Music Therapy for Fibromyalgia
Music Therapy has proven results and effectiveness in a wide range of clinical areas today, like:
1. Rehabilitation centres for addiction problems to help people with achieving their goals.
2. Wellness Centres whom use a lost of different holistic therapies to promote healing for mental, physical and emotional difficulties.
3. Hospices to help gently ease patients into the last few months of life.
4. Prisons use music therapy for helping inmates try and rehabilitate into a crime-free life once out, and for things like anger and behaviour problems.
5. Development and learning difficulties for all ages, like autism, ADHD, downs syndrome, and is a great tool for those whom are unable to communicate verbally. I have seen the benefits first hand teaching yoga and relaxation/meditation to such students within these areas.
6. Mental health facilities benefit by helping patients with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
7. Brain injury clinics use music therapy to help stimulate the brain for memory and sounds from their past to calm and promote healing.
8. Physical disabilities also benefit with music for calming the body and mind, and also helping to move limbs and promote strength. I used this method as a student yoga teacher for helping multiple sclerosis sufferers, using gentle yoga music whilst gently loosening tight limbs.
9. Alzheimer’s and other age related conditions are helped with music therapy as it helps confusion and memory problems because it accesses all areas of the brain.
Music therapy is not only putting on someone’s favourite music however, it is a highly specialised clinical discipline carried out by a board certified music therapy specialist (MT – BC).
The reasons for this are numerous, especially as music can bring on powerful emotions, not all good!
Music therapy can reduce anxiety, depression, decrease perception of pain, promote healing, support of psychological, emotional, physical, spiritual and social difficulties, and help with sleep.
Music Therapy is a powerful non-invasive tool used to help promote healing for so many areas of the human existence, and the research has proved this to be an effective area of holistic approach to mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.
Turning now to fibromyalgia, as you can see from this information, it helps in so many ways to support those with this and other chronic pain conditions.
People with fibro have highly sensitive pain receptors, and so perceive pain worst than those without the condition.
This is because of something called central sensitization.
Central sensitization
To understand what this is, break down the words to explain.
Central refers to the central nervous system (CNS); which is the brain and nerves of the spinal cord. This is the most important part to understand as it is how pain signals are regulated from the rest of the body.
Sensitization is how the body reacts to a substance or stimuli.
If it is the immune system, and is oversensitive, the result is an allergy.
In the central nervous system (CNS), it is sensitive by being on constant alert at all times, resulting in pain where no pain should be, and of course this is the main problem with fibro.
It is much more complicated, but this explanation simplifies it.
This is known collectively as central sensitivity syndrome (CSS) and lots of chronic pain conditions are grouped under this umbrella, like CFS and others.
Varied studies around the world with women suffering with fibro, have brought surprising results in the reduction of pain and other symptoms.
Here comes the (easily understood) science bit. Music therapy works by:
1. A chosen song by the person can bring about happy memories and this distracts from pain and agitation it can bring about.
2. Supporting deep breathing and relaxation/meditation techniques to reduce pain perception.
3. Listening to music increases relaxation and enhances coping skills for pain, depression and anxiety.
4. Listening to Hymns can help bring about support by enhancing spiritual support and faith, which is a great help. This applies to any spiritual music the subject loves.
5. Helping to improve memory and reduce fibro fog because music accesses all the brain, thus helping cognitive difficulties.
6. Listening to music releases natural opioids in the brain, which spread throughout the body and reducing pain naturally.
7. Dopamine is released which is responsible for allowing us to feel pleasure and satisfaction. Dopamine is also known to have a role in central analgesia.
Central Analgesia
Central analgesia means reduction or lessening of pain in the central nervous system, and since fibro is a problem with generalised central pain, number 7 above is great news for us!
Conclusion
If music be the food of feeling good, play on!
Looking at how music therapy can help us reduce pain, help with anxiety and depression, improve fibro fog, and bring about better sleep, and all done naturally, then lets give it a go!
If you do decide to try it, please make sure it is a certified therapist, as mentioned above!
Happy pain-free month!