What Is a Music Therapy Program?
For many people, music is an integral aspect of their daily lives. People use music for distraction, entertainment, relaxation, and more. In addition, people use music to enhance and accompany various situations they find themselves in. To some, music can be essential because it can motivate people to perform necessary activities that may be tiring or uninspiring.
Music can affect the behaviors and emotions of people. It can increase someone’s energy and perceived stamina, make them happy or sad, or even remind them of certain people and places. In this context, music can be therapeutic. It can heal or serve an integrative function for people. When music is applied this way to clients by a trained professional, it can be a form of therapy. Clients may be participating in a music therapy program when attending an addiction treatment center with a structure and goal in mind.
Music therapy has formal techniques and goals. These therapists have the training to do this, while people who make or play music usually aren’t. Music by itself may have a therapeutic effect on clients, but without a formally trained music therapist, it won’t be as helpful or as healing.
What Are the Benefits of Music Counseling?
Music therapy is a formally recognized type of therapy because studies show that music does make a difference when clients use it. It can also assist in treating and managing challenging mental health issues, such as anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. The major advantages of music therapy include the following:
- Dealing with overwhelming feelings-Clients in the early stages of a mental health treatment program or an addiction recovery program may often feel overwhelmed by everything that’s going on in their lives. Music therapy can help clients deal with the behavioral and emotional problems associated with feeling overwhelmed.
- Enjoying life and feeling happiness-Clients may sometimes think that being in a treatment program results in an empty life. Music therapy can provide clients with pockets of joy to take along with them throughout their time in treatment.
- Overcoming triggers and setbacks-This advantage is specifically for clients struggling with a substance use disorder. Music therapy can alleviate boredom, sadness, stress, and self-doubt, which can all lead to relapsing.
Music therapy is also often used in conjunction with other forms of care to motivate clients and help them develop and support positive changes in their lives.
How Does Music Counseling Work with Addiction Treatment Therapy?
We often use music therapy to ease stress, help people relax, and improve clients’ focus on recovery. However, clients need to know that when they’re in recovery, they don’t need to undergo a formal music therapy program to benefit from the use of music. They can listen to music privately to enhance their mood, help them forget stressors, and distract themselves when they face cravings or triggers.
Whether or not clients go to music therapy sessions or listen to music privately, though, one fact remains the same. Music therapy is not a replacement for a comprehensive and customized addiction treatment program. It is designed only to enhance the effects of programs like this.
Learn More About Treatments at Casco Bay Recovery
If you are looking for health care facilities offering varied addiction treatment therapies in Portland, Maine, contact Casco Bay Recovery. Call 844.940.4407 or reach out to our team online.