Sound and Song Therapy (Music as Medicine):


As a community musician, nurse and healing arts practitioner I have a deep personal commitment to bringing the therapeutic properties of sound and song into healthcare. Having been commissioned to facilitate numerous projects in hospitals and hospices, for both patients and staff, I find that my nursing as well as music background has enabled me to liaise closely with medical and nursing teams. Over many years I have enjoyed working with all ages and abilities, with patients in varying states of health and in numerous settings. In 2006 I was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to research ‘The Benefit of Music as Medicine in Palliative Care’ in the USA.

I feel hugely privileged to be able to combine my trainings and to practice these healing art forms simultaneously. I have come to realise that they all originate from the same source and, interwoven, form the fabric of my life’s work under the one umbrella of the Healing Arts. 

Please click on the following pages for specific details of my projects with CANCER SUPPORT GROUPS, CHILDREN, HOSPICES, HOSPITALS, OLDER PEOPLE, STROKE PATIENTS and SPECIAL GROUPS.

SO HOW DOES IT WORK?

Quite simply, my work has two elements: offering the vibration and healing intent of my own sound (voice and instruments), and encouraging the unique and expressive quality of my patients’ own sound. 

It is my understanding that every organ, bone and tissue of the body vibrates at an optimum frequency for good health. Illness, or dis-ease, can be described as the harmony of the body becoming discordant and vibrating out of tune. By a process known as sympathetic resonance, healing through sound can be effective in restoring a natural healthy vibration and harmony or ‘sound health’. 

But that’s just part of the sound story! We all have an authentic voice; we were born singing before we could speak! As a natural voice teacher it has also been my delight to facilitate, both for individuals and groups, the rediscovering of that voice. This process allows us to learn about the deeply healing, spiritual and transformational potential of our own sacred sound; to have a sense of coming home into our bodies and our voices.

Many cultures recognize the importance of music and sound as a healing power. In the ancient civilizations of India, the Orient, Africa, Europe and among the Aboriginal and American Indians, the practice of using sound to heal and achieve balance from within has existed for many years. The Tibetans use bowls, bells, chimes and chanting as the foundation of their spiritual practice. The Australian Aboriginal and Native American shamans use vocal toning and repetitive sound vibration to adjust any imbalance of the spirit, emotions or physical being in sacred ceremony with instruments created from nature. So it is part of many indigenous cultures to support the ill and dying through musical rituals.

Used to complement medical technology music can be a non-intrusive peaceful support, to promote relaxation and comfort for the ill and the dying. Music can be used in a sensitive way to help alleviate emotional pain for the patient and their loved ones. It can also ease physiological symptoms such as restlessness, sleeplessness, physical pain and laboured breathing. Music can assist in the letting go process, easing transition and helping to nurture a peaceful passage. For the patient, loved ones and teams of carers, the shared experience of live music can foster an intimacy which aids communication and the release of difficult emotions. Music and imagination are stored in the right hemisphere of the brain; combining the two can lead to an inner voyage that distracts from the preoccupation of illness and all that surrounds it. If even for a short time this can bring relief, allowing love and gratitude to be released. 

I have found that:

Everybody can participate in music by listening, experiencing, swaying, clapping time, humming, sounding and singing with words. So the experience can be passive or active. Many people who cannot use speech are often able to retrieve lyrics in a song by singing. Music is useful in countering the isolation of patients who have language and communication difficulties.

Familiar songs can stimulate seemingly lost memories in people whose memory deficits might be due to dementia, head trauma or stroke. You can watch a film of my work with stroke patients by clicking here.

Music can act as a bridge between the inner and outer world. Patients might express their feelings through a known song or an improvisation or by being encouraged to make up their own songs about their lives, both past and present. 

The power of song and improvisation touches the whole person: body, mind and spirit. It invites participation from everybody present, including the staff. It can build a sense of togetherness among people, whether long-stay patients, staff or visiting carers in a hospital ward setting. And taking part can empower people by building self-esteem and self-confidence.

Integrating music can make a hospital ward more welcoming and conducive to the healing process, helping to promote a caring and nurturing environment.

Music can function as a bridge between patient and carer or staff member. The ongoing sharing of the music experience can be encouraged.

Do contact me if you would like further information on my work in a variety of health care settings. 

  Contact Lou