Exploring the Potential of CBD in Music Therapy: Promoting Wellness and Healing
Marijuana has been around for centuries. Since its discovery, people have been using it for various reasons. Some of them are health-related issues, and others are for recreational purposes. As research into the compound increases, people have been pairing it with other wellness practices to enhance the benefits.
Music therapy is a scientifically-proven strategy that aims at aiding wellness and treating psychological and behavioscepral issues. Though it is effective, psychologists suggest using the same alongside other techniques. With this in mind, it is only reasonable to wonder whether a combination of CBD and music therapy can benefit the patient.
How is Music Therapy Used?
The onset of the technological advancement era provided people with an easy search engine for all their queries. No wonder a person can quickly search for CBD edibles for pain management, stress relief, and even sleep issues. Similarly, they can look up the effects of specific therapeutic techniques and how they get utilized.
Though music therapy is already in practice in most parts of the world, some are skeptical about how it works. From a basic understanding, music therapy is what it sounds like. It is the use of music in a therapeutic relationship to ensure the achievement of personal therapy goals. It has scientific backing and can only get initiated and utilized by a trained professional.
These professionals can use music that will align with the patient’s therapeutic needs. Some choose to play live music, recorded pieces, or music the patient contributes to making. The goal is to ensure whichever music gets played benefits the therapeutic relationship.
The therapeutic method utilizes both music and neuroscience principles. The therapist knows musical elements such as tempo, tone, rhythm, timbre, and volume to control the session. They can offer high-volume music with a slowed tempo or vice versa. The neuroscience basis of music therapy is the most important.
Research utilizing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) shows that the brain responds differently to the elements of music. For instance, when the brain is registering timbre, the cognitive and cerebrum parts of the brain light up. When noting rhythm and tempo, the emotional and motor functions of the brain were the ones that lit up.
Basing their technique on these effects on the brain by music, therapists can curate a music playlist that caters to the needs of their patients. There are different forms of music therapy, each with a specific goal in mind. There is the Bonny method of Imagery and music, Neurologic music, and Dalcroze Eurythmics. Each of them follows specific rules and techniques. For instance, the Bonny Method of Imagery and music necessitates the professional to offer images alongside chosen musical pieces.
Benefits of Music Therapy
Regarding the benefits of this therapeutic method, there is ample research backing its use. The only stipulation is that it has to get directed by a trained professional. The lack of professional know-how may further harm the patient like any other therapeutic technique.
The following are some common uses of music therapy as a therapeutic technique.
Dealing with Fear and Anxiety
Fear and anxiety are common issues that make people visit psychologists and psychiatrists. Research into music as a therapeutic option shows that it affects the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls fear and stress in the body. To back their research, the researchers provided results that showed reduced stress and anxiety levels in people that used music. The case study was in a hospital where the patients had heart attacks.
Pain Management
From a general perspective, associating music with pain management is farfetched. Despite what you may want to assume, research shows music therapy can reduce pain intensity. The studies involved having patients listen to music before, during, and after surgeries. With patients that were in the intensive care unit, slow and relaxing songs got played. The findings were that the music enhanced the production of oxytocin, reducing pain levels and promoting fast recovery.
Management of Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, and Schizophrenia
People with terminal illnesses often have limited therapeutic options to improve their quality of life. Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s lead to adverse symptoms that impair the daily life of their patients. There are studies linked to improved conditions among people with each of the three diseases. For Parkinson’s disease, there was proof that listening to songs improved the patient’s sensory memory, reducing depression and enhancing cognition.
With Schizophrenia, studies show that patients listening to therapeutic songs tend to improve their psychological symptoms. They also show slight increases in interpersonal skills.
Lastly, with Alzheimer’s, patients show improved mood, increased organization, improved cognition, and motor control. For instance, Tony Bennett, who just passed away at the age of 96, suffered from the disease, but didn’t need to use any on stage enhancement to recite the lyrics he sang.
Helps with Delayed Speech Development
Children with speech issues and those with autism often struggle to learn to speak. In such cases playing songs can help them improve their phonological memory. It also enhances their cognitive abilities and language in general. In these cases, the use of music enhanced their speech development.
How CBD Can Enhance Your Music Therapy
Now that we have an understanding of music therapy, let’s look at how CBD can enhance the benefits of the same. The cannabinoid is most famous for its health benefits, such as relieving pain. The question is, can these benefits improve when paired with music therapy? The following are some of the enhancements CBD has to offer.
Boosts Energy
The use of CBD enhances energy and focus. The cannabinoid interacts with the brain and its receptors resulting in a sense of calm and focus. Music intensifies these effects so the listener can fully immerse in the sounds. The energy boost and improved focus allow the patients to align themselves with the needs of the therapy session. They can fully understand their significance instead of passively listening to the songs.
Heightens Responsiveness
The responsiveness to songs in therapy is essential in aiding the therapeutic process. Anxiety, stress, and other issues can impede the process. CBD enhances the session by ensuring the patient is free from stress and anxiety. The use of cannabidiol before the session gets the mind prepared for what will occur. This calmness and relaxation improve their listening and responsiveness to the music. The therapists can thus gauge the patient’s responses better and control the session as they see fit.
Relieves Pain
Before, the mention of music therapy alone helping with pain seemed skeptical, even though we showed that it does help. The combination of the technique with cannabidiol holds more prospects for pain relief. As you may know, cannabidiol interacts with the CB1 and CB2 receptors in the brain. These interactions reduce pain levels, increase relaxation, and other health benefits. Combining therapeutic song techniques and CBD would lead to higher levels of pain management.
Enhance Creativity
As a therapeutic technique, using songs can also boost the creativity of patients. The addition of cannabidiol ensures that there is a wholesome, creative boost. Artists often claim they feel inspired by a gummy or two of CBD. Therapists can combine music with CBD for patients with creative issues to ensure the effects get more pronounced. If a therapist guides the session, the results will be positive, and they can change the songs and other elements if needed.
Conclusion
From a secular perspective, people have always found music soothing and relaxing. From a scientific point of view, this is a therapeutic technique that has a load of benefits for the patient. The basic understanding is that the patient listens to music, and the therapist judges how they react. The use of CBD alongside therapeutic songs holds enhanced advantages. The combination promotes relaxation and calmness that motivates the positive results of the ordinary therapy session. With a trained professional, the combination can help people deal with anxiety issues, pain, and more.
Tia Moskalenko wrote this article. Tia is a professional writer with a passion for the marijuana sector. She has years of experience in writing reviews and researching various topics related to cannabis use. Her pieces aim to offer much-needed information on a range of issues.
