Overview

Music therapy or music medicine is the therapeutic use of music. It can involve listening, improvising, or performing music, with or without a therapist.

Music therapy can work by distracting people from unpleasant feelings, which helps to reduce anxiety and pain. It can also work as a form of communication in place of spoken therapy in some people with certain psychological illnesses.

People use music therapy to alleviate pain and anxiety. It is also used for autism, stroke recovery, ADHD, cancer, heart disease, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these uses.

Uses & Effectiveness

Possibly Effective for

  • Anxiety. Participating in music therapy and listening to music seems to reduce anxiety in many different types of people.
  • Autism. Music therapy might improve social skills and communication in people with autism.
  • Pain in people with cancer. Music therapy seems to somewhat reduce chronic cancer-related pain.
  • Depression. Music therapy seems to improve depression in most people with depression. It also seems to improve depressive symptoms in people who have not been diagnosed with depression.
  • High blood pressure. Music therapy seems to reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
  • Insomnia. Listening to music seems to improve sleep in people with difficulty sleeping. It seems to help both adults and children.
  • Chronic pain. Music therapy seems to help reduce chronic pain from some chronic diseases.
  • Parkinson disease. Music therapy and adding music to movement therapy seems to help improve symptoms of Parkinson disease.
  • Pain after surgery. Music therapy reduces pain and anxiety after surgery and during recovery after surgery.
  • Anxiety before a procedure. Music therapy and listening to music reduces anxiety before surgery and medical procedures.
  • Quality of life. Participating in music therapy or listening to music seems to help improve quality of life.
  • Schizophrenia. Music therapy improves symptoms and social functioning in people with schizophrenia.
  • Stroke. Music therapy improves walking, quality of life, and communication in people who have had a stroke.

There is interest in using music therapy for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.

Side Effects



Special Precautions and Warnings



Music therapy is likely safe when used appropriately together with proven treatments. Music therapy has been used without any reports of side effects.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if music therapy is safe when pregnant or breast-feeding. However, there's no reason to suspect safety concerns when used appropriately.

Children: Music therapy is possibly safe in infants and children. High levels of noise or music might stunt the growth of newborn infants. Infants should also not be overstimulated with music. Music interventions in infants shouldn't last more than 30 minutes.

Interactions

We currently have no information for Music therapy overview.

Dosing

Music therapy can involve listening to music, making music, or taking part in activities involving music. There are many different types of music therapy. Music therapists can design individual plans, sometimes combining music therapy with other therapies or treatments. Speak with a healthcare provider to find out how to use music therapy for a specific condition.
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CONDITIONS OF USE AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This information is meant to supplement, not replace advice from your doctor or healthcare provider and is not meant to cover all possible uses, precautions, interactions or adverse effects. This information may not fit your specific health circumstances. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified health care provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you.

This copyrighted material is licensed from Therapeutic Research Center, LLC. Information from this source is evidence-based and objective, and without commercial influence. For professional medical information on natural medicines, see Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Professional Version.
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