A-Z List


Terminal Illness and Music Therapy

Journal Articles

by Jennette Eckert - Fall 1999

Levin-Gross, J., & Swart, R. (1982). The effects of music therapy and anxiety of chronically ill patients. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 2, 1. 4352.
Call #: 30628006476461

This study revealed that music effects heartbeat and breathing rhythms as well as galvanic skin responses and also helps to reduce anxiety. Long-term patients with disabilities at Goldwater Memorial Hospital meet with a music therapist once a week for eight weeks in an isolation room. The music therapist verbally gave the patients the STAI (State Trait Anxiety Inventory) before and then after each session. In every instance, there was a decrease in anxiety. The terminally ill patients were able to decrease their focus on pain and on their current stresses from their illness.
The use of songs in music therapy with cancer patients and their families. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 4, 1. 5-17. (1984)
Call#: 306280006476461

When dealing with cancer patients and their families, a music therapist's goal is to promote comfort, develop a meaningful communication, resolve issues and serve as a type of guide through the grief. Therapists will follow the following three steps: (1) Develop contact by forming trust and a working relationship, (2) Facilitate awareness by providing opportunities to express needs and desires, and (3) Facilitate resolution to help participants therapeutically process their thoughts and patient's present moods and feelings. The songs may reflect hope, pleasure, the patient's world, reminiscent, or relationships, needs and desires, feelings, loss, death and peace. The human voice is a very important resource because it is the most common medium available for use in expressing feelings, (i.e. by words and lyrics). The music therapist should also encourage patient and family involvement as well.
Fagen, Shulmna T. (1982). Music therapy in the treatment of anxiety and fear in terminally pediatric patients. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 2, 1. 13-24.
Call #: 306280006476461

Music can serve as a medium to release fear and anxiety through creative acts. One example would be to role-play death with the children who are suffering by using animal puppets and singing songs. The music therapist does this by going through the stages of the patient's particular disease, describing how in each step the subject will get sicker and sicker, and will eventually die. This activity can start to help children develop a sense of reality if they stay focused on the fact that eventually every animal will die. Patients sing to express their emotions. This example is primarily used to treat anxiety and fear for children. First, the therapist must find a way to break through their anxiety blocks. Music is an effective passageway for doing so. In songwriting, the therapist can also use the hums of the child's medical equipment as a structure for improvisational creativity. A key factor to remember is that there are varied responses to each activity for each patient. Creativity needs to be a primary focus when dealing with terminally ill pediatrics.
Baily, L. M. (1983). The effects of live music versus tape-recorded music on hospitalized cancer patients. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 3, 1. 17-28.
Call #: 30628006476461

This study tested the effects of live music versus tape-recorded music on hospitalized cancer patients. The experiment included people who were diagnosed with cancer and who were above the age of 12. The music therapist gave the patients a choice of five out of sixteen songs, varying between fast and slow tempos. First, each person was given a test that asked questions about how they felt. This same emotion test was given after listening to taped music and then the live music. The patients who listened to the taped music were more angered than the group who listened to the live music. The experiment also showed that there was less mood change for people who listened to taped music than for those who listened to the live music. One reason for this might be that there was more energy flow because of the increased communication between the patient and the caregiver. When the person performed live, communication was demonstrated by body language. The taped music did not serve as effectively as a stimulus because it did not reflect changes in feelings, mood and behavior as well.
Brodsky, W. (1989). Music therapy as an intervention for children with cancer in isolation rooms. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 8, 1. 17-28.
Call #: 306280006476461

This study examined the effects of music on a child who was diagnosed with leukemia. He was ten years old, came from a Russian background, and had to remain in an isolation room throughout his treatment. During the second music therapy session, he sang a song that was reflective of his seclusion. He wasn't able to “break through” the anxiety and fear barrier that was in front of him because of his cultural upbringing. Showing weakness was uncalled for in his family. Therefore, expressing his emotions through music was one of the only ways he could express himself. He chose to play happy songs. When the music therapist pointed out that he wasn't alone in his disease, he gained confidence and started to explore and learn about others through music activities. By the end of his disease, he was singing songs about God, hope and rejuvenation.
Harich, J. M., & Eagle, C. T. (1988). Elements of pain and music: The IOA connection. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 7, 1. 15-27
Call #: 30628008278381

The AIO connection proposes that a person may find it incredibly difficult to block out auditory stimuli. Therefore, it is possible to deal with certain issues that they wouldn't normally be able to address by listening, especially to music. Based on this article, pain is paralleled to the perception of pain. If a person thinks that pain is gone, then the physical pain may not be that apparent. Strength results, leading to mental balance.
Short, A. (1991). The role of guided imagery and music in diagnosing physical illness or trauma. The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 10, 1. 22-45.
Call #: 306280010181616

According to this article, the information flow of imagery is a very good way to deal with terminally ill patients who are suffering from pain (i.e. cancer). The purpose is to decrease physical symptoms. Stress reduction techniques such as biofeed back may be used to reduce heart rates and skin reactivity. Once a patient has physical problems, physiological problems may also arise. Various types of memories from the body or mind can re-occur through actions or thoughts. For example, in one case a patient envisioned cancer cells attacking her friend. She had had breast cancer two years prior, had undergone chemotherapy, and was medically healthy. Musically, she wrote a song stating that big and small cancer globs were attacking her friend and that she wanted to stomp and kill every one of them for her. She described that she had a shield to protect her from the front, but that from the back she was defenseless. The song allowed her to verbalize her fear that the cancer might come back. Expressing her emotions by replacing herself with her friend made it apparent what she was feeling and then started to steer her away from hopelessness.
Barker, V. L., & Brunk, B. (1991). The role of a creative group in the treatment of clients with traumatic brain injury. Music Therapy Perspectives. 9. 26-31.
Call #: 3006280009271593

This article describes the Creative Arts Group, which is a newly formed group that helps family members and patients cope with traumatic episodes and help rehabilitate the patients. They main focus is on helping traumatic brain injury patients ease into a new learning process. The caregivers focus on helping the patients re-learn and cope with their new daily lives. Art and music therapists help those patients from day to day by offering activities that incorporate individual work, partner projects, group efforts, seasonal activities, and community experiences. Musical activities incorporate socialization techniques within the group. To increase socialization and creativity skills, the music therapist and the group may make up a group song for all participants to sing when they have meetings. Another sample activity is to draw a picture that comes to mind and create lyrics to represent the picture and/or your feelings about the picture.
Clair, A. A., & Ebberts, A. G. (1997). The effects of music therapy on interactions between family caregivers and their care receivers with late stage dementia. Journal of Music Therapy. 35, 3. 148.-164.
Call #: 306280011196331

Because dementia is irreversible, it is hard for loved ones of these patients to find a treatment that will help them communicate with them before they lose this ability. In a recent study, a group of dementia patients underwent music therapy and found that the caregivers felt they could interact meaningfully with their loved ones using music as an effective medium. The communication with music went beyond the music therapy session. It continued at times when they were alone with each other and when they had received something from the care receivers. The presence of rhythm playing was most effective. Patients responded less to conversations with the caregivers. Dancing with each other was very effective in creating meaning in their interactions. Terminally ill patients can use this experiment in the hospital or home setting too.
Handsell, N. A. (1990). An alternate chord configuration for the Autoharp. Music Therapy Perspectives. 8. 80-81.
Call #: 3062800009271593

With a new configuration of the Autoharp there can be enhancement of the usefulness of the 21-chord model for therapy, accompaniment, and solo playing. In the new configuration for the Autoharp, the primary and secondary chords have the same spacing relationship to one another in all major and minor keys. The player can learn one pattern and then transpose it to a new key by moving one hand over the new key. Also, the redesigned Autoharp has all primary and secondary chords except for diminished ii and diminished vii. The chords that are frequently played on the guitar are included on the newly proposed Autoharp, which makes it easier to play with the patient who is dominant in guitar playing. The new configuration will allow patients to play guitar pieces on an Autoharp as well. This feature would be meaningful for terminally ill patients who may want to be able to play their favorite songs on the Autoharp.