Within modern psychiatry and in treatment of many different mental disorders have supplementary treatment with music therapy and music medicine won strong emphasis in recent years. Extensive research and a series of groundbreaking books in the field has paved the way for the music now being taken seriously as a positive medicine reducing and motivational remedy, without side effects, in the treatment of psychiatric patients. Most recently, writers such as Oliver Sacks ("Musicophelia") and Daniel Levitin ("This is Your Brain On Music") contributed to the debate with creative books that have put renewed focus on music's effect on our psyche and how our brains perceive and process music. Also the Danish Book "SansernesHospital" by Lars Heslet and Kim Dirkink-Holmfeldt focuses on the brain's perception of music and many other aspects of the environment surrounding patients.
Within research in Denmark has music therapist Torben Egelund Sørensen (Project Manager) and Dr. Jørgen Tybjerg (supervisor) in 2004 implemented a pilot project with anxious psychiatric patients at HorsensHospital. The project's success has been very influential in the recognition and use of music in psychiatry in Denmark and other Nordic countries, and today music therapy and music-medicine is a standardized offer for the patients at many hospitals and institutions dealing with psychiatric patients.
"Treatment with MusiCure is a completely different procedure than traditional music therapy," explains Torben Egelund Sørensen, music therapist in psychiatry department at Horsens hospital, and project manager for the pilot project with MusiCure.
”When using MusiCure alone are we not talking about using music instead of music therapy as psychotherapy. With MusiCure, it’s the music alone that stimulates the brain, sending signals of peace and no danger to the body” he explains. “When the brain hear sounds it knows, it relaxes and sends calming hormones into the body, signalling peace and tranquillity. Pulse and blood pressure decreases. The brain emits including the hormone melatonin, which is the substance that indicates sleep. Therefore, patients also find it easier to fall asleep, "says Torben Egelund.
”When using MusiCure alone are we not talking about using music instead of music therapy as psychotherapy. With MusiCure, it’s the music alone that stimulates the brain, sending signals of peace and no danger to the body” he explains. “When the brain hear sounds it knows, it relaxes and sends calming hormones into the body, signalling peace and tranquillity. Pulse and blood pressure decreases. The brain emits including the hormone melatonin, which is the substance that indicates sleep. Therefore, patients also find it easier to fall asleep, "says Torben Egelund.
The complete article: ”Treatment of psychiatric patients suffering from anxiety using MusiCure – a pilot study” under Publications and Articles
Aticle (Danish text only): ’Fag & Arbejde’ fagbladet for FOA Music as Medicine
Artikel i ’Midt i Psykiatrien’ (side 17): Music as Medicine
Children with autism spectrum disorder
A research project dealing with a particular group of children with 'autistic spectrum disorder' was conducted in Aalborg, Denmark in 2006. Project leader was teacher and consultant Susan Gulstad and the purpose of the study was to investigate whether listening to MusiCure had influence on this group's ability to relax, feel at rest and fall asleep more rapidly.
"Sleep disturbances appear to be a known problem among children with autism spectrum disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders. The issue addressed, is to a high degree the difficulties this group has of finding peace and rest before falling asleep. On this background, was a pilot project conducted from March to May 2006 on 19 children with ASD in NorthJutlandCounty. The project was intended to investigate whether custom designed music ‘MusiCure’ can shorten the pre-sleep faze, and to investigate how children with ASD respond to MusiCure played back through audio pillows. The study took place in the children's home with the parents as registrants and diary writers" says Susan Gulstad.
"Sleep disturbances appear to be a known problem among children with autism spectrum disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders. The issue addressed, is to a high degree the difficulties this group has of finding peace and rest before falling asleep. On this background, was a pilot project conducted from March to May 2006 on 19 children with ASD in NorthJutlandCounty. The project was intended to investigate whether custom designed music ‘MusiCure’ can shorten the pre-sleep faze, and to investigate how children with ASD respond to MusiCure played back through audio pillows. The study took place in the children's home with the parents as registrants and diary writers" says Susan Gulstad.
Conclusions for the qualitative study:
Behaviour: Parents predominantly perceived that their child’s behaviour around bedtime was improved.
Sleep patterns: Parents predominantly perceived that their child’s sleep patterns had improved.
Reaction to the music: Parents predominantly perceived that their child’s reaction to the music was positive.
Reaction to the audio pillow: A narrow majority of parents experienced that their child reacted negatively to the audio pillow.
See the complete article: ”Music intervention among children with autism spectrum disorder and sleeping difficulties.” under Publications and Articles
Additional areas where music is used for children (and parents) are birth situations, music intervention for premature infants, children with ADHD, kindergartens and schools, and recreational institutions.
Example of feedback from parents with ADHD children:
Example of feedback from parents with ADHD children:
”My 5½-year-old son has ADHD/DAMP and has had difficulty sleeping because he is so restless, some days being worse than others.
I heard about the music and went to the pharmacy. I turned it on for the first time when we got home from work/pre-school, and what happened? We both fell asleep.
It is incredibly soothing and relaxing, and as my son says: ‘Mummy, it’s sleep music!'
Since then I have played it in his room when he has had difficulty sleeping or is having a bad day.
I heard about the music and went to the pharmacy. I turned it on for the first time when we got home from work/pre-school, and what happened? We both fell asleep.
It is incredibly soothing and relaxing, and as my son says: ‘Mummy, it’s sleep music!'
Since then I have played it in his room when he has had difficulty sleeping or is having a bad day.