Music therapy slowly catching on in Southeast Asia
The well-researched alternative therapy has been developing a following in the West
It ’ s said that music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch . Perhaps this is why a growing number of music therapists are using sweet sounds to treat more patients each year .
The medicinal power of music is not new . Ancient Egyptians used incantations to heal the sick , while the classical Greeks , who played flutes to calm the agitated , also attested to its value . Plato , one of history ’ s greatest philosophers , declared that music is “ the medicine of the soul .”
According to the American Music Therapy Association , which represents board-certified professionals in the United States and more than 30 other countries , over a million patients receive music therapy from its practicing members each year . Similar associations have also been established to promote the healing power of music , including in Singapore and Malaysia .
A body of compelling research , compiled since the 1940s when the discipline first started being studied , shows the health benefits of music therapy .
In 2017 , a major review of research into music therapy ’ s influence on treating depression concluded that the studies were “ highly convincing ” that “ music is a potential treatment option to improve depression symptoms and quality of life across many age groups ”.
Other studies have shown that music can influence improvements in the mobility of Parkinson ’ s patients and help memory , depression , and anxiety in people with Alzheimer ’ s . It can also help stroke victims recover faster and develop executive function skills in children .
“ There ’ s a lot of research that says music therapy helps a lot with depression , motor skills , and even with autistic children who respond very well to how it provides an access point that kickstarts their language development and skills . With music therapy , we have a lot of different goals ,” Ivy Tan , a Malaysian boardcertified music therapist , told Global Health Asia- Pacific .
“ Music is such a valuable tool to be exposed to . It works because it ’ s very invasive and has no boundaries across cultures and languages . I think that ’ s a good starting point to access people ’ s hearts and feelings
and just connect these to the music . Of course , it ’ s a relatively new form of therapy , but it ’ s definitely evidence-based ,” she said .
Most proponents of the discipline are in Europe and America , though it ’ s slowly gaining a following in Asia . In particular , referrals are increasingly coming from speech therapists , who widely recognise the value of music to help children with special needs find ways to communicate .
In places like Malaysia , raising music therapy into the mainstream is likely going to be a long process . Tan attributes this to a well-documented national wariness of treatments that feed into the emotions .
“ Alternative therapies like music therapy would need a lot of advocacy and awareness before it could break into the mainstream . I would say it ’ s a little harder to accept here compared to in the US , but I do see some progress .”
14 APRIL 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com