Pain Management

The potential benefits of music therapy for persons living with acute, procedural or chronic pain have been validated by several scientific studies. Music therapists have access to many efficient interventions to control and manage pain, in addition to other therapies that are usually offered.

WHY music therapy can help

Music therapy helps persons living with procedural, acute, and/or chronic pain by supporting them towards achieving therapeutic goals.

Music therapy can help this clientele to:

Lower the use of painkillers, opioids and nonopioids
Reduce the intensity of the pain
Improve mood and lower despair related to pain
Lower blood pressure, cardiac rhythm and respiratory rhythm
Develop competence and self-efficacy in pain management
Decrease anxiety and stress of the patient and their loved ones
Lower pain during debridement for burn patients
Support sharing and facilitate the expression of thoughts and feelings
Restore a sense of control
Improve quality of life in general

HOW music therapy is used

A variety of music therapy interventions, methods and techniques can be used with this clientele. Music therapy for pain management includes active music therapy, where the client participates in the music making, and receptive music therapy, where the client listens to music specifically chosen to address his needs. The interventions proposed by the music therapist vary depending on the type of pain experienced by the client (procedural, acute, and/or chronic).

Sessions can include:

Relaxation and guided musical imagery
Creation of personalized relaxing playlists
Improvisation with acoustic instruments
Singing, playing and listening to songs
Existing song adaptation to support patient’s healing
Vocal improvisation and toning
Entrainment techniques: music improvisation to match the client initial state, gradually modified to reduce the intensity of pain
Breathing exercises on music
Song composition to help communicate their feelings
Music improvisation with electronic devices

Research and references

At the Institute, we believe sharing knowledge is a fundamental part of our role. Our Resources section includes a growing list of research articles, presentations, videos and other documents, all dedicated to demonstrating how music therapy can positively impact this population and many others.

You will find these references, and more:

Video: Music Therapy - Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
Researchers provide recommendations for understanding music therapy's impact on chronic pain
Music Therapy Reduces Pain in Palliative Care Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

To discover those references and other available sources of information, click here: Resources & references about pain management