{"id":109,"date":"2025-08-17T20:17:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T19:17:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/sound-of-change\/?p=109"},"modified":"2025-08-18T12:15:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T11:15:30","slug":"music-therapy-healing-with-harmony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/sound-of-change\/2025\/08\/17\/music-therapy-healing-with-harmony\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Therapy: Healing with Harmony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Picture by Freepik<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever wondered how music can boost your entire mood?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cMusic is the one medicine you don\u2019t have to swallow,\u201d says Angela Kopshy, a music therapist of the NICU, U.S.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This is agreed by the recent research of the 2023 meta-analysis in Translational Psychiatry, which shows music therapy significantly reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety<\/a>, often matching or enhancing the effects of standard psychological treatments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a reason a sad song can make you cry, or a certain beat get you out of bed on a sluggish morning. Music doesn\u2019t just tickle your ears; it speaks to the brain, the heart, and even the body. For people struggling with mental health challenges, that power can be transformative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for Angela Kopshy, that transformation is her daily mission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMusic is accessible to almost everyone. It\u2019s intrinsically motivating, it doesn\u2019t require a lot of verbal communication, and our bodies naturally entrain to it within seconds,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From non-verbal children on the autism spectrum to hospital patients in pain, she\u2019s seen music as a bridge, connecting people to their own emotions, their memories, and to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe elements of music activate so much of the brain at once. Harmonic structure, rhythm, timbre, and emotion light up different areas, and that allows new neural networks to form,\u201d Angela explains.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Major Benefits of Music Therapy:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Emotional Regulation<\/strong>– Music always helps people in self-soothing and shifting moods. For instance, a depressed or anxious person can take the benefits of carefully curated playlists to manage their emotions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Social connection<\/strong>– Group music therapy encourages communication, sharing, and cooperative play, which is beneficial, especially for individuals who face social challenges.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Motor Skills and Vestibular Activation<\/strong>– Rhythmic patterns improve coordination and balance, particularly in neurological rehabilitation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Speech and Communication<\/strong>– Angela has worked with non-verbal children with autism, and she finds that music therapy provokes speech development through the stimulation of auditory and motor pathways.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    And the research backs up these findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A study in Frontiers in Psychology in 2023 found that group music therapy sessions significantly enhance emotional well-being and decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression<\/a>. Another study in 2018 randomized trial published on PubMed pointed to music therapy\u2019s value in helping to improve autistic children\u2019s communication skills.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Personalize Music Therapy to Different Needs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Music therapy is best when it is attuned to personal taste. Angela Kopshy explains, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    \u201cThere are many times when a live music therapist can assess the particular mood of a client, come in with the iso-principal and help shift the experience and connection in a way that may be challenging for a more prescriptive approach.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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    For instance,<\/p>\n\n\n\n