Music has amazing effects on our minds and bodies. We experience these effects in normal
daily living when we listen to our playlists. We can actually analyze the effects in various
research settings. They are real and can be measured. They can be greatly beneficial but
sometimes detrimental. In most instances, they are obvious.
For example, while listening to a song, we might feel energetic, romantic, happy, or sad. Music
has the power to make us run to the dance floor or grab a tissue to blot a tear. As the saying
goes, “music can sooth the savage beast.”
On the other hand, music can be annoying or even terrifying. Too loud, too long is irritating. In
ruthless settings, music has been used to torture captive subjects, driving them to capitulate to
their captures.
How does it all work? Is it really magic?
Deep in the recesses of our minds are special systems of cells and circuits that generate
emotions like peace, joy, tranquility, and security. Excitement, energy, cadence. Or…
confusion, anxiety, fear, and even terror. The incredible machine that is our body is capable of
all these things, and much much more.
Chemicals and substances in neural networks can also stimulate our immune systems to
protect us from illness and harm. Anti-inflammatory compounds, muscle relaxants, vasodilators,
and many other potent products arise from these stimuli and rush to work their magic
throughout our bodies. Endorphins quell pain. Dopamine provides energy. Corticosteroids
reduce inflammation. Interleukins open blood vessels to allow healing chemicals to reach needy
areas.
When we listen to pleasing music, patterns of thinking switch to calming alpha wavelengths.
(Other patterns with different effects have also been identified.) While in this alpha state, “lost in
the music” our breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure decline; and we relax. Or, in a “dance
trance” we may gyrate for hours on the dance floor, this time “lost in the beat.” We might
daydream, blue sky, or fantasize as our imaginations take over our thinking during pleasing
cerebral activity.
So, how can YOU take advantage of this music magic?
That’s easy, just listen to music!
If anxiety, depression, or stress arise during the day, diminish their negativity by turning on the
radio or iPhone. Music can help to regulate your emotions and improve your self-esteem. While
driving your car or working out in the gym, music can calm or energize you to aid your
functionality. Interestingly, while listening to music, people tend to walk or run further, bike
longer, and swim faster without even realizing it.
Music can distract you from your pain while improving your physical well-being. During therapy
sessions, music will accelerate the passage of time to seemingly shorten your endeavors. In a
musical environment, sessions seem livelier, and it’s easier for patients to achieve both mental
and physical relaxation. Relationships between patients and therapists are usually friendlier and
more productive.
At Town and Country Physical Therapy, we will simultaneously apply every skill and technique
at our disposal to make your time with us as pleasant, enjoyable, and beneficial as possible.
Your mental disposition is an important therapeutic component in your recovery or rehabilitation.
We understand that and will enhance it to improve your clinical outcome.
