Music Therapy

At the start of each season, in anticipation of big life changes, before trips, to curate a mood- I make a playlist. This playlist serves as a time capsule that reminds me in future seasons of exactly how I felt at that moment in time and what served as the soundtrack to my experience. As I sat down to make my summer playlist, I began to reflect on why this is such a meaningful practice for me, the role music serves in my life, and how I bring this into the therapy room.

I first realized the power of bringing music into the therapy room while working with Nicholas*, a 7th grader who was ambivalent about being in therapy and doubtful about the process. We spent our first few sessions exchanging only a handful of words. After a few weeks of limited dialogue, he walked into the counseling room wearing a band t-shirt. I asked him about the band, and immediately there was a shift in his openness. He shared his experience of seeing this band with his dad, with whom he had a complicated relationship. I asked him about his favorite songs and listened to them between sessions. I printed out lyrics to bring to our next session, and he walked me through their meaning and gave me context to better understand the music and his life. From then on, when he didn’t have the words to share how he was feeling, we’d talk about a song that described it for him. Music allows us to connect with our emotional experience with the sense of safety and belonging that in our most vulnerable moments, someone else has felt the exact same way we have. Since working with Nicholas, I often have clients share with me music that has influenced them or a song to describe their current emotional state. I learn so much from this question and can connect to clients in a different, often deeper way.

What is it about music that grants us access to these deeper feelings? Music has been shown to activate our limbic system, the part of our brain most responsible for memories and emotions. Listening to music, making music, and playing music have been shown to alleviate stress, discomfort, and some symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Music helps us regulate our emotions and causes a boost in mood and well-being. It also facilitates connection with others, helps us feel more aware of our emotions, and holds a strong link to our memories. When we hear familiar songs, even just a few notes, we are instantly transported back to a memory, a time in our lives, when those sounds and lyrics played a part. As you read this, are you reminded of any songs or albums that signify important times in your life? For me, there is a Vampire Weekend album that always makes me feel like I’m a college freshman wandering around a foreign campus, and a David Bowie album that makes me feel like I’m on the plane visiting my family in South Africa. No matter where I am, when I hear these songs, I go right back to those same feelings of anticipation, excitement, newness, independence, vulnerability, and connection. Take a moment to reflect on some core experiences for you that are associated with certain songs. Then, in the future, if you’d like to conjure up similar feelings, you will always have a shortcut to get back to this place. Music transports, creates, and deepens.

Though this reflection has been about the experience of listening to music (mostly because I sadly don’t have the musical gift myself), creating music and playing music in therapy is an incredibly powerful tool for healing. You can read more about the impact here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/30/well/mind/therapy-music-anxiety-mental-health.html

If you’re a current client in therapy or a prospective client, try integrating music into your therapeutic experience in whatever manner resonates most with you! Please get in touch with our Client Care Coordinator today to get connected with a Root to Rise therapist who can help you incorporate music into your healing process.

Best,

Jessica Leader LMFT

*Name has been changed to protect confidentiality

P.S. Inspired by this blog post, I asked my loved ones to each contribute one song they’ve been listening to lately to my summer playlist instead of curating it myself like usual. Now when I listen, I feel connected to both my own emotions and to the people I love. I was able to learn more about how my friends are feeling, what they’re listening to, and what moves them. If anyone reading this has a song to contribute, I would be honored to hear what you’re listening to. Please respond back to this email with suggestions! If you’re in need of some new music, here’s the playlist so far:

1. Right Back to It- Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman

2. Heaven or Las Vegas- Cocteau Twins

3. Us. (feat. Taylor Swift)- Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift

4. I think about it all the time- Charlie XCX

5. California- Chappell Roan

6. Sunshine Baby- The Japanese House

7. When You Were Mine- Joy Crookes

8. Music is Better- RUFUS DU SOL

9. Anways, I Love You- Wild Rivers

10. Dinner with Friends- Kacey Musgraves

11. CHIHIRO- Billie Eilish

12. Good Time- Earl St. Clair