1. INTRODUCTION “A Person cannot be diagnosed with PTSD without having experienced a traumatic event.” (Hunt and McHale, 2010, p.13). The purpose of this essay is to discuss how Music Therapy can be used to help veterans suffering from PTSD to cope with their traumatic experiences and manage their symptoms. I will define PTSD, then in further detail explore and explain how music therapy can be used to treat and manage the symptoms of PTSD. Finally, I will evaluate if Music Therapy is a suitable intervention for helping veterans treat the symptoms of PTSD. This essay will explore the perspectives of music therapists including Julie Sutton and Gary Ansdell and research of Psychologists Paul Gilbert, Nigel Hunt and Sue Mchale. 2.1 DEFINITION OF PTSD Psychologists Hunt and McHale (2010, p.20) state that according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM): In order for someone to be classified as having PTSD, there must be: 1) a traumatic event 2) intrusive re-experiencing 3) avoidance and general numbing 4) hyper arousal 5) problems stemming from these symptoms at work and home 6) a minimum duration of one month This definition is helpful in providing a music therapist with a clear classification system to decide whether a veteran being referred to them, is displaying symptoms related to PTSD. 2.2 THE USE OF ACTIVE LISTENING TO PROMOTE DIAPHRAMATIC BREATHING According to Whealin, De Carvhalo and Vega (2008, pp.22-25): When we have survived extremely stressful or dangerous situations, the amygdala can start to be overactive. That is why when veterans return from war, they often feel alarmed even when they are not in danger. There are a number of skills you can ... ... middle of paper ... ...a Kingsley Publishers, pp.13-75. Bunt, L. and Hoskyns, S. (2002) The Handbook of Music Therapy. London: Routledge, pp.190-195. Bunt, L. (1994) Music Therapy: An Art Beyond Words. London: Routledge, pp.171-175. Bright, G. (1997) Wholeness in Later Life. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp.119-123. Gilbert, P. (2010) Compassion Focused Therapy. London: Routledge, pp.135-145. Hunt, N.C. and McHale, S. (2010) Understanding Post Traumatic Stress. London: Sheldon Press, pp. 13-25. Jones, E. and Wessely, S. (2005) Shell Shock to PTSD. Hove: Psychology Press, pp.215-220. Sutton, J.P (2002) Music, Music Therapy and Trauma: International Perspectives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp.231-257. Whealin, J.M., Decarvahlo, L.T. and Edward, M.V. (2008) Clinician’s Guide to Treating Stress After War. New-Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, pp.20-30.
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition, similar to an anxiety disorder, that is triggered by trauma and other extremely stressful circumstances. Throughout the book, Junger talks about PTSD in a wide range:from PTSD rates in natural disaster victims to PTSD rates in veterans. The latter is explained on a deeper perspective. While Junger gave many examples of why PTSD rates in America were so high, the most captivating was:
The current criteria for assessment of PTSD is only suitable if criterion A is met. Every symptom must be bound to the traumatic event through temporal and/or contextual evidence. The DSM-5 stipulates that to qualify, the symptoms must begin (criterion B or C) or worsen (symptom D and E) after the traumatic event. Even though symptoms must be linked to a traumatic event, this linking does not imply causality or etiology (Pai, 2017, p.4). The changes made with the DSM-5 included increasing the number of symptom groups from three to four and the number of symptoms from 17 to 20. The symptom groups are intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after a traumatic event (Riley). A more in depth definition of the disorder is given by Doctor’s Nancy Piotrowski and Lillian Range, “A maladaptive condition resulting from exposure to events beyond the realm of normal human experience and characterized by persistent difficulties involving emotional numbing, intense fear, helplessness, horror, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance, and arousal.” People who suffer from this disease have been a part of or seen an upsetting event that haunts them after the event, and sometimes the rest of their lives. There are nicknames for this disorder such as “shell shock”, “combat neurosis”, and “battle fatigue” (Piotrowski and Range). “Battle fatigue” and “combat neurosis” refer to soldiers who have been overseas and seen disturbing scenes that cause them anxiety they will continue to have when they remember their time spent in war. It is common for a lot of soldiers to be diagnosed with PTSD when returning from battle. Throughout the history of wars American soldiers have been involved in, each war had a different nickname for what is now PTSD (Pitman et al. 769). At first, PTSD was recognized and diagnosed as a personality disorder until after the Vietnam Veterans brought more attention to the disorder, and in 1980 it became a recognized anxiety disorder (Piotrowski and Range). There is not one lone cause of PTSD, and symptoms can vary from hallucinations to detachment of friends and family, making a diagnosis more difficult than normal. To treat and in hopes to prevent those who have this disorder, the doctor may suggest different types of therapy and also prescribe medication to help subside the sympt...
Weathers, F.W., Litz, B.T., Keane, T.M., Palmieri, P.A., Marx, B.P., & Schnurr, P.P. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)- Standard [Measurement instrument]. Retrieved from
Music therapy isn’t the same as other therapy. Music therapy uses music to help establish a connection of ...
Wiederhold, Brenda K.: Wiederholder, Mark D. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. 1st ed. American Psychological Association., 2004. Print.
Music therapy works because of its three fundamentals: the application of systematic thinking through music theory, the creation of an individualized treatment plan, as well as the patie...
Music Therapy is the use of music to treat a range of conditions either physical or mental (Questia, 2017). It can be used to help a range of conditions such as: autism, mental health (for example anxiety and depression), learning disabilities and neuro disabilities (British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT), 2017). This could be proven useful due to its variety of conditions it can help with, it is a very different idea to help people and music in general is very enjoyable and uplifting. It can also be useful for it is a way people can express themselves, there are many cases in which people do not know how to communicate with others or do not like talking about their conditions or how they feel and communication is very important. However,
B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, M. H. (2008). An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and
In summary, it is very reasonable to determine that music therapy has been a pronounced development. It has aided an abundance of people with dealing with all sorts of different issues they are faced with in everyday life; from emotional issues to illnesses. However, music therapy is not for everyone. There are many different types of therapies available for patients to choose from if they feel if music therapy isn’t for
Teague, A.K., Hahna, N.D., & McKinney, C.H. (2006) Group music therapy with women who have experienced intimate partner violence.
Meadows, A. N. (2011). Developments in music therapy practice case study perspectives. Gilsum: Barcelona Publishers.
Schiraldi, G. R. (2009). The post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: A guide to healing, recovery, and growth. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
In order to understand why the use of music therapy is growing, one must know what exactly music therapy is. Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Music therapy also provides avenues for communicati...
Music therapy is the use of music and or musical elements by a qualified music therapist with a client or group in a process designed to facilitate and promote communication, relationships, learning, expression, organization and other relevant therapeutic objects in offer to meet physical, emotional, mental, social, and cognitive needs. There are many things that make music therapy. A few elements that contribute to music therapy are tone, rhythm, harmony, melody, and timbre. There are many reason as to why people try music therapy. A few would be coping with illness, managing problems, and overcoming impairments. When someone is thinking about music therapy the first step is getting a bachelor’s degree. There is also places that will let you