Music for the soul

 

Can Music Heal Depression?

Can Music Heal Depression? 

“Music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all really touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music” quoted Billy Joel. The power of music is humongous. It is a language that connects people and it’s also a cathartic form of expression.

Music is not a mere pleasure-seeking pastime. It is much more. Being once healed by Music, I know very well, the omnipotence of making music an integral part of life. In this article, 'Can Music heal Depression? : Bagging a second chance at Life' we shall try to seek an answer to if music can heal depression. 

The Power of Music

Music is capable of transporting us to another realm of being. Music can profoundly affect our behavior and our physiology. When people in stressful situations are allowed to select their own music, they are significantly calmer both emotionally and behaviorally and have significantly improved ability to handle stressful situations. Music is a relaxing method of spending the day when there is nothing else to do at a period in time. Music is soothing and allows people to pass time easily without recounting the struggles of everyday life. It allows people to relax in their mode and search for spiritual help with their everyday struggles.

It was Pythagoras who blazed the trail by using music prescriptively for people’s emotional and physical maladies. Music makes its way to human beings at a quiet young age. Human responsiveness to music begins in the womb.

Music is a therapy for different kinds of mental health conditions such as trauma, depression, and schizophrenia. Listening to music acts as a medium for processing grief, trauma and emotions and can also act as a calming agent for dysregulation, anxiety, and depression. That’s exactly why the band went on playing in the titanic and since it was a life or death experience for the people, they couldn’t be calmed. “I use binaural beats with music in the background as I guide clients into hypnosis. I find it to be very effective in helping clients who suffer from depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. I also provide a hypnotic recording, with binaural beats/music, to my clients so they can listen to it in between sessions” said Eli Bliliuos, certified hypnotist based in Newyork.

(RELATED: Top 5 Benefits of Playing Chess: How does playing chess benefits the brain?)

Music Resonates strongly with us

It has extraordinary power to stimulate our emotions and evoke our memories. To people who feel lost and broken, music provides them the opportunity to express and feel, experience safety and comfort. Who can live life without music? Music is therapy.

There is no denying the power that listening to a beautiful song or hearing a touching performance can have on both our physical and emotional bodies. Sometimes lyrics can express feelings you are having in ways that help you process the emotions in a positive way. Hearing someone singing about a situation that resonates with an experience you are having can help you to feel less alone. A common symptom of a depressed person is feeling as though they are alone in the world, so this connection and shared emotion to someone else can be incredibly influential. Because of the rhythm, music engages in your brain and therefore calms and reduces impulsivity to the listener. People often utilize music to match or alter their mood.

Music would support healing by increasing self-expression & assist in integrating & connecting with different parts of yourself & your past. The emotion aroused through music has been shown to light up dopamine pathways needed for pleasure and motivation, which can be low or dysregulated when depressed. Music lets us travel back in time without the necessity of a time machine. It resonates strongly with us. That’s why many of us remember the lyrics of songs effortlessly but struggle to remember the notes given by lecturers.

(RELATED: Your Brain on Horror Movies: How do horror movies manipulate your brain?)

 “I create my own music digitally, and I've started a website designed to help other fellow musicians. I've had my ups and downs over the years in dealing with my depression, but I've found that whenever I step back and lean on music, I get back on track. Nowadays, I've never felt better. Helping other creators has been extremely gratifying, and having my own creative outlet definitely doesn't hurt. Based on my own experiences, I'm a firm believer that music can have positive effects on almost any mental ailment, not just depression” said Jeremy Bongiorno, a Musician who triumphed against depression.

Neuroscientific studies have shown music to be an agent capable of influencing complex neurobiological processes in the brain and suggest that it can potentially play an important role in treatment. Clinical studies too suggest that music can be a viable alternative in treating depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, and even Alzheimer’s. According to research, listening to music may facilitate non-verbal expression in people who can’t express their feelings and emotions, without the need of being threatened.

Music in our lives

Dopamine is released due to the stimulus created by listening to music. And a part of your brain called the hippocampus gets active. Hippocampus is associated with memory and storage. That's why when you listen to a song, you reminisce old memories and nostalgia strikes you. 

Moreover, music is scientifically known to slow down Alzheimer's. And music therapy is used in treating patients with Autism and Depression. After World War 2, many soldiers experienced Post-traumatic Stress disorder(PTSD). In some countries, musicians were hired by the governments to treat the soldiers. Music lowers the cortisol levels, the stress-causing hormone, thus naturally lowering stress.

Studies suggest that listening to or playing music, can actually improve your memory, cognition, and brain's plasticity. Music and rhythm, relax our Nervous System. And exposure to prosocial lyrics increases optimism and positivity. And it also makes you feel more connected to people and life, bridging the communication and expectation gap. It makes you more expressive and lets your emotions flow with the tune.

(RELATED: The Power of Self-belief: How to believe in yourself and attract success?)

Concluding: Can Music heal Depression?

You must have encountered situations in your life when music uplifted your soul. Did you observe that when you are sad, you listen to a particular genre, and when you are abuzz you listen to another? So, depending on our mood, we listen to various kinds of music. We, humans, are rhythmic beings. 

Music and rhythm are inbuilt in our body, like the rhythmic pumping of our heart, respiration, and pulse. Maybe that's why the rhythmic beats of music lift our mood by shifting brain activity.

As for the question, 'can music heal depression?' we can say undoubtedly that music can heal depression. There's no exaggeration in claiming that music is perhaps the best antidote to depression and many other mental ailments.

If you liked my work, you can also buy my ebook, 'Resuscitate yourself', by clicking here or you can get it from Kindle and Amazon. It is a self-help book, which is mainly focused on an effectively efficient approach in improving brain power and beating stress, depression, and other mental ailments. 

 

I hope my article, 'Can Music heal Depression? : Bagging a second chance at Life' is of assistance. Subscribe to my newsletter to get all my articles delivered straight into your inbox.