When someone is struggling with addiction, they may feel like they are losing themselves. Struggling with the weight of addiction can be overwhelming without intervention. Some people may find that substance use causes them to act in ways they don’t agree with. Treatment and therapeutic intervention can give strength back to the person behind the addiction. Different forms of therapy may encourage gaining back a sense of individuality and creativity. Therapies like music therapy give clients the ability to express and learn more about themselves. Bright Mission Recovery believes in the importance of alternate therapies like music therapy to provide a holistic approach to treatment.

Music therapy provides the ability for our clients to express themselves. This self-expression may help them get out feelings they aren’t able to in typical “talk therapy.” Music therapy also can encourage the development of healthy coping skills to combat cravings or triggers. The goal of treatment is to heal. This means healing oneself and learning healthier ways to deal with problems such as stress. Music allows a pathway to heal and open up in treatment, which in turn promotes a sober and healthy life. 

What Is Music Therapy?

Music therapy can be defined as using music in a therapeutic relationship to address mental health, physical health, and cognitive needs. It consists of including music during therapy with a professional musical therapist. Research has shown that listening to or making music can affect the brain and help with mental health and even in healing diseases. Listening to or making music involves areas of the brain related to touch, sound, and emotion. Listening to music can cause the release of certain brain chemicals that can affect emotional states. 

Music can be used in therapy to help get people to open up or feel certain emotions and express themselves. This type of therapy also helps in building social bonds. When babies are young, people sing to soothe them. People go to concerts together to bond over similar interests. These instances help to illustrate that music can be used in therapy to help get positive results and promote healing. 

Different Forms of Music Therapy

Much like there are many forms of treatment, music can be used in therapy in many different ways. Musical interventions in mental health can consist of different forms of creation and engagement. The main ways of using music in therapy include:

• Listening to music
• Songwriting
• Playing and learning instruments
• Musical performance

All of these forms of music in therapy are meant to create the ability for clients to use music as a way of healing. Writing music and learning to write songs is a healthy form of self-expression. Listening to music can also help to express emotions in therapy. Expressing yourself is important in the treatment of addiction. Healing and getting sober means learning how to feel the emotions that may cause someone to turn to substances in the first place. Having ways to get these emotions out and express them can help make it so clients don’t feel the need to turn to substances again. 

Music therapy is a holistic form of care that promotes all-around healing. Creating music can also help with self-confidence. When someone has the tools to take their pain and make something creative with it, it can give them confidence. Like other forms of therapy that encourage participation and physical action, making music provides a healthy outlet that encourages a positive self-image. 

Holistic Care at Bright Mission Recovery

We at Bright Mission Recovery recognize the importance of holistic care. Holistic care means treatment and healing that is approached from every angle. Instead of just treating the physical symptoms of addiction through detoxing, we aim to provide therapeutic interventions that will assist our clients in every way. Having treatment that offers mental, physical, and even spiritual impact is an important factor in our care and the ability of our clients to recover long-term.

Our clients can expect care that makes a difference in every area of their lives. Offering meditative services and treatments allows us to focus on mental clarity and teaching mindfulness. Having yoga and different physical activities encourages our clients to use their bodies and develop healthy habits that they can take with them after treatment. The holistic approach ensures that the changes are deep and can be sustainable for each client. 

Having different holistic therapies offered, such as music therapy and art therapy, allows our clients to express themselves. The point of treating every part of our clients is to make them feel whole again after overcoming their addiction. When they leave us, we hope that they can maintain these healthy changes and live a life of healing. Music therapy can give our clients the pathway to make these changes.

Overcoming addiction is difficult. At times people may feel that they have lost themselves in the process of healing from their addiction and moving on. Encouraging alternative therapies that make a difference in mental health care is integral in encouraging a life of healing. Music therapy allows our providers to offer different ways for our clients to express themselves in treatment. Whether they are listening to music to connect or writing a song, music can give our clients the skills they need to stay healthy and express their emotions. If you are interested in learning more about our holistic therapy options, including music therapy, call Bright Mission Recovery today at (747) 444-3284.