Dissertation - World Federation of Music Therapy

Music in medicine
The terminology of using music experiences in medicine is not quite clear. Concepts
used in the literature include Music Medicine, Music in Medicine, Music as Medicine,
Medical music therapy, and Music therapy in medicine. For the purpose of this study
‘Music in medicine’ has been chosen to cover the use of music experiences in
medicine without participation of a music therapist, while ‘Music therapy in
medicine’ covers all uses of music experiences and a therapeutic relationship in
medicine. BMGIM in oncology is thus a form of music therapy in medicine.
The use of music in medicine, and the practices in medical music therapy often direct
the use of media to helping patients deal with physiological problems as well as
psychologically based issues. The research and documentation of interventions in
music and medicine have also included studies and clinical procedures applied by
medical and other paramedical disciplines (Pratt and Grocke 1999; Pratt and Spintge,
1996; Spintge and Droh, 1992).
One of the most well established functions of music in medicine is related to the
management of anxiety and pain. While controlled studies of the effect of relaxation
procedures alone on hospitalized patients’ experience of anxiety and pain do not
provide systematic enough research evidence (Seers & Carroll 1998), several studies
have demonstrated that relaxation combined with music listening has a positive
influence on hospitalized patients’ anxiety, mood, blood pressure, heart rate and pain
tolerance (Bonde 2001; Bonny & Latteier 1983; Evans 2002; Hanser 1985; Standley
1986, 1992, 1995; Vollert et al. 1999). MacDonald et al. (1999) demonstrated that
listening to music of the patients’ own choice following minor foot surgery was
sufficient to reduce anxiety, as measured by the STAI in postoperative assessments, in
the patients in the experimental group, while there were no differences pain
perception between experimental and control group.
In Denmark, the psychologist Zachariae (1993) who later specialized in psycho-
oncology developed a series of self-help tapes or cd’s for patients with immune
deficiencies, including cancer patients. The tapes/cd’s combine relaxation exercises,
guided imagery and new age music. The hospital research project Musica Humana
(www.musicahumana.com) has also developed special music programs (now
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