Music Therapy and Mental Health

Music is one of those tools that we often turn to when times are tough. Songs can make us laugh and make us cry, they can bring back memories and stir emotions in us that we may have not known were there. Throughout history the power of music has always been held in an almost magical reverence. Music helped Orpheus to calm Cerebrus at the gates of the underworld. Music caused the children of Hamlin to follow the pied piper, and when the ancient Dagda played his magical harp, not only could he change the seasons, but he could make the people of Ireland laugh, cry or sleep. Music still speaks to us today in the age of radios and Spotify, often in our most tender moments.

Music therapy can help those who are facing a range of mental health challenges, from depression and anxiety to trauma and psychosis. According to Victor Hugo, “Music expresses that which cannot be said, and on which it is impossible to stay silent”. In music therapy for mental health, music is used alongside psychotherapeutic techniques to help the individual at hand understand and express themselves and promote positive engagement with the world. Some musical activities that can be engaged with when working in mental health include (but are not limited to);

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Lyric analysis

Musical improvisations

Meditations with music (both guided and free)

Songwriting

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Due to the covid-19 lockdown we are now offering online (zoom) support in both individual and group sessions.