Music Therapy For Addiction Recovery At Spring Hill

Mental health professionals have many therapy approaches to help people overcome substance use disorders (SUDs). In addition to more traditional forms of addiction therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI), people also often benefit from alternative therapies, such as nature-based therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and music and art therapies.

Music therapy can help people overcome drug or alcohol addiction in many ways, including by reducing stress and anxiety, promoting self-expression, and increasing mindfulness. Spring Hill Recovery Center offers music therapy, art therapy, and other holistic therapies in addition to evidence-based therapies like CBT. Below we’ll explore what music therapy is, the different types, its benefits, and more.

What Is Music Therapy For Addiction?

Music therapy for addiction uses music to promote a connection between the self and the desire to find lasting recovery from addiction, while providing tools to help navigate recovery. It helps people deal with cravings, stress, and other triggers. This may be done through active music-making, lyrical analysis, songwriting, and other applications.

Music therapists work with teens and adults with SUDs in inpatient, residential, or outpatient rehab centers. The American Music Therapy Association notes that 160 music therapists were working with clients with SUDs in 2020.

Music therapists also conduct a formal assessment to learn more about each client, which may include:

• music preferences
• experiences with and reasons for listening to, creating, or performing music through the lifespan
• music that was listened to, composed, or performed during active addiction
• songs or music that may be triggers for substance use

Knowing more about the client helps create a personalized approach.

Types Of Music Therapy For Addiction

Using the information from the assessment, the therapist and client will discuss different music therapy approaches, such as those that involve creating music, analyzing music, or simply listening.

Individual And Group Settings

Music therapy for addiction can be done in a group setting or via one-on-one sessions.

Benefits of individual music therapy sessions include:

• more personalized and intimate sessions
• more client-centered
• less hindrance in the individual creative process

Benefits of group music therapy sessions include:

• input from other participants, including those with a musical background
• opportunity to build a sober support system
• opportunity to grow in accountability

Music Listening

One of the most accessible types of music therapy for addiction involves simply listening to music. Great value can be found in music, whether due to how it puts us in better touch with our emotions, how it can help us feel more centered or calm, or even the sense of awe it inspires. Clients may listen to a variety of types of music for conjuring feelings of peace, harmony, introspection, connection, or hope. The therapist may ask the client about their thoughts, opinions, and feelings about a certain piece of music.

Songwriting

Clients with or without a musical background may also try songwriting. Music therapists teach clients the basics of song structure and lyric writing, then allow clients to create their own songs. The goal is not to make something with mass appeal; rather, therapists want clients to explore how the creative act of songwriting can unlock feelings, emotions, and energy that may have been blocked through substance use.

Lyrical Analysis

In this approach, the music therapist will find a song with lyrics they believe the client will connect with, and then ask the client to explore what the lyrics mean. The client may also choose the song. By lyrically analyzing songs, clients may find new meanings that can affect them and benefit their overall recovery journey.

The Science Behind Music Therapy

The effectiveness of music therapy and the power of music have been documented over the years. According to the American Music Therapy Association, making and listening to music have been shown to activate the dopaminergic pathways similarly to drugs and alcohol, which means that these activities can help reduce cravings and improve mood. A 2022 Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews study further supports this, with most participants experiencing fewer substance cravings during a one- to three-month period of active engagement in music therapy.

Other Benefits Of Music Therapy For Addiction

Music therapy can also help people better handle stress and anxiety at any phase of the recovery process. Other benefits that music therapy offers include boosting creativity and promoting mindfulness.

Reducing Stress And Anxiety

People experiencing addiction often have elevated stress and anxiety levels. Beginning treatment can also be a stressful experience at first. However, facing stressors and learning how to deal with them is necessary for recovery and overall well-being in the long term, and music therapy can help.

Music therapy can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, facilitating relaxation and decreasing anxiety. Compared to other forms of alternative therapy, such as adventure-based therapy, music therapy can focus on feelings of calmness and relaxation. Creating, listening to, and analyzing music can also take the mind off the intensive aspects of recovery, allowing breakthroughs to happen more gently.

Enhancing Self-Expression And Creativity

Addiction changes the way the brain functions, so how someone experiences reward is directly linked to their substance use. This creates an apathy toward other activities, including those involving self-expression. People with addiction may have stopped engaging with their creativity for months or even years since their addiction started. Others may have never attempted to be creative.

Music therapy can introduce clients to the nuances, artistry, and technical side of music-making. When exposed to these elements of music, people in recovery may be inspired to create their own works of art, whether through music, writing, painting, filmmaking, or other endeavors.

Encouraging Mindfulness

One of the effects of drug and alcohol addiction is the inability to be in the present moment. Instead, the person is distracted by the substance’s pleasant effects or unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, or preoccupied with the next opportunity to use drugs or alcohol. This can lead to an uneasy feeling of always running toward or away from something.

Many addiction treatment facilities incorporate mindfulness techniques into their treatment plans to help clients learn how to stop running. Once withdrawal is managed through medical detox and the client has stabilized, they can begin learning mindfulness techniques for staying in the present moment. When it comes to these techniques, most people think of meditation, but music therapy provides an alternate option. Sessions may ask clients to listen to music without thinking of anything besides the sounds of the drum, the strings, or the singer’s voice. Clients can focus on the intricacies of the sounds, which can bring them closer to the present, freeing their minds of past and future.

Integrating Music Therapy With Other Treatments

Music therapy can be a powerful complement to more traditional addiction treatment options, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and psychoeducation. Clients might use music therapy to calm anxiety before a counseling session or reinforce mindfulness techniques. Clinicians in treatment facilities may start a session with a soothing or thought-provoking piece of music, then have clients comment on how it relates to preventing relapse, identifying triggers, and applying coping skills developed in talk therapy. By engaging emotions and creativity, music therapy helps clients process feelings that may be difficult to express verbally. This integration offers a holistic approach, addressing all aspects of recovery.

Addiction Treatment At Spring Hill

At our addiction recovery retreat center in central Massachusetts, we offer a wide range of evidence-based and alternative therapies, including music and art therapy, to meet our clients’ wide range of recovery needs. Call today to learn more.