Why does Music Have the Power to Heal?

Does music really have the power to heal us physically and emotionally? The panel discussion I recently attended sought to answer this question. As a family therapist, psychodramatist, and (very) amateur musician I am interested in ideas that help me understand if it is primarily our connection to each other, be it touch, talk, or simply presence, that heals, or is it mostly something else like a drug or supplement, a procedure like TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), or even the arts, like music?

The panel event, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, was hosted by Hackensack Meridian Medical School and moderated by the magnificent opera singer, Renée Fleming. The panel was composed of a few doctors who had started out as musicians and a representative from NJ PAC.? The primary purpose of the panel was to convey information about the power of music to heal humans, both physically and emotionally and to promote a new book Music and Mind. ?Another purpose was to convey information about the ArtsRx Initiative which provides a doctor’s prescription for a cultural event rather than a drug or medical procedure to address a mental illness.

During the discussion we learned that now there is “hard science” to support the idea that music can actually reduce high blood pressure, slow down dementia and speed recovery from brain trauma. One anecdote was about a young man who suffered a serious brain injury in an accident and how music helped him recover. I found myself wondering if it was the music alone or was it primarily the music therapist who was so warm and encouraging.

Another panelist, Dr. Tasha Golden, a survivor of domestic violence, described her experience one night performing a song she had written called “You Did Everything Right.” Dr. Golden said that after her performance, a young woman approached her to tell her how important the song was to her. Dr. Golden said that it was the music in addition to the lyrics that helped this young woman. She and Renée Fleming both stated that the arts allow us to express things that sometimes words cannot. The arts, painting and music in particular, have been with us humans for tens of thousands of years. If they did not serve a purpose, would they still play an important role in our lives? I found myself thinking about the music, the lyrics, and the acknowledgement by Golden that this woman must have felt as well. They also connected to each other in that moment through the experience of surviving violence from their fathers. Would the experience Golden and the woman had together be very different if the song had been a poem?

Another doctor on the panel, Dr. Brian Benson, talked about “thriving” as an antidote for burnout. As he described what “thriving” was, it became more about “connection” than about music. Of course, music is a wonderful way for us to connect. Think about the power of singing a national anthem or singing in a choir or with friends at a karaoke bar. But it is not the only way to connect.? Seeing play, watching a dance, observing a beautiful painting or sculpture, also help us to connect with one another. Creative arts therapies tap into these rich and powerful realms with great success in healing. My work with psychodrama has expanded my capacity as a healer and a supervisor of therapists because it taps into music, art, and movement. My question is what is the most important aspect of any (psycho)therapy? The "art" itself or the art as a vehicle to connect?

George E. Vaillant, in his book Triumphs of Experience talks about the famous Harvard Grant Study which tracks the lives of 268 men from the time they were students at Harvard in 1938 until their 80’s and 90’s. This ongoing study has measured many variables to determine what is the single most important variable in the men's lives that led to happiness in old age. The study revealed that warm intimate relationships are the single most important variable in predicting happiness. Is that what Dr. Benson meant when he said “connection?” (Watch the TED talk by Robert Waldinger for an engaging summary of the Harvard Grant Study.)

All of this information is certainly good news. Music and the other arts are available to us through many devices and in person. One would think that there is more happiness in the world than ever. But we know this is not the case. ?Last year, the US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released an advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country which predated COVID. Why would this be if there is more opportunity than ever to access music, the arts, and each other through the internet and social media?? Interestingly, this issue popped up as I was watching a talk by musician/producer/educator Rick Beato on Youtube. He discussed trends in the interest people have in music and art, and the trends he cited were disturbing. (You can look this up yourself which I did). According to research done by Google, the number of searches for music in general has declined by approximately 75% in the past 20 years, especially among young people. According to the same research on trends, the number of searches for art has declined by similarly. So, if there is declining interest in music and the arts, is that at least a large part of our loneliness? And what are we, and young people in particular, doing instead? And more importantly, does what we are doing instead increase our connection to each other or create feelings of alienation, loneliness, isolation, and mistrust?

It turns out, as you may have guessed, interest in social media has increased significantly. According to Google Trends. Time spent on Tik Tok, FaceBook, Instagram, etc. has displaced music and art, especially among young people, enormously since 2011. It is a paradox that although social media connects us, it does not seem to serve the same purpose in its ability to connect us in an emotionally gratifying way. ?The humorist David Sedaris mentions in his book A Carnival of Snackery, that the phone camera has replaced actual looking and has turned life into evidence.

So, is it primarily the notes, the vibrations, that heals us or is it the connection it provides. It seems to be the synergy that music creates. To quote a friend, Erin Lockett, vocalist and musician: It is the emotional and spiritual connection that we feel to music, the healing connection, not only within ourselves and with the notes and vibrations, but also collectively as friends, families, communities, and globally.

As therapists and mental health professionals we need to be aware of the importance of connecting with each other in a meaningful way to reduce our own isolation and also be aware that traditional ways of healing through sharing music and the arts, spending time with friends, being with family, going to class, etc., have been eroded by COVID, the internet, and social media in particular. There is nothing that can replace warm intimate connections. And there is no other way to attain happiness. So put down that phone and use music and the arts to connect with others!

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