[Health]How does music therapy work?

Music therapy works, but no one is really sure how. Now, a novel type of brain scan may provide key insight.

A new study unravels the brain mechanisms behind the benefits of music therapy.

Music is a powerful thing. In fact, it forms the basis of a type of therapy, the aptly named "music therapy."

During sessions, a music therapist attempts to form a bond with their client in order to enhance well-being and improve confidence, communication skills, awareness, and attention.

There are several types of music therapy. Some involve simply listening to relaxing music while talking. Others involve making music with instruments, which can be particularly effective for those who struggle to communicate verbally.

One type, known as the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) aims to facilitate discussion. The therapist plays music and asks the client to describe the images that come to mind.

Trials have found benefits to music therapy, but how it works remains unclear. 

Using GIM as their focus, a team led by two experts from Anglia Ruskin University, in the United Kingdom — Prof. Jörg Fachner and Clemens Maidhof, Ph.D. — set out to find the answer. Their findings appear in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Discovering important moments

The goal of a music therapist is to reach a "moment of change" in which they can strengthen their connection with their client. Therapists and clients often describe feeling in sync, and now there is evidence to prove it.

In the current study, the researchers used hyperscanning — a procedure that can simultaneously record two people's brain activities — to study a music therapist's session with a client. 

The method, says lead author Prof. Fachner, "can show the tiny, otherwise imperceptible, changes that take place during therapy."