Music
Therapy for Pain Management
The music
selections suggested here are the result of more than
fifteen years of using music therapy to help manage a
painful disability. It has been encouraging to watch the
increase in scientific studies using such techniques as
P.E.T. scans to monitor pain centres in the brain validate
the concept and provide information on rhythms and
frequencies that work best.
But music will always be much more than a scientfic study.
The emotional response to favored, remembered pieces is
important too. So if you have access to a music therapist
to guide you, you have an advantage.
If you don't have that advantage, our simple experimental
approach will get you quite a ways:
• Pick a day when pain is a problem.
• Sit or lay, and try to really get lost in a selection by
an artist.
• Stop the music and if you're suddenly aware of a lot of
pain you'd forgotten, you've got a potential winner.
• Repeat the process four or five times on different
selections. If it's a consistent result, that artist works
for you.
Some other practical suggestions:
• Experiment with the presets or the graphic equalizer for
your stereo system. You will probably find that the setting
that gives the best vocal clarity for talk shows and news
is not the best for music and pain management.
• Try your favorite artists first. There's probably a
reason why they're your favorites.
• Try new artists by one or two songs from an online store
to see if they work for you and if you like them. There are
a lot of excellent performers out there. Why listen to
someone you don't like just because they reduce pain?
• Playlists with various artists are good. Variety is a
distraction, plus it stretches your investment. Experiment
with including favorite artists that didn't pass the test.
You may find you can include 30 - 40 % of such cuts in a
playlist an still get significant pain reduction.
• All Music Guide's lists of similar artists are
invaluable for finding new artists to try.
The artists listed here are ones that work for me (Judi) in
pain reduction. I've tried to select albums that stand up
to repeated, frequent play. That doesn't mean they will
work for you, but it's a start. And perhaps the result will
be a more comfortable day. At the very least, you will have
had an enjoyable time experimenting with music.
