ABSTRACT The aim of this qualitative study is to gain more insight into the skills and knowledge ... more ABSTRACT The aim of this qualitative study is to gain more insight into the skills and knowledge that music therapists feel they need, in order to work successfully with people who have had an acute stroke. For this purpose, six music therapists were interviewed about their own particular specialist education. Another interview topic for them was to recount their subjective experiences of post-stroke rehabilitation work in hospitals and health care units during the course of two projects that they participated in. The first was a project that specifically used music listening during acute stroke rehabilitation; and the second was a project, which used more active music therapy techniques, like drumming during acute stroke rehabilitation. In the first project, patients who were bedridden in hospitals or health care units could listen to familiar songs that stimulated them in both a physical and cognitive way, and helped them to relax and regulate their moods better. In the second project different therapeutic approaches were observed and reflected upon during the piloting phase of the project and then an ideal combination of the activities was defined for the main phase. The resulting clinical music therapy model was thus created to specifically meet the special needs of stroke patients. Three crucial factors gleaned from the interviews that were seen to affect clinical thinking were: a) knowledge concerning the neurological basis of strokes; b) good patient interaction; and c) accurate observation of the physiological and psychological aspects of music therapy. In this way, these results provide a better understanding of the tacit knowledge possessed by music therapists who work within stroke rehabilitation. Keywords: active music therapy, music listening, rehabilitation, stroke.
Background: Members of this round table have recently formed the International Music Therapy Asse... more Background: Members of this round table have recently formed the International Music Therapy Assessment Consortium. The purpose of this collaboration is to strengthen the field of music therapy by ensuring development and standardization of research-based assessment tools, increase awareness of use of assessment within and outside of the field, and strengthen clinical application of assessment.Objective: Looking across disciplines, standards of music therapy assessment needs to improve to ensure the quality of the entire profession. Does this require a change of culture inside the music therapy community? To enable a joint discussion and broaden the perspective of music therapy as a field the panel will focus on the meta-perspectives of music therapy assessment including rationale for assessment, research design and psychometrics, social services and business, assessment training and clinical application.
Approximately 33 million people worldwide survived a stroke in 2010, though most often being seve... more Approximately 33 million people worldwide survived a stroke in 2010, though most often being severely disabled afterwards. Effective acute post-stroke rehabilitation is required to treat patients adequately. Music therapy, music listening, and music-based exercises have been shown to improve cognition, mood, and motor functions of stroke patients. This paper suggests that active music therapy could be beneficial for post-stroke recovery and presents a single case investigation that is part of a larger study. After extensive observational analysis of the video material recorded during music therapy sessions, a simple djembe drum pattern was selected to investigate possible improvement in motor performance. Tests at four time points were recorded with an optical motion capture system and computationally analyzed. Results indicate that muscular strength as well as movement activity and control improved in both the left (impaired) and right (unaffected) hand during the recovery process, potentially suggesting a positive effect of active music therapy on post-stroke rehabilitation.
ABSTRACT Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT), traditionally considered to be a physical and receptive typ... more ABSTRACT Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT), traditionally considered to be a physical and receptive type of music therapy intervention, uses pulsed, sinusoidal, low-frequency sound on a specially designed bed or chair. Today VAT is viewed as a multimodal approach, whereby the therapist works with the client’s physiological and psychological experiences, incorporating a mind–body approach. This article provides current knowledge in clinical practice emphasizing the systematic and documented implementations of VAT. This includes presentation and explication of the key elements of VAT, assessments, treatment plans and procedures, documentation, and evaluation of the treatment with recommendations for follow-up care in health and rehabilitation. Recent research is presented, and directions for future research are considered. Applicable views on clinical training and required competencies are outlined.
Music therapy has previously been found to be effective in the treatment of depression but the st... more Music therapy has previously been found to be effective in the treatment of depression but the studies have been methodologically insufficient and lacking in clarity about the clinical model employed. Aims To determine the efficacy of music therapy added to standard care compared with standard care only in the treatment of depression among working-age people. Participants (n = 79) with an ICD-10 diagnosis of depression were randomised to receive individual music therapy plus standard care (20 bi-weekly sessions) or standard care only, and followed up at baseline, at 3 months (after intervention) and at 6 months. Clinical measures included depression, anxiety, general functioning, quality of life and alexithymia. ISRCTN84185937. Participants receiving music therapy plus standard care showed greater improvement than those receiving standard care only in depression symptoms (mean difference 4.65, 95% CI 0.59 to 8.70), anxiety symptoms (1.82, 95% CI 0.09 to 3.55) and general functioning (-4.58, 95% CI -8.93 to -0.24) at 3-month follow-up. The response rate was significantly higher for the music therapy plus standard care group than for the standard care only group (odds ratio 2.96, 95% CI 1.01 to 9.02). Individual music therapy combined with standard care is effective for depression among working-age people with depression. The results of this study along with the previous research indicate that music therapy with its specific qualities is a valuable enhancement to established treatment practices.
Background: Music therapy is frequently offered to individuals suffering from depression. Despite... more Background: Music therapy is frequently offered to individuals suffering from depression. Despite the lack of research into the effects of music therapy on this population, anecdotal evidence suggests that the results are rather promising. The aim of this study is to examine whether improvisational, psychodynamically orientated music therapy in an individual setting helps reduce symptoms of depression and improve other health-related outcomes. In particular, attention will be given to mediator agents, such as musical expression and interaction in the sessions, as well as to the explanatory potential of EEG recordings in investigating emotion related music perception of individuals with depression.
deutsch english. Publikationsansicht. 54287656. BMC Psychiatry BioMed Central Study protocol (201... more deutsch english. Publikationsansicht. 54287656. BMC Psychiatry BioMed Central Study protocol (2010). Rodrigo A Bressan,; Lucas C Quarantini,; Sérgio B Andreoli,; Celia Araújo,; Gerome Breen,; Camila Guindalini,; Marcelo Hoexter,; Andrea P Jackowski,; ...
Much of what we know about vibroacoustic (VA) treatment and its efficacy has been published in ca... more Much of what we know about vibroacoustic (VA) treatment and its efficacy has been published in case reports. Recent clinical trials have increased awareness of this treatment for target groups such as those with Parkinson’s Disease and Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Protocols for using VA treatment have not been concreticized although there has been a focus on using 40Hz. Seinäjoki Central Hospital has used VA treatment for more than two decades, with patient reports on Visual Analogue Scales being systematically recorded and showing positive outcomes on several measures including pain and mood. This treatment is offered on the rehabilitation unit as part of specialized heathcare in the South Ostrobothnia healthcare district in Finland. This paper describes VA treatment utilized within this unit, with a focus on pain and mood outcomes as reported by subjective patient reports, and practitioner and patient comments.
ABSTRACT The aim of this qualitative study is to gain more insight into the skills and knowledge ... more ABSTRACT The aim of this qualitative study is to gain more insight into the skills and knowledge that music therapists feel they need, in order to work successfully with people who have had an acute stroke. For this purpose, six music therapists were interviewed about their own particular specialist education. Another interview topic for them was to recount their subjective experiences of post-stroke rehabilitation work in hospitals and health care units during the course of two projects that they participated in. The first was a project that specifically used music listening during acute stroke rehabilitation; and the second was a project, which used more active music therapy techniques, like drumming during acute stroke rehabilitation. In the first project, patients who were bedridden in hospitals or health care units could listen to familiar songs that stimulated them in both a physical and cognitive way, and helped them to relax and regulate their moods better. In the second project different therapeutic approaches were observed and reflected upon during the piloting phase of the project and then an ideal combination of the activities was defined for the main phase. The resulting clinical music therapy model was thus created to specifically meet the special needs of stroke patients. Three crucial factors gleaned from the interviews that were seen to affect clinical thinking were: a) knowledge concerning the neurological basis of strokes; b) good patient interaction; and c) accurate observation of the physiological and psychological aspects of music therapy. In this way, these results provide a better understanding of the tacit knowledge possessed by music therapists who work within stroke rehabilitation. Keywords: active music therapy, music listening, rehabilitation, stroke.
Background: Members of this round table have recently formed the International Music Therapy Asse... more Background: Members of this round table have recently formed the International Music Therapy Assessment Consortium. The purpose of this collaboration is to strengthen the field of music therapy by ensuring development and standardization of research-based assessment tools, increase awareness of use of assessment within and outside of the field, and strengthen clinical application of assessment.Objective: Looking across disciplines, standards of music therapy assessment needs to improve to ensure the quality of the entire profession. Does this require a change of culture inside the music therapy community? To enable a joint discussion and broaden the perspective of music therapy as a field the panel will focus on the meta-perspectives of music therapy assessment including rationale for assessment, research design and psychometrics, social services and business, assessment training and clinical application.
Approximately 33 million people worldwide survived a stroke in 2010, though most often being seve... more Approximately 33 million people worldwide survived a stroke in 2010, though most often being severely disabled afterwards. Effective acute post-stroke rehabilitation is required to treat patients adequately. Music therapy, music listening, and music-based exercises have been shown to improve cognition, mood, and motor functions of stroke patients. This paper suggests that active music therapy could be beneficial for post-stroke recovery and presents a single case investigation that is part of a larger study. After extensive observational analysis of the video material recorded during music therapy sessions, a simple djembe drum pattern was selected to investigate possible improvement in motor performance. Tests at four time points were recorded with an optical motion capture system and computationally analyzed. Results indicate that muscular strength as well as movement activity and control improved in both the left (impaired) and right (unaffected) hand during the recovery process, potentially suggesting a positive effect of active music therapy on post-stroke rehabilitation.
ABSTRACT Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT), traditionally considered to be a physical and receptive typ... more ABSTRACT Vibroacoustic therapy (VAT), traditionally considered to be a physical and receptive type of music therapy intervention, uses pulsed, sinusoidal, low-frequency sound on a specially designed bed or chair. Today VAT is viewed as a multimodal approach, whereby the therapist works with the client’s physiological and psychological experiences, incorporating a mind–body approach. This article provides current knowledge in clinical practice emphasizing the systematic and documented implementations of VAT. This includes presentation and explication of the key elements of VAT, assessments, treatment plans and procedures, documentation, and evaluation of the treatment with recommendations for follow-up care in health and rehabilitation. Recent research is presented, and directions for future research are considered. Applicable views on clinical training and required competencies are outlined.
Music therapy has previously been found to be effective in the treatment of depression but the st... more Music therapy has previously been found to be effective in the treatment of depression but the studies have been methodologically insufficient and lacking in clarity about the clinical model employed. Aims To determine the efficacy of music therapy added to standard care compared with standard care only in the treatment of depression among working-age people. Participants (n = 79) with an ICD-10 diagnosis of depression were randomised to receive individual music therapy plus standard care (20 bi-weekly sessions) or standard care only, and followed up at baseline, at 3 months (after intervention) and at 6 months. Clinical measures included depression, anxiety, general functioning, quality of life and alexithymia. ISRCTN84185937. Participants receiving music therapy plus standard care showed greater improvement than those receiving standard care only in depression symptoms (mean difference 4.65, 95% CI 0.59 to 8.70), anxiety symptoms (1.82, 95% CI 0.09 to 3.55) and general functioning (-4.58, 95% CI -8.93 to -0.24) at 3-month follow-up. The response rate was significantly higher for the music therapy plus standard care group than for the standard care only group (odds ratio 2.96, 95% CI 1.01 to 9.02). Individual music therapy combined with standard care is effective for depression among working-age people with depression. The results of this study along with the previous research indicate that music therapy with its specific qualities is a valuable enhancement to established treatment practices.
Background: Music therapy is frequently offered to individuals suffering from depression. Despite... more Background: Music therapy is frequently offered to individuals suffering from depression. Despite the lack of research into the effects of music therapy on this population, anecdotal evidence suggests that the results are rather promising. The aim of this study is to examine whether improvisational, psychodynamically orientated music therapy in an individual setting helps reduce symptoms of depression and improve other health-related outcomes. In particular, attention will be given to mediator agents, such as musical expression and interaction in the sessions, as well as to the explanatory potential of EEG recordings in investigating emotion related music perception of individuals with depression.
deutsch english. Publikationsansicht. 54287656. BMC Psychiatry BioMed Central Study protocol (201... more deutsch english. Publikationsansicht. 54287656. BMC Psychiatry BioMed Central Study protocol (2010). Rodrigo A Bressan,; Lucas C Quarantini,; Sérgio B Andreoli,; Celia Araújo,; Gerome Breen,; Camila Guindalini,; Marcelo Hoexter,; Andrea P Jackowski,; ...
Much of what we know about vibroacoustic (VA) treatment and its efficacy has been published in ca... more Much of what we know about vibroacoustic (VA) treatment and its efficacy has been published in case reports. Recent clinical trials have increased awareness of this treatment for target groups such as those with Parkinson’s Disease and Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Protocols for using VA treatment have not been concreticized although there has been a focus on using 40Hz. Seinäjoki Central Hospital has used VA treatment for more than two decades, with patient reports on Visual Analogue Scales being systematically recorded and showing positive outcomes on several measures including pain and mood. This treatment is offered on the rehabilitation unit as part of specialized heathcare in the South Ostrobothnia healthcare district in Finland. This paper describes VA treatment utilized within this unit, with a focus on pain and mood outcomes as reported by subjective patient reports, and practitioner and patient comments.
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