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Sarika Mehta

The medical fraternity is waking up to the healing power of music.

After a long and tiring day you get back home and play your favourite music. Within half an hour you find yourself more at peace and relaxed. Well, the goodness of music does not stop there. Music is increasingly used to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals.

However, music therapy is no recent invention; it is said that even ancient philosophers such as Pythagoras, Plato and Aristotle were aware of the prophylactic and therapeutic powers of music. The therapy also finds mention in the Old Testament, where King David is said to have cured an illness by playing on the harp.

In India, music has long been believed to cure diseases. The pitch, tone and the specific arrangement of swaras (notes) in a raga stimulate, alleviate and cure various ailments, inducing electromagnetic changes in the body. Dr Anil Patil, a practising doctor and trained musician, explains, "The endorphins released while listening to music affect a person's mood. Since mental state, hormonal activities and immunity are related to each other, music can help cure problems. Psychosomatic disorders can be treated very effectively with music."

Music therapists assess the emotional wellbeing, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills of a person through musical responses. Once the illness/problem has been diagnosed, the therapist selects the appropriate ragas. "The patient's musical taste is also taken into account to some extent," adds Dr Patil.

Thereafter, the therapist designs music sessions for individuals and groups, depending on the need. The patient need not have any knowledge of music to benefit from this therapy. Relaxation techniques like hypnosis are used to calm the patient prior to the therapy sessions. Indian classical music is preferred for therapy since it is more melody-based than Western classical music.

"Moreover," Dr Patil adds, "Indian classical is also capable of creating specific moods. One can use ragas depending on the time or season to balance moods." It is important to induce an appropriate mood in the listener before initiating the musical treatment. For example, Raga Kaafi evokes a humid, cool, soothing and deep mood, while Raga Pooriya Dhanasri evokes a sweet, deep, heavy, cloudy and stable state of mind.

The therapy is provided either early in the morning or evening/ night. The one-hour session is split into two or three short sessions with breaks. One should avoid long music sessions on an empty stomach.

This therapy mostly complements the main treatment and is rarely offered as stand-alone. "It is a good complementary treatment since allopathy does not go to the roots unlike alternative medicine," adds Dr Patil. If the illness is chronic, then the treatment is administered at the therapy centres. For milder problems it can be done at home with the help of a cassette.

Across age groups, people with mental health needs, and developmental and learning disabilities can benefit from this therapy. It is also used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other ageing-related medical conditions, substance abuse, brain injuries, physical disabilities and chronic pain. Women in labour reportedly benefit from music therapy.

Dr Patil adds, "Children, especially infants, respond exceptionally well to music therapy since they are not conditioned." Since it is non-verbal, , music therapy is particularly useful with autistic children. A music therapist observes the child's need to socially interact with others. Musical games like passing a ball back and forth to music or playing sticks and cymbals with another person could be used to foster this interaction.

The benefits of music therapy have been researched and the results published in the Journal of Music Therapy, Music Therapy Perspectives promoted by The American Music Therapy Association and other organisations.

Music therapy is for healthy individuals, too. Active music making, such as drumming, as well as passive listening aid in stress reduction. Music often supports physical exercise. Some simple `do-it-yourself' tips:

Take a 20-minute bath before putting on some relaxing music on your stereo. Lie in a comfortable position on a couch or on the floor near the speakers. For a more concentrated experience, you can wear headphones.

Choose music with a slow rhythm — slower than the natural heartbeat, which is about 72 per minute. Music that has repeating or cyclical pattern is found to be effective in most people.

Focus on your breathing; breathe slowly, deeply and at regular intervals. Concentrate on the silence between notes; this keeps you from analysing the music and makes relaxation more complete.

If you need stimulation after a day's work, go for a faster music rather than a slow, calming one.

When the going gets tough, go for something familiar — such as childhood favourites or golden oldies.

Play your favourite music on the walkman while walking. Inhale and exhale in tune with the music.

Listening to the sounds of nature, such as ocean waves or the stillness of a deep forest, can reduce stress. Take a 15- to 20-minute walk if you're near the seashore or a quiet patch of woods. If not, you can buy tapes of these sounds.

Apollo Hospitals has launched a `Medical Music Therapy' course, designed to sensitise doctors about the advantages of music therapy. It outlines the healing capabilities of music and explains how it could be combined with other forms of medicine to provide a holistic healing touch.

Picture by Shashi Ashiwal

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