Music has a role to play in dealing with sicknesses, and recent research reveals how music impacts the brain and the body systems in a quantifiable way. Medical practitioners, therefore, integrate music with medicine to enhance healing and achieve positive treatment outcomes. Music therapy involves the use of music to achieve personalized goals inside a therapeutic relationship with an approved professional. Music therapy addresses the social, psychological, physical, and mental needs of people. A qualified music therapist offers specified treatment after evaluating the needs of each client. There are aspects of music that can be used in describing music therapy to an imaginary patient with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from the last presidential election. Individuals with PSTD have symptoms such as interruptions from the memory of trauma, avoidance, negative variations in reason, and mood with constant negative ideologies, as well as arousal and responsiveness, causing irritable behavior.
To conduct an imaginary music therapy for an imaginary patient with PSTD, an understanding of how music therapy works as well as of its functions is needed, while its effectiveness is based on modulation of attention, emotion, cognition, behavior, and communication. In some situations, people appreciate the appealing quality of music, but in other times, the music reminds them of what makes them feel a certain way (Kotarba, 2017). The following are the steps taken to conduct the therapy: the first step is to introduce the music therapy to the patient. This involves meeting up with the party to decide how the therapy will go about. As a therapist, observations are made during talking to have an idea of the specific needs of the client, and an action plan is then made. The aspect of music that applies to the patient is playing particular melodies; the patient’s favorite melodies are played from time to time. Group music therapy is also incorporated, and it requires involving a group of people in the process of listening to the melodies, including friends and the family of the patient. During music therapy, continual monitoring is done to check the progress of the condition of the patient to meet their medical needs. (Lane, 2016). This is how the therapy can be done to a patient with an imaginary PTSD from election using melody as an aspect of music.
The person with imaginary PTSD would be taught the medical benefits of undergoing musical therapy. For such individuals, playing music helps in reducing stress since listening to music as it plays results in the production of endorphin responsible for relieving stress and reduces the production of the hormone responsible for causing stress. Group music therapy conducted can help in managing avoidance since the person may isolate themselves from friends and family. Group music therapy gives room for coordination leading to connectivity among individuals. Group music therapy can allow the patient to be more social, and this will reduce isolation, therefore, making them feel closer to those who they previously avoided. Music therapy addresses the patient’s negative feelings and reduces their sense of worthlessness. Music also makes patients focus on positive thoughts and celebrating life. Music therapy is an important aspect of the healing process of patients, and when applied effectively, it results in a physical change in patients’ behavior and makes them respond positively to treatment. For it to be effective, professional musical therapists are to be engaged.
References
Kotarba, J. A. (2018). Understanding society through popular music (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Lane, D. (2016). Music therapy & medicine: A dynamic partnership [Video]. YouTube. Web.
