The healing power of music

Do you remember that video showing a former ballet dancer living with Alzheimer’s disease spontaneously recovering her movements while listening to a familiar classical piece? The scene moved millions of users across social media. Beyond the simple pleasure of listening, music holds a unique power to awaken emotions, as Emmanuel Kant once wrote: “Music is the language of emotion.” Today, this idea takes on its full meaning in music therapy, a discipline gaining ground around the world, including in Lebanon.

And yet, in the earliest ancient civilizations, music held a central place in healing and ritual practices. In Ancient Egypt, it accompanied religious ceremonies. “Centuries later, Greek philosophers praised the virtues of music and the transformations it can bring about in individuals,” explains Lina Riachy, a psychologist, music therapist, board member of the Lebanese Order of Psychologists and founding member of the Arab Board for Arts and Health. “Arab philosophers also explored the therapeutic potential of music. Avicenna was among the first to enlist musicians in the treatment of patients suffering from melancholy. Al-Farabi, meanwhile, wrote about the emotional effects of maqams, or musical modes – the rãst, associated with joy, and the saba, linked to sadness,” she adds.

The good news is that no musical training is required to benefit from music therapy. “It is an expressive approach that uses musical elements such as sound, rhythm, tempo, and simple instruments like drums or a xylophone to encourage patients to express themselves, either actively and nonverbally, through improvisation and the use of instruments, or receptively and verbally, by discussing a piece of music after listening to it. The piece is selected from a pre-established repertoire chosen together with the patient before the sessions, according to their preferences and musical tastes,” Dr. Riachy emphasizes. “What matters is the rhythm they choose to express their anger, despair, or any other emotion, and the message they want to convey through the instrument they are playing. The outcomes we seek are therapeutic, not musical,” she continues.

Measurable effects on the brain

Indeed, the effects of music go beyond emotional expression, they are also measurable in the brain. “Certain genres stimulate the release of dopamine and serotonin – hormones associated with pleasure and emotional stability – while others trigger adrenaline, as with fast-paced music,” Riachy notes. “The higher the frequencies, the more stimulated the brain becomes; the lower they are, the more they encourage relaxation. The same applies to rhythm: the faster it is, the more excited we become, while slower rhythms tend to induce relaxation.”

She also notes that neurologist Oliver Sacks conducted numerous studies on the human brain, showing through EEG that a musician’s brain is more complex than that of a non-musician. “He concluded that when someone plays an instrument, they use multiple skills simultaneously. Their brain is, therefore, trained to perform several tasks at once,” she observes.

“Other studies assessing children’s intellectual abilities have shown that those who learn music – whether singing or playing an instrument – demonstrate significantly more advanced cognitive skills than their peers,” Riachy stresses. “In patients with Parkinson’s disease, therapy often focuses on rhythm to help restore movement. Music is also used in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. It has been shown to benefit children with developmental disorders, including ADHD and those on the autism spectrum. All of this demonstrates just how powerful music can be, not only from an artistic perspective, but also psychologically, intellectually, cognitively, and socially. It carries not only personal memories, but also the memories of entire societies. It holds our collective unconscious.”

Individualized sessions

From a psychological perspective, “music therapy is an easier approach, as it opens communication channels, encouraging patients to express themselves more freely – whether through dance, singing, playing an instrument, or analysing the lyrics of a song,” Riachy points out. “Whereas in psychotherapy, the main anchor is speech, and to a lesser extent, silence.”

Sessions can be conducted individually or in groups, depending on the case. “They are tailored to each patient, but they are all grounded in studies on the impact of musical frequencies and rhythms on the brain,” she notes.

Music therapy, however, has its limits. “It is not sufficient on its own and must, in some cases, be combined with psychotherapy or psychoanalysis, which it can also help initiate as an entry point,” Riachy observes. “Moreover, around 4% of the global population is amusic, meaning this approach cannot be applied. Their brains are unable to process music, which they perceive as noise. People with hypersensitivity to sound may also not benefit from this therapy. The same applies to some children on the autism spectrum. Cultural and religious beliefs can also be a barrier, as in some contexts music is considered haram.”

Yet every coin has two sides. As a relatively recent discipline – established in Lebanon for about three decades – music therapy is not yet regulated by a professional or official body. The Arab Board for Arts and Health, however, was created last year in Abu Dhabi. It brings together health and arts professionals from twenty Arab countries, with the aim of “providing a comprehensive and reliable professional framework to support and develop arts and health practices in the Arab world.”