Music Therapy Eases Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Families
by Kayla Turo
A young mother and Airman for the US Air Force, who recently returned from deployment, patted on a djembé with her seven-year-old child, while her five-year-old tapped on a brightly colored hand drum beside her. Together, they developed a rhythm and chanted a rhyme. The Airman had recently returned from her second lengthy deployment, which resulted in many months overseas in relative isolation.
The family was participating in a drumming therapy program organized under an American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) grant. “These kids were very resilient,” says Barbara Else, a music therapist and senior research and policy advisor to AMTA. “They were happy to have their mom home.”
The Airman related the following in the program feedback form after attending two of the program’s workshops: “I felt we really needed to cut loose as a family and bang to our own drum ... The kids have been through a really hard time during this last deployment ... My daughter said it made her feel like she was in front of the world and she was good.”
Music is a prized form of relaxation with roots that date back to prehistoric times. Today, music therapy has found its niche in helping individuals suffering from pain, illness, stress, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During the first and second world wars, therapists discovered that soldiers suffering from high levels of stress and anxiety were helped by listening to and playing music.
Helping Military Families
Today, music therapy helps returning soldiers and veterans, as well as their loved ones. “It’s a whole different energy than just talking about the trauma,” says Ron Borczon, a professor of music at California State University at Northridge who specializes in music therapy.
“Through the musical experience, they find hope that they can get better,” he says. Performing and listening to music lowers stress levels by providing an avenue for expressing emotions. It’s also a fallback and healthy distraction from pain. Music can even induce physical changes, lowering heart rate, tension, and blood pressure. The effects are strongest if the person plays music because playing gives them a sense of control, a boost of confidence, and an overall feeling of enjoyment through the release of endorphins.
“Whether it’s recreational music, therapeutic music, or formal music therapy in an applied setting for clinical purposes, [music] is an integral part of who we are, and of being human,” says Else, who in 2007 first organized a grant through the NAMM Foundation to help returning soldiers reconnect with their families and deal with stress. The project at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscan, Arizona, incorporated music and recreational music making for families.
“That transition process creates a great deal of stress for a family, and the family dynamics can shift,” states Else. A soldier’s pain, anxiety, and sleep disorders are often sensed by the other members of his or her family, especially when there are children who rely on their parents for a solid foundation.
Even in extreme cases like PTSD, where an individual’s level of stress reaches a point where it’s difficult to lead a comfortable life, music therapy can help control anxiety and bring comfort both to those suffering from the condition and their families. “Music and music making are tools families can use to process through what they’ve experienced,” says Else.
Music Together
Using music as a family therapy is common throughout the nation and is the underlying theory behind the organization Music Together, which helps families connect and overcome stressors through interdependent music making. “We really want music to be a part of every family’s experience,” says Carol Ann Blank, music therapist and program developer at Music Together.
Families share a variety of instruments while casually seated in a jam-session circle. Together they explore the different sounds, beats, and rhythms of wooden sticks, maracas, bells, and other instruments while they sing and chant songs.
The Music Together classroom operates with parents, children, and certified Music Together teachers working toward a family’s overall goals. The classes help families develop familiarity through routine exercises and songs. They build structure by working together as independent musicians and then become a more interdependent group through the beauty of music. In this way, Music Together solidifies and strengthens the bonds of family that may have been lost or damaged by a stressful or traumatic event.
“The beauty of this is that you see the same kind of methods in a Music Together class no matter where you live, but the way it’s presented and the pacing is tailored to a particular family’s needs,” says Blank.
Last year the profession of music therapy celebrated its 60th anniversary in the US. As the future unfolds, these professionals are finding new methods and practices to help make life more fulfilling and joyful by lifting the pain and discomfort of events in our lives.
According to Else, the message that these music therapists hope to spread is that it’s not necessary to live with acute stress reactions. “You don’t have to live with a chronic condition,” she explains. “You can do something about it and there are exciting techniques and approaches, not just in music therapy, but in the treatment of PTSD, and we can use music therapy around these treatments, and with these treatments, to facilitate the process for a rapid recovery.”
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