By: Dani Kolsrud, Mental Health Rep.
So, can our souls sing? There is are no scientific studies that communicate that the soul can sing. But the very essence of the word “soul” implies the soul listens, hears, and responds. The dictionary defines the word “soul” as that entity which is immortal or spiritual, and though it has no physical or material part of our being it is credited with functions of thinking and willing, and in that capacity helps determine our behavior. Studies show this spiritual core called the “soul” triggers feelings and responses in us. This inspired Carl Boberg, a young Swedish minister, who wrote a poem that was set to music, and since 1957 has become one of our favorite hymns of worship, “How Great Thou Art.”
Music therapists believe that all of us are born with the capacity to relate and/or respond to music, and years of study and practice back up this belief. Even though it was not until 1944 that actual courses of study on music therapy became part of a college curriculum, history shows that even in Biblical times the lyre provided background accompaniment to David’s Psalms. Early writings show that Aristotle and Plato both believed music promoted internal serenity and high moral standards. Hippocrates, as early as 400 B.C., used to calm and soothe mentally ill patients with music. Arab hospitals used to have a special music room set aside with the sole purpose to promote the health of patients in the 13th century. So, the “soul” has been listening to music as far back as we have records!
What about today? What role does music have in medicine? It is believed that music can change moods, refocus our attention, express feelings, improve our ability to speak, and bring emotions to the surface, thus promoting a better quality of life. Wow! Sounds almost like a miracle drug! After World War I and II musicians visited veterans in hospitals throughout our country, merely as entertainment at first, but then when the positive and often healing affects were noted by the doctors and nurses, the treatment plan for the hospitalized veterans demanded the inclusion of music as therapy. This request promoted and gave birth to a new field of medical study known as Music Therapy.
Today Music Therapy has been proven to be beneficial in treatment for all age groups. The chemistry of our brain actually can change when we listen to pleasing music. This chemistry reaction is tied to our serotonin levels. Therapists often call music a neurotransmitter that brings about good results both physically and emotionally in people. It may be easy to associate music with mental health treatments because of its ability to promote calmness, transferred thinking, good memories, and so on… but today it is an integral part of treatment plans for both physical and intellectual disabilities. Chronic pain , developmental delay, heart disease, stroke, autism and dementia are some of the more unlikely areas we would associate Music Therapy as a mode of treatment, whereas all mental health needs such as depression, mood disorders, amnesia, substance abuse, brain injuries, and sensory impairments seem more likely to be treatable with Music Therapy. Some of the newer innovations are the use of Music Therapy in the delivery room, lowering blood pressure and even some cases of schizophrenia have benefited.
A Music Therapy session can be one on one or can be in a group setting and incorporates the use of different types of instruments as well as the actual lyrics of songs. Individual sessions often take place at home, but hospitals, nursing homes, and schools are more likely to be used for group therapy. The preparation goes beyond selecting good sounding music, it involves thorough evaluations of the cognitive, social, emotional, physical condition, history, and the patient’s actual response to music. This therapy has become so respected and useful that there are specific Music Therapy categories of study now. One I found to be fascinating is Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) which is used in stroke or brain injuries where mobility and walking patterns are affected. Music Therapy has also been effective in stimulating by rhythm the restoration of the gait that comprises our walking patterns. The field is wide open, growing, and providing more success stories, even as we read this! So, can the soul sing? No, but it can listen, and it can respond — Music Therapists are counting on these messages to the brain to make their science work.
Our worship hymns can give us a type of “music therapy”. Literally prayers and praise set to music. “My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” than Jesus’s blood and righteousness, and for that reason “It Is Well With My Soul.” I know “I Need Thee Every Hour” so “My Faith Looks Up To Thee.” I am reassured through every trial that I am blessed in the knowledge of “What A friend I Have In Jesus,” because he bears all my sins and griefs. And it is for all these reasons my soul indeed does sing, “How Great Thou Art, How Great Thou Art!”
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