Music Listening as Therapy

Abstract

Music is a universal phenomenon and is a real, physical thing. It is processed in neural circuits that overlap with language circuits, and it exerts cognitive, emotional, and physiological effects on humans. Many of those effects are therapeutic, such as reduced symptoms of physical and mental ailments. Music is the result of the elements rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics, and form. Rhythm is the focus of pop music, and melody is the focus of classical music. The mind perceives and organizes music in learned, consistent ways in order to generate predictions and extract meaning. There are perceptual laws and information processing limitations to this process. Predictions are based in schematic and veridical approaches, which give rise to expectations. Frustrated expectations result in an effective response. Music only has meaning unto itself and the music listener ascribes any extra-musical meaning. This includes any emotional meaning. The unfolding of a song is much like how Gestalt Therapy theory conceptualizes human experience. Mindfulness offers a clear definition of how one can frame and approach experience to support health and well-being. MinMuList (said “min-mew-list”) is an evidenced-based workshop that offers a concise discussion and straightforward methods for implementation of these aspects of music and psychology