Benefits of using music therapy to ease stress and anxiety
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, CDCES, MBA
Learn what music therapy is and how it can boost your wellbeing. Plus, the 7 benefits of music therapy which include easing stress and reducing anxiety.
Sometimes it feels hard to find a moment of peace inside our busy, and often stressful, schedules. If you’re someone who naturally reaches for music to help ease that daily anxiety, you may already know the therapeutic power of music. Music therapy combines this power with the expert guidance of a therapeutic relationship. Together, these tools can help address your physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs and support your mental and emotional wellbeing.
What is music therapy?
Music is a form of expression and communication that transcends language barriers. It can boost your mood, bring back memories, and even soothe a restless mind. Therapy is a process that aims to heal and improve overall wellbeing. When combined, this creates music therapy—a comprehensive practice backed by science that uses music to help you heal and grow emotionally, physically, or socially.
During a music therapy session, a qualified music therapist takes time to understand your unique needs. They tailor music-based activities to help you deal with issues like managing stress or improving communication skills.
Music therapy sessions can include a range of experiences
Engaging with music can help you heal and grow. Whether you're actively making music, or listening and reflecting on it, these different types of music therapy may help enhance your overall wellbeing.
Improvisation: You create music spontaneously to express your feelings and thoughts without pre-planned notes or lyrics. This can be really helpful in conveying emotions that might be hard to put into words.
Singing well-known songs: Engaging with familiar songs can bring back memories and feelings, providing a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. This type of music therapy can be especially beneficial for those with memory-related issues like dementia.
Composition: Writing your own music or lyrics in music therapy can be a creative way to tell your story and express your feelings. Composition can be empowering, giving you a sense of control and accomplishment.
Vibroacoustic therapy: Also known as a sound bath or sound healing, vibroacoustic therapy uses vibrations that you feel through your body, not just hear with your ears. It can help improve your physical and emotional health, and can be particularly effective for physical pain relief and relaxation. It’s even been used to treat PTSD in veterans.
Listening and discussing: Sometimes, just listening to music and discussing it with the therapist can help you explore and understand your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in a new light.
7 benefits of music therapy
With its ability to reach deep into our emotions and memories, music therapy can be beneficial for people of all ages and can support many conditions. With the power of music, therapists can create personalized sessions that resonate with your experiences, aiding in healing and improving wellbeing.
1. Exploring emotions and regulating mood
One of the most immediate effects of music therapy is on our emotions. Sometimes, feelings can be complex and hard to understand, but music therapy can offer a safe environment to explore and express your emotions—especially those that are hard to communicate in words—helping you process and understand them better. Music can also energize you when you're feeling down or help calm you when you're feeling agitated and support your emotional wellbeing.
💙 Our Bilateral Stimulation playlist is sonically engineered to promote a balanced emotional state.
2. Reducing anxiety or depression, and aiding in relaxation
The structure and rhythm of the right kind of music can help slow down your breathing and heart rate, lower cortisol levels, and calm chaotic thoughts and feelings.
Music therapy can be powerful in treating various mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. It can help distract you from anxious thoughts and lift your mood, which can be especially beneficial after a long, stressful day.
For expectant and new mothers, music therapy can be a source of comfort and emotional support. It can help reduce the stress and anxiety that often accompany pregnancy and the postpartum period. Through calming melodies and rhythmic sounds, music therapy can offer a peaceful escape and promote relaxation.
💙 Explore our Classical for Easing Stress playlist, a mix of classical and modern piano led arrangements, enriched with the lush harmonies of an orchestra.
3. Enhancing communication and social skills
Music therapy can provide a non-verbal outlet for expressing feelings, providing a different way for those who struggle to articulate their emotions to communicate. Participating in group music therapy sessions can build relationships, cultivate empathy, enhance social interactions, encourage cooperation, and encourage listening.
Children, especially those facing developmental challenges, can benefit greatly from music therapy. It can help improve their social skills, communication, and self-regulation, because they might find it easier to express emotions through music.
💙 The Stay Vibrant music series invites the listener to check in with yourself in order to boost your wellbeing.
4. Aiding adults with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, or cognitive delays
Music therapy can help sharpen minds, stimulate cognitive activity, improve attention, and strengthen problem-solving skills. For adults with Alzheimer’s, dementia, or memory impairments, music therapy can stimulate memory recall, bringing a sense of familiarity and comfort.
For patients with Parkinson’s disease, rhythm-based music therapy can aid in improving movement and coordination. It can also be beneficial for people with cognitive impairments or those recovering from brain injuries.
💙 Block out distractions, find your calm and focus on the task at hand with this Deep Focus playlist, a curated collection of soothing ambient tracks.
5. Improving physical health, rehabilitation, and coordination
The rhythm of music can guide physical movements, making it a useful tool for physical rehabilitation and the development of motor skills and coordination through clapping or playing simple instruments.
For those recovering from physical injuries or dealing with motor function issues, music therapy can stimulate the brain in a way that supports and accelerates the recovery process, helping improve coordination and movement.
Music therapy can also play a role in recovering from a stroke. It can help with regaining speech and language skills, as well as improving motor control and cognitive function.
It’s also been used in hospitals to improve the health of premature babies.
Even pain management can benefit from music therapy, as listening to music can lead to a reduction in how much pain you feel.
💙 Let our Take a Walk playlist uplift any of your movement or recovery practices.
6. Promoting sensory integration
Feeling the vibrations of music and engaging with it through instruments can be especially helpful for those with sensory integration disorders, helping them process and respond to sensory information more effectively.
💙 Find peace through Sensory Alignment, inspired by the composer's struggles with ADHD.
7. Improving quality of life
The far-reaching benefits of music therapy can contribute to an improved quality of life. It can bring joy, comfort, and a deeper understanding of yourself.
💙 Lift your spirits and discover your happy place with this Good Mood Reggae Mix, designed to bring warmth and positivity to your day.
Benefits of music therapy FAQs
Why is music such good therapy?
Music as a form of therapy can directly affect our emotions. When we listen to music, our brain sometimes releases chemicals, like dopamine, which can make us feel happier. Music has rhythms and patterns that our brain likes and can easily follow, which can be calming and help us focus better. Moreover, music can be an effective tool for therapy because it’s a universal language that doesn’t need words to express feelings or thoughts, so you can express yourself and heal in ways that might be difficult with just words.
What are the pros and cons of music therapy?
Music therapy is an accessible form of therapy for people who might feel uncomfortable with more traditional therapy methods. It's versatile and can be tailored to individual needs, meaning it can be used to help people with a wide range of issues, from stress to neurological conditions. However, some people find that the strong emotions or memories that music evokes are challenging to process, and not everyone has easy access to a qualified music therapist to guide them.
How does music therapy improve wellbeing?
Music therapy can improve wellbeing by working on multiple areas of our lives. It can reduce stress, lower anxiety, and improve mood, which are all important for our mental health. It also helps with emotional expression and processing, which is crucial for emotional wellbeing. For physical health, music therapy can improve motor skills, coordination, and even reduce pain. It also helps with cognitive functions like memory and attention. Socially, it encourages interaction and improves communication skills.
What are the benefits of receptive music therapy?
Receptive music therapy, where you simply listen to music, can be especially good for relaxation and reducing stress. Listening to music can take your mind off worries and help you feel more peaceful. It’s also useful for mood regulation, helping to lift your spirits when you're feeling down. Receptive music therapy can stimulate the brain to aid memory and cognitive function, and it can offer a way to experience and process emotions in a safe and controlled environment.
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