The Art Of Healing

ext">We very often spend vast amounts of moneylong way to help with pain relief as the patient is left
on doctors, antibiotics and conventional medicalin a calmer emotional state. Music therapy is used
treatments, but give little thought or credence toextensively with stroke victims in many countries as
more alternative methods of healing. Less traditionalthe rhythmic entrainment (or allowing the brain
techniques such asmusic therapy are not onlywaves to fall in sync with the music and thus
cheaper, they can be just as effective as the mostsynchronise the two hemispheres of the brain to
intensive medications. Music therapy not onlyencourage co-ordinated physical and spatial
introduces people to a new way of thinking, but canmovement) is incredibly helpful for physical
help heal some of the deepest wounds.rehabilitation.
What is Music Therapy?How Does it Work?
Music therapy is a way of reaching a patient andHumans all intrinsically respond to music, regardless of
forming a patient-therapist connection through thecreed, colour or disability and music therapists use this
medium of sound and music. Each individual musicto reach a certain set of outcomes. The techniques
therapy patient has a set of therapeutic goals -used include musical improvisation, singing,
anything from improved motor co-ordination tocomposition, listening, performance and movement to
mental recovery - and music is used to try andexpress what often feels inexpressible in words. The
achieve these goals. Often compared to occupationalpower in this lies in the fact that a voice is given to
therapy and physical therapy, music therapy simplythat which the patient cannot express which allows
uses music as its equipment. During a music therapythe healing process to begin.
session, music is used as a creative and non-verbalOne of the best ways to understand how music
medium through which specific difficulties aretherapy works is to follow a real-life account of
addressed and faced. One of the strengths of musicmusic therapy in practice. Little Caylem was three
therapy is that it is a non-verbal form ofyears old when he was witness to his father's brutal
communication and people can still expressmurder. His trauma was left unaddressed for three
themselves even when words are or seemyears and his behaviour steadily declined. In his first
impossible.music therapy sessions under the Heideveld project,
Who Benefits from Music Therapy?he almost instantly reverted to toddler-like behaviour,
One of the greatest things about music therapy isindicating that he still needed to deal with what he
that it can help a range of people and a range ofwitnessed as a three year old. By his fourth session
conditions or problems. Patients often tend to beCaylem felt secure enough to re-enact his father's
children with learning disabilities or behaviouralmurder through the safe medium of music. He used
problems. Using music to express themselves teachesthe instruments to show what happened, with the
these children to both listen and interact with otherbass drum essentially killing the piano. This first step in
children, greatly improving social skills andthe healing process has already made a remarkable
concentration levels. Children suffering from mentaldifference, with his teachers commenting that his
disabilities can also benefit from music therapy as itclassroom behaviour has greatly improved.
offers them an alternative way to expressMusic Therapy in South Africa
themselves. Very often bad behaviour in challengedMusic therapy is particularly successful and powerful in
children stems from frustration as they cannot makeSouth Africa as music is an intrinsic part of almost
their needs clearly known. This alternative form ofevery culture contained within our borders. With
expression allows them to release this frustration andmany issues facing the children of South Africa, from
possibly find an alternative form of communication.HIV/Aids to poverty, abuse, violence and trauma,
Another significant group of people who can benefitmusic therapy is one way that children can begin to
from this type of therapy is children and people whoheal.
have witnessed traumatic events or who haveMany charities recognise that helping people is not
undergone an abusive or traumatic experience.always all about food and shelter, but that emotional
Humans often bottle up their emotions or suppresshealing through music, arts and culture projects can
frightening or unhappy memories. Music therapybe just as important. Many projects, such as the
provides a safe space for these emotions andHeideveld Project that helped Caylem, head out into
experiences to be let out and worked through,the poorer areas of South Africa, like the Cape Flats
allowing the patient to finally moved past them andand offer individual and group sessions where they
live a happier life.teach children to cope with and overcome some of
It is also not only children who benefit from musicthe many difficulties that they face. Music therapists
therapy, but it is often an effective treatment forare all fully trained and need to be registered with
adults suffering from disabilities, mental illness, terminalthe Health Professions Council of South Africa and
diseases or arthritis. For these adults, the relaxing andmost volunteer their time for these projects.
de-stressing ability that music therapy has goes a