Benefits of Music Therapy for Cancer Patients

“Music is life’s joy, soul, happiness and everything.” Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Cancer can challenge patients, relatives and healthcare workers emotionally, physically and socially. Music therapy is used to ease these difficulties and reduce some treatment adverse effects. Its main reason for use in people receiving cancer treatment is that it makes them feel better. British research involving 30 music therapy techniques and 1891 participants found that patients receiving chemotherapy experienced less physical distress such as pain and nausea and emotional distress such as depression. Radiotherapy patients receiving music therapy showed substantial reductions in anxiety, stress and fatigue. It also helped regulate heart rate and lower blood pressure. More frequent listeners benefited more.

Music Therapy Helps Cancer Patients with:

• Anger management problems,
• Expressing emotions,
• Coping with medical treatments such as chemotherapy,
• Emotional and physical recovery,
• Increasing confidence and self-respect,
• Developing communication and social skills,
• Developing creativity, and
• Relaxing and improving quality of life.

You Do Not Need to Be a Good Musician for Music Therapy

Music therapy differs entirely from learning to sing, read music or play an instrument. Most people know peaceful, calm music is relaxing. The important first step is to listen to music, known as food for the soul , feel it and internalize it.

To benefit from music’s therapeutic properties:

• Listen to music,
• Become closer to it by including it in daily life,
• Sing,
• Play a simple instrument with a music therapist,
• Write lyrics,
• Visualize music or its words mentally,
• And join in; these can all be very beneficial.

“What matters is feeling the language and song of music. This brings me great happiness. Merely playing the piano perfectly would not make me happy.” Fazıl Say