'WHEN WORDS FAIL, MUSIC SPEAKS' This well-known quote was proven very apt in a Harvard study that found that music is, indeed, a universal language.
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ACAT is the accrediting body for the creative arts therapies - art, dance movement, drama and music - in Ireland. Music therapy is a psychological intervention that uses music interventions for achieving therapeutic goals with a qualified and IACAT-registered music therapist. Edel Loughran (right) is a music therapist working in the Acute Psychiatric Unit at Cavan General Hospital. Edel first introduced music therapy into the unit in 2017 on a pilot basis for 12 weeks and has since become an ongoing and integral part of the weekly therapeutic programme. Music therapy added to treatment as usual (TAU) has been found to improve depressive symptoms, anxiety and functioning in people with depression. Furthermore, in addition to standard care, growing evidence has shown that engaging in music therapy improves global and mental state, social functioning, and quality of life of people with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like disorders. “Patients often comment on finding meaning where not found in other groups. This is reflected by the occupational therapist who has noticeably recognised how some patients are able to attend music therapy when otherwise failing to attend
other groups,” explained Edel. “Staff often observe enhanced motivation and mood post sessions. The engagement in music therapy often helps a patient develop or reignite a desire to learn an instrument and incorporate music into their life following discharge. Staff also note how they are often provided with different insight into a patient’s mental state. “In the area of psychiatry, music is used to support and help individuals with emotional expression, interpersonal relationships, motivation and concentration. The unique element of music therapy is that it offers a non-verbal way to explore feelings, enhance self-awareness and connect with others in a non-judgemental space. A wide variety of instruments both tuned and untuned percussion, guitars and a piano are all set up in the room each week. Regardless of cultural background and ethnicity, the accessible nature of music allows anyone to participate without having
any musical knowledge or training." The nature of this setting and the short stay of patients has invited more therapist direction, often structured active music making and focus on single sessions. The prominent music methods used in the sessions are; live instrumental and vocal improvisation and the use of pre-composed songs for singing, verbal discussion and reminiscence. “Music therapy facilitates a space for patients to transfer their negative energy into something creative. An example of this in one session was a patient who expressed feeling a strong desire to go home and feeling fed up with her ongoing mental health struggles. She used her voice to engage in an improvisation singing ‘going home.... no more anxiety’. The group was able to acknowledge and relate to her frustrations by engaging in a group improvisation. The improvisation invited a motivated verbal discussion from fellow patients on their own individual journeys,” said the music therapist. Music improvisation allows for thoughts and feelings both conscious and unconscious, to become audible. The role of the therapist is to facilitate interaction and insight into patient’s behaviour and emotional difficulties primarily through live music improvisation using musical components such as rhythm, pitch, tonality and expression. The therapist’s aim is to help bring shape and structure to the music whilst acknowledging the patients’ state of mind through the use of improvisational techniques. “Song discussions can often lead to titled themes for an improvisation which often helps patients make sense of their own mental state. One theme we had recently was ‘finding freedom’ when a patient reflected on her desire to feel inner peace. Other group members present were able to relate to this feeling and one by one, everyone chose an instrument and engaged in a group improvisation. Through the use of music, patients were provided with a space to connect, share, reflect and create through a nonverbal means,” she said.
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