People are enamored with music. It touches our souls in profound ways that words alone cannot equal. It stirs our imagination, invigorates our bodies, and transforms our moods. It can lift us up or overwhelm us with emotion. It can make us feel down in the dumps or over the moon. It can pump us up, and it can calm us down.
Billy Joel, the famous American songwriter and performer, once said. “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
There is no doubt: music can indeed heal. People with brain injuries such as a stroke, for example, have had success with music therapy. It can activate their brain in alternative ways. It often bypasses the damaged areas, allowing people to regain movement or speech. In this way, music actually changes the structure of the brain. It gives people new chances to move and speak.
Also, studies have shown that music therapy can lower the stress hormone cortisol. It can also increase the pleasure hormone dopamine. It can improve heart and breathing rates, as well as anxiety and pain in cancer patients. In the field of psychology, music has been used to help people suffering from depression and sadness. Also, for children with developmental disabilities, music can be healing.
Therapist Yvonne Russell has seen firsthand the power of music to heal the elderly. Henry, an old man, was living in a nursing home. Like some people his age, Henry was suffering from dementia. He forgot things easily and has lost many of his mental abilities. In fact, Henry lived in his own world, often unresponsive to other people. But when Yvonne gave him an iPod with his favorite blasts from the past, he instantly began to sing and sway to the music. His lifeless face became transformed with energy. His eyes came alive with emotion as he listened to music. While he was mostly mute for years, after listening to music he was suddenly able to shoot the breeze with the people around him. Music breathed life into his body and mind. According to Neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, “Henry is restored to himself. He has remembered who he is and has reacquired his identity for a while through the power of music.”