A Psychiatrist's Experience with Music as a Therapeutic Agent

Music therapy as procedural support for invasive medical procedures: toward the development of music therapy theory

“…The music therapist is responsible for assessing the individual's preferences for relaxation music, then matches sedative music to the patient's current level of arousal by employing the iso-principle (Altschuler, 1948) and gradually modifies musical qualities in a direction that promotes a relaxation response. For example, the therapist attempts to match the tempo of the music to a patient's breathing rate or heart rate and then gradually slows the music to promote reductions in physiological arousal.…”

“…The use of the iso-principle (Altschuler, 1948), in which music is matched to the patient's current mood or behavior state and gradually modified in a therapeutically desirable direction, was considered a key process in music therapy as procedural support (Walworth, 2003(Walworth, , 2005. Piaget's stages of cognitive development, Anna Freud's theory of ego development, Fritz Perls' Gestalt therapy, and elements of family systems theory influenced one author's view of how music therapy functions to address pain during procedures (Loewy, 1999).…”

The Effects of Music Entrainment on Postoperative Pain Perception in Pediatric Patients

“…Their entrainment music typically changed from dissonant and sharp sounds (auditory pain image) to peaceful music (pain-healing image). Based on the iso principle (Altschuler, 1948), such musical changes tend to positively influence patient mood. The iso principle is used by many music therapists as a means to facilitate a gradual mood change in patients.…”

Music: More than just a melody

“…2 At the same time, dyspnea, a psychophysiologic phenomenon, may be triggered by non-ventilatory factors such as anxiety. 3 More than 60 years ago, Altshuler 4 theorized that music altered moods unconsciously through the stimulation of an autonomic response at the thalamic level. Brody 5 believed that music influenced the right-hand side brain activity, causing the pituitary gland to release endorphins and generate a calming effect.…”