression.

In her latest research paper, Hegde states that music therapy sessions involving chanting, singing and reciting have shown promising results in the cognitive functions of patients with Type 2 diabetes. A therapist may either use passive or active music therapy or a combination of both. "It depends on the goal of the session. If we have to relax the patient, it is more passive where they will listen to music. If we need to make the patient communicate, enhance self-expression and reduce loneliness, we use active methods like chanting, group singing, song writing etc," says Sumathy Sundar, director of Chennai School of Music Therapy, which offers certificate, modular and post-graduate diploma courses in the field.

Sundar and her associates also conducted a study at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute, Puducherry, to understand the effect of live music therapy on infants during painful immunization procedures. Here the therapists used hand and finger puppets with songs and instrumental music. The therapy showed reduced duration of crying spells, improved pain perception, and reduced distress levels in the children.

According to traditional musicological texts, classical ragas too have therapeutic properties that help in alleviating symptoms of particular illnesses. "A possible explanation could be the ability of specific ragas to evoke specific emotions in listeners with factors like rhythm, tempo, timbre, pitch and tonality playing a definitive role. Certain songs can arouse positive emotions due to good memories associated with them or it can be a conditioned response," says Sundar. "However it would be difficult to presume that a particular raga would evoke the same emotions in listeners with different cultural backgrounds."

Researchers, say to facilitate a more scientific-based approach in music therapy, it is important for a clinician to assess the history of the patient and the goals to be achieved. Experts say that while many musicians seek to provide therapeutic intervention, it is also essential for them to be certified clinicians or work with such professionals to achieve results.

"If you’re dealing with children with special needs, the facilitator must be able to connect with the child. He or she must also be familiar with the challenges the child faces and accordingly address the particular areas," says Ambika Kameshwar, founder-director of RASA, Chennai, an organisation that uses the Theatre for Holistic Development methodology for specially-abled children.

(The author is a freelancer)