Integrative Health through Music Therapy: Accompanying the Journey from Illness to Wellness PDF
Preview Integrative Health through Music Therapy: Accompanying the Journey from Illness to Wellness
SUZANNE B. HANSER INTEGRATIVE HEALTH THROUGH MUSIC THERAPY ACCOMPANYING THE JOURNEY FROM ILLNESS TO WELLNESS Integrative Health through Music Therapy Suzanne B . Hanser Integrative Health through Music Therapy Accompanying the Journey from Illness to Wellness Suzanne B. Hanser Music Th erapy Berklee College of Music Boston , Massachusetts , USA ISBN 978-1-137-38476-8 ISBN 978-1-137-38477-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-38477-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016940853 © Th e Editor(s) (if applicable) and Th e Author(s) 2016 Th e author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identifi ed as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Th is work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and trans- mission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Th e use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Th e publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: © Fanatic Studio / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper Th is Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature Th e registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London Dedicated to the memory of two mystics, Sam Hanser and Louise Montello, And to the mystic within you. Foreword O ne evening while I was serving as the Attending Physician on the Family Medicine Inpatient Unit of Boston Medical Center, I was called to see a patient for agitation. Th is young gentleman had a history of alcoholism and was showing signs of delirium tremens, a condition where someone experiences severe psychomotor agitation due to biological withdrawal from alcohol. He displayed the hallucinations, restlessness, and combat- iveness that so often accompany this condition. He was so disoriented and upset that he wanted to leave the hospital and bolted for the door. Due to his mental state, he was not able to make safe decisions for him- self and could also be harmful to others. Th e standard protocol in these situations is to call hospital security who often come and physically need to control the person through restraints. In fact, similar circumstances had occurred already in the previous 48 hours necessitating tense con- frontations between the patient and security personnel. Fortunately, at the time of this incident, we were also conducting a research study of the impact of music therapy on hospitalized patients. Although this patient was not enrolled for the study, I quickly called for our music therapist who was on the fl oor treating other patients. She came with her guitar, and immediately started to engage this man with music. She was able to help him sit down and begin to sing along with her on some rhythm and blues songs which he apparently knew well. At fi rst, he sang very softly with her, and over the course of 10 minutes, became more relaxed and vii viii Foreword soon was willing to cooperate with the nursing staff . Th e need to restrain him or call security was obviated. An episode of crisis had been solved in a patient-centered whole person manner. For me, that was a turning point in how I perceived music therapy. Th e music therapist played a vital role in that moment for the patient, for me as the treating physician, and for the hospital staff . Over the last decade, I have had the good fortune to collaborate with Suzanne B. Hanser, Chair of the Music Th erapy Department at Berklee College of Music, to bring music therapy into our integrative patient care model. Our Program for Integrative Medicine and Health Disparities is based at Boston Medical Center, an urban safety-net hospital that serves a predominantly low income minority population. As a result, together we have enabled music therapists to serve patients who otherwise would not have access to this innovative and eff ective treatment. I n my role as Director of Integrative Medicine, my goal is not only to cure disease, but also to help others heal themselves through developing a sense of connection between mind, body and spirit. I have personally experienced the infl uence of music therapy in doing just that. One music therapist participated in our integrative medicine group visit model of care. She used techniques such as guided meditation with live music to enable a group of Spanish-speaking women to better cope with chronic pain. Another music therapist achieved remarkable results with a Haitian cancer support group, where she engaged participants in writing their own lyrics, joyously singing their own songs and playing percussion. I was privileged to both participate and witness a remarkable feeling of community that transpired. In another outpatient music therapy group, a mother arrived with her pre-teen son who had chronic behavioral prob- lems. She was immensely gratifi ed to be able to attend the groups, as she felt music therapy reached her son, while other interventions such as ‘talk therapy’ had failed. As research collaborators, Suzanne and I have had the opportunity to learn from each other as we have collaborated on studies to document and measure the signifi cant impact that we have observed clinically. Th is has required quantitative and qualitative measures, and also analysis of song lyrics and musical outcomes that display something beyond the objective data. Foreword ix Th e modern healthcare system strives to meet what the Institute for Healthcare Improvement has coined as the triple aim: improve health outcomes for patients and populations, increase patient satisfaction with their care, and reduce overall healthcare costs. Others have suggested there is a fourth aim: enhance the vitality, resilience and wellbeing of health- care providers so they can carry out the triple aim. For practitioners, researchers, and advocates of music therapy, the challenge is to identify how music therapy truly contributes to any one or more of the four aims. What are the conditions, settings, and patient populations where music therapy, in all its various forms, could make its greatest impact? How can we capture the true value of music therapy? How can we integrate music therapy into a holistic model to meet patient needs and improve the healthcare environment? How can we help patients fi nd comfort, awakening, coping, acceptance and peace? Th e average physician has little or no exposure or awareness of music therapy and how it may diff er from passive music listening. For those who are aware, I suspect the majority would believe that music therapy would have the potential to be a n ice service to off er patients. Th e chal- lenge for advocates of music therapy is how to infl uence the health care com- munity—providers, nurses, administrators, payers and many others—to shift their view of music therapy from nice to necessary. T o address these questions, music therapists, researchers and educa- tors of music therapy need credible expert guidance on the fi eld. Skills, tools, and an attitudinal shift are essential for healing to occur. I ntegrative Health through Music Th erapy: Accompanying the Journey from Illness to Wellness prepares music therapists and other practitioners to move music therapy into the mainstream of healthcare. Th rough the languages of holistic health, integrative medicine, and music therapy, Integrative Health through Music Th erapy inspires patient and provider along the path to becoming well. Robert Saper , Boston University School of Medicine Boston , MA , USA
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