The Power of Music Therapy in Resolving Behavioral Disorders

In this modern age of isolated lifestyle stress and depression has been a recurring theme among younger generations. Relationship issues, work stress, handling grief all this has started to impact the young minds and often leading to altered behavior. To resolve this altered behavior cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is suggested as it bridges the gap between the neuroscience and psychology. CBT is short-term therapy which helps people to change their thought process and find better ways to behave against a specific problem like addiction, anxiety, anger issues, stress and depression, panic attacks, etc. Along with commonly performed therapies nowadays music therapy is emerging as CBT. It is observed when an individual listen to music, their brain interprets according to the beats of that music and it bring alterations in the thought patterns which change our behaviors. Below are of some of the studies conducted on Music Therapy:

Anxiety- A study was carried out on the students of Nigeria where some were exposed to CBT- music program. They were later found with reduced anxiety level.  The methods implemented were listening to the musical material, songwriting, playing various musical instruments, and using music as a point of reference in group discussion and homework assignments. Students were assigned easily playable music instrument like shakers and bells. The therapy used CBT tools like behavioral experiments, thought records, and homework. Varied music applied are opera, rock, pop, classical relaxation, and breathe control. Techniques implemented are cognitive restructuring, cognitive disputation, reframing, rhythmic-based skills, attention training, and mood monitoring skills to reduce the anxiety.

Behavioral and socio-emotional wellbeing- A study on a small cohort of children was performed in UK to observe impact of music. It is found music enhances intelligence, memory, socio-emotional behavior, motor ability and visual motor integration. It associates multiple regions in the brain with neural networks and they structural and functional changes because of, or concomitant with, musical training. Music is a activity, which involves the whole-brain. When a person learns a fresh thing, they develop a relation with their mentor which creates an emotional bonding, an understanding among them; also improving behavior

General Abilities- Music has the power to elevate the general abilities like attention, memory, intelligence, and emotion. Music cognition provokes the domains of general cognitive skills like intelligence, executive functions, attention and memory. It has strong correlation with emotional controls, personality and social interactions which are also improved. Music promote mathematics, problem-solving, spatial cognition and aptitude.

It is concluded that music therapy plays a vital role on different dimensions of life. It is one of the flexible activities for implementation and individuals of all age groups adapt it easily. It increases the recovery rate of behavioral disorder up to great extent. Overall, music has the potential to improve quality of life.

The article is authored by Dr. Tanushri Chatterji, Assistant Professor, the School of Biosciences,  IMS Ghaziabad (University Courses Campuses)