Resources & references

A music therapy program in the waiting room of a burn unit uses active music therapy experiences to support patients, by enhancing pain management and reducing pain perception.

This article provides recommendations for music therapy practice and research among individuals with chronic pain using sickle cell disease as an exemplar condition. The research on music therapy for chronic pain management has shown that music therapy is particularly helpful in improving people's pain-related self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is well recognized to play an essential role in effective management of chronic pain.

This article discusses the positive benefits on well-being of adding music therapy to kangaroo care, which stresses the importance of skin to skin touch for preterm infants.

Watch certified music therapist, Laurie Perez, support Karen, a hospital patient, in providing connection and something to look forward to amidst her medical treatment.

Click here to read more about how music therapy can support medical patients

This is a summary of a study, which reveals promising findings for the application of improvisational music therapy in assuaging the multidimensional acute pain of adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). 

This paper delineates the design and development of the mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program implemented in a pilot study and includes clients’ narrative journal responses. Conclusions and recommendations, including recommendation for further exploration of the function of music in mindfulness practice are provided.

Read an article that discusses a pain assessment model for music therapists. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in this domain is also discussed.

Read a study on the use of music therapy in burn patients, including both adults and pediatric cases, which found that participants in the music therapy program reported a significant reduction in pain compared to those not participating in the music therapy program.

This study investigated feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a single-session electronic music improvisation with a music therapist to diminish pain intensity and improve pain relief and mood in adults with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Qualitatively, there were two prominent themes directly related to music: 1) music listening and music therapy offered many positive and few negative effects; and 2) music therapists provided comfort beyond the music. 

This study examined whether a single session of music therapy led by a board-certified therapist could reduce agitation in hospice patients using the entrainment principle. Findings suggest it may be an effective treatment for hospice patients experiencing agitation.

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the efficacy of a music therapy protocol on mood states and levels of group cohesiveness in adult oncology patients. Participants took part in "music making" sessions (where the mechanism for change included the process of making music) and "music responding" sessions (where the mechanism included the process of responding to music). 

Read a meta-analysis investigating the effects of music on pain. Results indicate that music therapy may be an effective complementary approach for the relief of acute, procedural, and chronic pain in the medical setting.