Music a Modality for Counseling
Randy Melick, M.A. QMHP/Therapeutic Musician
Telephone: 660-619-5999
Email: melickmusic@gmail.com
Available: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Additional videos can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Randy+Melick
Sample new song titled "The Forgotten Part One 2020" by Randy Melick.
Music in and as Medicine
- Music is processed by both sides of the brain.
- Music is a sensory stimulation provoking response due to familiarity, predictability, and feelings of security.
- All lobes of the brain are involved with recognizing and storing music memory.
Benefits of Music Interaction
With recent evidence supporting mental health benefits of music interaction, this modality offers diverse & accessible therapeutic benefits, supporting the protective factors designated as tools aiding mental health.
Music Represents the Emotional States such as:
Symmetry - such as harmony, balance, rhythm, harmony, and equilibrium. It is often related to beauty, truth, and good which represent positive values in the arts and sciences in addition to several emotions and social interaction.
Repetition - Repetition is an often overlooked yet powerful part of the way we process music, whether that music is a classical symphony or a song that gets stuck in your head. Ever had that happened?
What Happens to Our Brain When We Listen to Music
- The brain treats music differently than other stimuli.... Our brain is encouraging us to keep listening to music due to a release of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
- This dopamine rush — Dopamine is linked to eating, anticipating going out for dinner with family or close friends.
Other Neurotransmitter (s)
Serotonin is another transmitter, involved with your mood, sleep cycle, pain control, and digestion. In fact, the majority of serotonin in the body can be found in the gastrointestinal tract, and only about 10% is found in the brain.
Original Music with Nature Sounds
Listening to music with combined with nature sounds of the same frequency can have encouraging results.
Instead of ADDING sounds to the music (most relaxation music fills this category), I simply compose and record the music around nature’s frequencies.
Fun Fact: Male Humpback Whales sing to a female and his song may travel hundreds of miles underwater before reaching her. At times other males along the way will sing his song just to make sure it gets to her. How cool is that?
Music Tones are Measured
Hz is simply how we measure sound. Musical instruments are usually tuned to a standard pitch A=440. I find out the frequency of the sound and adjust the music to it. This gives the music a chance to become harmonious and easy to listen to.
There are many sounds we can benefit from; Ocean waves, Thunderstorms, Crickets, Birds, Waterfalls, the list goes on. I have various Album’s with these combinations available in a 1 gig USB.
Benefits using Sounds of Nature in Music
- Autism
- Dementia
- Medical Procedures
- Pain Control
- MRI’s
- OBGYN
- Infants
- Emergency Rooms
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Counseling
- Stress
- Racing thoughts
- Relaxation
Seminars
- Reduces Stress and promotes wellness
Improves communication - Supports positive mood and emotional states
- Enhances awareness of the environment
- Allows for participation in client treatment
- Enhances memory
- Promotes physical rehabilitation and movement
- Music Therapy-teaching others to play instruments
I also perform and conduct seminars for providers as well as clients who love music and learn about how listening to music affects our brain.
COVID-19 help for Anxiety and Depression
Guitar Lessons now available online.
Beginning, intermediate, and advanced students are welcome.
During this crisis it is important to stay positive and do what you can to be healthy. One thing you can do is purchase Magnesium Glycinate for sleep and overall anxiety. It is not very expensive and you do not need a prescription. This formula works very well for relaxation, and especially with stress relief. If you are on prescription medications make sure your doctor know about this. As far as I know, there are no side effects. There are other forms of Magnesium are out there but do not absorb very well.
I wanted to mention something about listening to Humpback Whales. They are romantic mammal. Songs sung to their mate have a striking resemblance to romantic music heard by couples today. In fact a lot of music is written with some aspect of romance in mind.
Music engages the brain and is considered to be a social activity. Even learning music together in a band or symphony can produce such a “rush” equal to any anxiety medications.
Learning to read music is another benefit, similar to abstract learning in math and physics.
Most of all it can be fun. So set aside a little time each day to purposely listen to arrangement of music and keep a journal to monitors progress.
Some tid bits: Originally the Greeks noticed rhythm, melody, and harmony. From their studies they learned the following modes:
- Ionian
- Dorian
- Phrygian
- Lydian
- Mixolydian
- Aeolian (Relative Minor Mode)
- Locrian
- Later, Athanasius Kircher of the 17th Century wrote on the many aspects of music. One such aspect was conducted through his experimentation with wine glasses. He found that music can alter solid matter. He proved this by filling wine glasses at different levels and running his finger around the top of the glass. Each glass vibrated differently. These are just some of the powerful properties of music.
David the harp player a king from the Old Testament stated demonstrated that music can
“Soothe the soul”