Healing with music

Music, whether through voice, melody, harmony, sound or rhythm, opens the door to an inner world of experience. It appeals more to the emotions than to the intellect. Neither prior knowledge nor musical talent is required to participate in music therapy.
The range of instruments is wide and they are all easy to play. Percussion instruments such as the metallophone, xylophone, cymbals, drums etc. are used, various wind instruments such as the flute, trumpet, alpine horn and strings such as the violin, viola and double bass, also instruments such as the harp and lyre and the voice (in the case of therapeutic singing). Together with the therapist, the patient improvises or perhaps simply listens to melodies, sounds and rhythms. The choice of instrument depends on the patient's specific condition, the degree of severity and the stage of the disease.
The goal of music therapy is to open the inner soul, to listen and consciously appreciate the calmness or sound.
The idea is to activate the patient's musical and rhythmic sensitivities as a means of promoting the appetite for life - after all, any rhythmic process helps to stimulate, strengthen and maintain vitality. It contributes to a deeper understanding and acceptance of the self, which in turn helps the patient to develop new perspectives on life.
Music helps many patients to experience and understand things that were previously impossible to comprehend or consciously put into practice. Two examples:

- Patients with heart attacks and high blood pressure are often very agitated people who are constantly under pressure. Being involved in music allows them to recognize this immediately. They are barely able to hold notes, find it difficult to relax and generally expend too much energy. Experience with music teaches them how to tone down, how they can learn to take time for themselves, and how to find rest.
- Asthma sufferers are thirsty for air, their entire chest is tight and there is congestion due to not being able to breathe properly. Long notes and prolonged phrases can help ease this tightness. Many asthmatics develop their own rhythm when making music, which in turn leads to an overall improvement in their condition.
Music therapy is a vital component of paediatrics, as well as in the treatment of adults with internal physical and mental disorders. It has been found to have a profound effect on both chronic and severely ill patients - even those in the intensive care unit.