🎵 A Review of Effects and Applications of Music Therapy on Psychological Health

Effects and Applications of Music Therapy on Psychological Health: A Review

Throughout its long history, music has played an indispensable role in our life. Listening to music enables us to relax and calm down, and composing and playing music have been good ways to express our feelings and emotions. Music therapy has been set up to cure more people systematically. In this study, we reviewed the history of music therapy and...

🌱 How It Started

I didn’t begin this project in a lab—I started it with a pair of headphones and a question:

Why does music make me feel better when nothing else can?

In high school, I often turned to music when I was overwhelmed. Sometimes, a song could lift me out of a slump more effectively than any advice. Out of curiosity, I began searching for videos and case studies on something called music therapy. I was fascinated by scenes of patients finding comfort through guided music sessions, and I wondered—could there be real science behind what I’d always felt?

That was the beginning of my journey into the world of music therapy, which later became my first published research project.

🎯 Project Overview

This literature review, later published in the Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Public Art and Human Development, explores the psychological mechanisms and clinical applications of music therapy. It weaves together my personal fascination with music and my growing interest in how it can tangibly improve mental health.

🧩 What I Explored

Emotional Healing:

How music activates the brain’s limbic system to regulate emotions and promote positivity—even in patients with neurological conditions.

Stress & Anxiety Relief:

Studies showed music’s ability to lower cortisol, reduce surgery-related stress, and even ease anxiety in prison rehabilitation settings.

Pain Management:

Music therapy helped cancer patients, surgical patients, and others feel up to 10% less pain—sometimes even reducing the need for medication.

Clinical Applications:

Music was shown to improve attention and verbal communication in children with ASD, reduce depressive symptoms, and help PTSD patients reconnect with their emotions through safe and expressive techniques.

🧠 Therapy Meets Music

I also explored how music therapy can integrate with classic psychological models:

Behavioral Therapy → using music as reinforcement in behavior change.

Humanistic Therapy → music builds connection and acceptance in client-centered approaches.

Psychodynamic Therapy → music helps surface deep emotional memories, acting as a bridge to the unconscious.

✨ What I Learned

Researching this topic taught me more than neuroscience or psychology. It taught me that listening is powerful—not just listening to others, but listening to ourselves. And sometimes, music helps us hear what we couldn’t put into words.

It made me reflect on how I’ve always used music—not just as a hobby, but as a way of processing life, expressing care, and connecting. Whether I’m writing a song for a friend or composing something joyful after a hard week, I now understand why it works.

🔍 Future Questions

How do different genres (jazz vs. pop vs. traditional music) influence therapy outcomes?

How can music therapy be adapted for non-Western cultures, such as China, where cultural context may affect patient response?

What role could AI and personalized music recommendations play in future therapeutic settings?

📘 Final Note

This project was a reminder that sometimes, healing isn’t loud. It’s quiet, rhythmic, and deeply human. And I hope to keep listening—to both music, and the people it helps.