Music assisted therapy

MUSIC ASSISTED THERAPY

FIELD OF INVENTION

0003The present invention relates to psychological and psychoeducational therapy. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of influencing the thoughts, emotions and/or behavior of an individual with music.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

0005Numerous modalities of psychotherapy currently exist for the treatment and counseling of individuals. The use of music in psychological therapy is one method that is known in the art. For instance, music has been used as a therapeutic medium to alter social behaviors, academic responses, schizophrenic behaviors and miscellaneous disruptive behaviors. Although some of these treatments involving music have proven useful, they do not have a direct impact on the thoughts of the individual being treated and rarely result in lasting behavioral changes. Furthermore, there is currently no systemized use of music as a therapeutic medium.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

0007The present invention provides a method of performing therapy comprising identifying emotions or thoughts of a human individual and selecting music based on the emotions or thoughts of the individual. The individual is then exposed to the music. The music is chosen for directly influencing the emotions or thoughts of the human individual to cause self enhancing behavior. Preferably, the self enhancing behavior becomes permanent behavior.

0008More particularly, the method of the present invention comprises identifying a problem or issue facing the human individual. This may include determining what behaviors practiced by the individual should be developed or discouraged.

0009The problem may be related to human relationships, abusive behavior, addictive behavior, death, religion, emotions, sexual issues, destructive behavior or a combination thereof. The music used in the therapy may or may not comprise lyrics. If the music comprises lyrics, the lyrics are preferably related to the problem facing the human individual. Exposure to the music positively changes the individual's thoughts and emotions relating to his particular dilemma. Exposing the individual to the music may also have the effect of promoting or discouraging identified behaviors practiced by the individual.

0010Furthermore, a questionnaire is used to determine what genre of music the individual enjoys listening to. The music used in treating the individual is preferably chosen from this genre. In addition, if the music used in the therapy comprises lyrics, written lyrics of the music are provided to the individual.

0011Still more particularly, the treatment of the present invention promotes honest communication between the individual and a therapist. The treatment may be administered in an in-patient or out-patient setting, and may be administered to a plurality of human individuals in a group environment. In a group setting, the treatment promotes trust and communication between the individual group members, and between the group members and the therapist.

0012The present invention also relates to a music assisted therapy program comprising a set of music recordings. Each music recording in the set is classified according to an issue to which the music recording relates. A first set of questions accompanies each music recording for a therapist to ask a human individual after the respective music recording is played for the individual to promote discussion relating to the issue. More particularly, the music recordings preferably comprise lyrics, and the lyrics of at least one of the music recordings in the set are related to a problem facing the individual. The respective set of questions accompanying this music recording promotes discussion between the therapist and the individual regarding the problem. The music assisted therapy program may further comprise a second set of questions to be presented to the individual for determining the problem facing the individual, and the music recording played for the individual is chosen based on this problem.

0013The music assisted therapy program may include a plurality of lyric sheets wherein each lyric sheet comprises the written lyrics of one of the music recordings. Each lyric sheet is presented to the individual before, during or after the individual listens to the corresponding music recording.

0014Still more particularly, each music recording may be further classified according to genre of music. In addition, the therapy program may include a third set of questions to be presented to the individual for ascertaining a genre of music to which the individual enjoys listening.

0015Other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention and claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

0017The present invention is a musically-based program that uses a variety of therapeutic paradigms to help adolescents and adults come to terms with the myriad of issues facing them and their peers, friends, relationships, families, significant others, and primary caregivers.

0018The present invention may be used to augment several types of treatment including but not limited to already-extant in- patient modalities, out-patient groups run at several private individual and group psychotherapy practices, community-operated treatment clinics, college counseling centers, adult and adolescent incarcerated institutions, hospital-based day treatment centers, special needs private schools, Veterans Administration facilities, and special education classrooms in both private and public schools. Preferably, the treatment of the present invention is used with the adolescent, young adult, and middle-aged adult populations. The method of the present invention is intended to be utilized as an adjunct to, and not a replacement for other therapeutic activities carried out in miscellaneous settings. The use of music as a therapeutic medium in the present invention is quite atypical of existing forms of therapy involving music. Although some musical therapy based programs have used the contingent application and/or removal of music to change immediate behaviors within specific settings, none have done so by directly influencing either the emotions or thoughts of an individual, thereby leading to more permanent self-enhancing behaviors.

0019The method of the present invention utilizes an organized, systematic use of music in a packaged, sequenced, and programmed approach. The treatment can be tailored for each therapeutic setting and its particular population's concern. Thus, the treatment may be used with a wide variety of therapeutic schools of thought. The treatment of the present invention is suitable for an individual or group setting. It is also possible to prescribe well- defined role play and social skills training exercises with the therapy. The primary rational underlying this method of therapy is that the carefully programmed use of adjunctive individual or group based music-assisted therapy is an aid to improving and increasing appropriate attitudes, emotions, and behaviors of individuals. It is felt that the use of music is a particularly powerful therapeutic medium for adolescents and young adults, because of the high degree of importance that music in general (and its associated genre) holds for these populations as a whole.

0020The method of the present invention comprises identifying emotions or thoughts of the individual to be treated. Music is then selected based on these emotions or thoughts and the individual is exposed to the music. The music acts to directly and positively influence the emotions or thoughts of the individual thereby causing self enhancing or positive behavior. Preferably, the self enhancing or positive behavior resulting from the music-based therapy of the present invention becomes permanent behavior. The treatment promotes the replacement of negative beliefs, thoughts, feelings or actions with positive beliefs, thoughts, feelings or actions.

0021The method of the present invention further comprises identifying a problem or issue facing the individual. The problem is preferably identified through the use of a questionnaire and/or interview with the individual. This may involve determining what behaviors practiced by the individual should be developed or discouraged. The music used during therapy is related to the problem or issue the individual is experiencing. Examples of dilemmas facing the individual include but are not limited to relationships such as romantic/emotional, sexual, peer-peer, parent-child/adolescent, adult- child/adolescent, sibling-sibling, employer-employee, role models (positive and negative), and dependent relationships; abusive and addictive behaviors relating to food, sex, relationships, substances, gambling and religion; death/dying issues including suicide, murder, natural events, chronic illness, natural disasters, early death and the death of a parent, spouse, sibling, child, lover or important other; spiritual/religious issues including Christianity/Judaism, Eastern Religions, Satanism, New Age, agnosticism, atheism, life after death, personal orientations, views on higher powers, destructive alternative spiritualities such as cults, and Wiccan; emotions such as anger, hate, depression, sadness, confusion, loneliness, pensiveness, love, despair, anxiety, worry, and happiness, joy; sexual issues including rape, incest, excessive or careless sexuality, virginity, self-stimulation, heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and sexual disorders; miscellaneous defeating and destructive behaviors including behavioral disorders (oppositional-defiant and conduct), drunk driving, self injurious behavior, anti-social behavior, assault/murder, lying, stealing, stress, living for others, unrealistic fantasies/daydreams/goals, dependency, and external locus of control. Self enhancing behavior caused by exposure to the music includes any behavior that assists the individual in coping with or overcoming the problem or issue facing the individual. Self enhancing behavior includes reducing or stopping the practice of negative behaviors and/or attitudes including but not limited to self- limiting thoughts and actions; abusive or addictive behaviors relating to food, sex, relationships, substances, gambling or religion; thoughts of violence towards oneself or others; abnormal or destructive spiritual or religious practices; experiencing negative emotions such as anger, hate, depression, sadness, confusion, loneliness, pensiveness, despair, anxiety, or worry; defeating and destructive behaviors such as oppositional-defiant conduct, drunk driving, antisocial behavior, lying, stealing, living for others, or dependent behavior. Examples of other positive behavior resulting from exposure to the lyrical music of the present invention include acting responsibly, having a positive attitude, not focusing on the past, practicing fair fighting techniques, communicating properly, caring for others, being honest and open, practicing moderation, being "real", having reality-based dreams or goals, and having autonomy. The treatment of the present invention also produces self enhancing behavior by increasing the patient's appropriate focus on himself and his issue through improved self-reflection and problem- identification and problem-solving skills. Specifically, the music- assisted therapy aids in the development of abstract reasoning skills, decision making skills and rational cognitive skills. The treatment may also be combined with prescribed and well-defined role play and social skills training exercises. The musical based therapy causes the individual to become accustomed to talking about himself more freely. Thus, the individual's psychotherapy sessions progress more quickly since the patient has less defenses. Family members, friends, significant others and/or caregivers may participate in the therapy sessions. An individual's family or support system can be of great assistance in helping the individual regain a fuller life. This is particularly true for adolescents and young adults. Although other techniques may be used, an instrument such as a questionnaire is typically used to ascertain what genre of music to which the individual enjoys listening. The questionnaire may include questions asking why the individual listens to music, how often he/she listens to music, or how important music is to the individual. Any type of music may be used in the treatment of the present invention including but not limited to classical, country, rock, popular, rhythm and blues, folk, jazz, new age, alternative, and rap. Preferably, the music used in treating the individual is chosen from a genre of music the individual enjoys listening to. It is also preferable that the music be familiar to the individual, however, this does not have to be the case. In addition, the music may be chosen to specifically have the effect of promoting positive behavior practiced by the individual or discourage negative behavior practiced by the individual.

0022The music used in the method of the present invention is preexisting music. Specifically, the music comprises already written, intact songs and does not include music created by a therapist or produced in a clinical setting. Popular vocal music is typically used in the method of the present invention, wherein the familiar original lyrics reflect important dilemmas facing age cohorts.

0023Preferably, the music used in the therapy comprises lyrics. It is also desirable that the lyrics be related to the problem or issue facing the individual. After the individual listens to the music, the issue reflected in the lyrics of the music and facing the individual is discussed with a therapist. In cases where the individual is initially hesitant to talk about himself, he can disassociate himself from his problem by discussing a third party described in the lyrical music until he grows comfortable enough to talk about himself. In such situations, the lyrical music provides a mechanism for the therapist and individual to have meaningful discussions about the problem facing the individual even when the individual feels uncomfortable talking about himself.

0024Instrumental music may be effectively used alone in the music assisted therapy or may be used as a "warm-up" for vocal music, or as a way of getting patients indoctrinated into programmatic therapy. Further, instrumental music may be used as a form of projective personality indices, similar to other projective measures such as the Rorschach Ink Blot Test, the Thematic Apperception Test, House-Tree-Person Drawing Test, and The Incomplete Sentences Blank Test. After listening to instrumental music in a therapy session, the therapist may ask the individual questions regarding his feelings or experiences relating to the music such as: (a) Have you ever heard the song? (b) If "yes" to "(a)", (i) Where were you at the time, what were you doing, and who were you with?, (ii) Do you know who the band is and/or the name of the song?, (c) if "No" to "(a)" and/or after processing responses to "(b)", (i) What do you think the name of the song is?, (iii) What does the song remind you of?, (iv) What type of song is it, (e.g., happy, angry, sad, pensive)?, (v) What images go through your mind when you hear this song?.

0025The treatment of the present invention promotes trust and mutual, open, and honest communications of identified thoughts and feelings between the individual and the therapist. The therapy directly influences the emotions and/or thoughts of the individual in relation to his or her problem and causes self-enhancing behavior. Over the course of treatment, the individual may be exposed to a particular sequence of music related to his problem which will effectively alter his emotions and cognitions in a positive manner. The number and duration of therapy sessions will depend on the severity of the problem for which the individual is being treated.

0026In order to promote discussion between the individual and therapist or to aid the individual's understanding of the music, written lyrics of the music may be provided to the individual. Preferably, the written lyrics are provided to the individual in the form of a lyric sheet. A lyric sheet is a piece of paper on which the lyrics of a song are printed, usually verbatim, wherein each lyric sheet corresponds to a separate music selection. The use of lyric sheets in a therapy session also helps to prevent defensive avoidance behavior by the patient. For example, by presenting the individual with printed lyrics to read, he cannot claim a lack of understanding of the lyrics he is listening to in order to avoid discussion with the therapist.

0027The treatment as described above may also be administered to a plurality of individuals in a group environment. When the treatment of the present invention is used in a group setting, it increases positive interaction between the group members themselves and between the group members and the therapist. For example, the treatment promotes trust and mutual, open, and honest communications of identified thoughts and feelings between the group members and between the group members and the therapist. The group therapist will preferably use a preset group of questions for directional discussion on specific topics. The treatment also serves to decrease competition among the group members, and increase the level of patient support for each other. Furthermore, in a group therapy setting, there is an opportunity for the growth-enhancing, socio-interpersonal aspects so important to individuals, especially teens and young adults, to be promoted through group unity, trust, cohesiveness, input, problem- solving, and social support. This, in turn, will result in a more appropriate and constructive life-style for the individuals, both while in a therapeutic setting and when they return to their day-to-day lives.

0028Although the characteristics of and circumstances surrounding troubled youth and adults are mixed, there are many similarities across settings. Many problematic individuals come from malfunctioning, broken, one-parent, or blended families and have frequently experienced numerous assorted problems both at home and at school or work. For these reasons, while the main area of focus will be on changing the patients' beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors concerning the primary issues(s) for which he/she was referred, other related concerns that often contribute to the overall clinical picture are addressed as well. These include but are not limited to such aspects as peer pressure, familial dysfunction, patterns and/or methods of communication, conflict resolution, task and time management and prioritization, relationships, social issues, locus of control, existential concerns, substance use, abuse and addiction, sexual matters, and self-responsibility.

0029While it can be a very powerful therapeutic tool, the method of the present invention is not the adjunctive treatment of choice for all patients. Due to the cognitive nature of the processing required for this program, the following persons are considered inappropriate to be included in this therapy program: hallucinatory, psychotic, or severely delusional patients; persons suffering from moderate to profound mental retardation, autism, severe developmental delays, or organic, degenerative brain disorders of any form; those with insufficient degrees of abstract reasoning abilities to grasp the concepts (i.e., primarily children less than eleven years of age); patients with hearing or sight loss so severe as to prevent their adequate comprehension and/or participation in the program; catatonic patients; patients who are so heavily medicated as to be unable to fully participate in or benefit from the program; severely clinically hyperactive persons who, for one reason or another, are unable or unwilling to tolerate the appropriate medication and who exhibit characteristically hyperkinetic motoric behaviors; patients suffering from severe deficits in attentional span (not of the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder variety) or short-term memory deficits; persons who, for one reason or another, have a particular dislike or intolerance for music; and individuals who, for one reason or another, might be ill-suited for group-oriented therapy. Likewise, certain patients are considered especially amenable to this form of treatment. While one need not limit his patient repertoire to the suggestions listed herein, the following is a list of individuals for whom the therapy of the present invention has been found to be helpful: persons for whom music plays an important part in their lives; adolescents; young adults; middle adults; Vietnam- era and Gulf War-era Veterans; mood- disordered patients; suicidal persons; persons suffering from a variety of existential issues; substance abusers, users, and/or addicts (whether the "substance" of choice is drugs, religion, sex, food, television, computers, etc.); survivors of abuse and/or trauma; persons having a variety of Disruptive Behavior Disorders (including Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and all types of Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder); people having interpersonal relationship difficulties; identity-disordered patients; anxiety- disordered patients; dual-diagnosis and polydiagnosis patients; learning disordered persons; and families and significant others of those in treatment.

0030The present invention also relates to a music assisted therapy program comprising a set of music recordings. Each music recording in the set is classified according to an issue to which the recording relates. A first set of questions accompanies each music recording for a therapist to ask an individual after the respective music recording is played for the individual to promote discussion relating to the issue. At least one of the music recordings in the set are related to a problem facing the individual, and the respective set of questions accompanying this music recording promotes discussion between the therapist and the individual regarding the problem. If the music recordings comprise lyrics, the lyrics of at least one of the music recordings in the set are related to a problem facing the individual. The music assisted therapy program may further comprise a second set of questions to be presented to the individual for determining the problem facing the individual, and the music recording played for the individual is chosen based on this problem. The second set of questions may be in the form of a questionnaire. The music recording is selected so as to directly influence the emotions or thoughts of the individual thereby causing self enhancing or positive behavior.

0031Each music recording, including the lyrics of vocal recordings, may be related to and classified according to the following topics including but not limited to relationships such as romantic/emotional, sexual, peer-peer, parent-child/adolescent, adult- child/adolescent, sibling-sibling, employer-employee, role models (positive and negative), and dependent relationships; abusive and addictive behaviors relating to food, sex, relationships, substances, gambling and religion; death/dying issues including suicide, murder, natural events, chronic illness, natural disasters, early death and the death of a parent, spouse, sibling, child, lover or important other; spiritual/religious issues including Christianity/Judaism, Eastern Religions, Satanism, New Age, agnosticism, atheism, life after death, personal orientations, views on higher powers, destructive alternative spiritualities such as cults, and Wiccan; emotions such as anger, hate, depression, sadness, confusion, loneliness, pensiveness, love, despair, anxiety, worry, and happiness, joy; sexual issues including rape, incest, excessive or careless sexuality, virginity, self-stimulation, heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality and sexual disorders; and miscellaneous defeating and destructive behaviors including behavioral disorders (oppositional-defiant and conduct), drunk driving, self injurious behavior, anti-social behavior, assault, murder, lying, stealing, stress, living for others, unrealistic fantasies/daydreams/goals, dependency, and external locus of control.

0032Each music recording may be further classified according to genre of music. Examples of different genres of music useful in the present invention include but are not limited to classical, country, rock, popular, rhythm and blues, folk, jazz, new age, alternative, and rap music. In addition, each lyrical music recording is made from preexisting music. Preferably, the music used in treating the individual is chosen from a genre of music to which the individual enjoys listening. It is also preferable that the music be familiar to the individual, however, this does not have to be the case. The therapy program may also include a third set of questions to be presented to an individual for ascertaining a genre of music to which the individual enjoys listening. The third set of questions is preferably in the form of a written questionnaire.

0033The music assisted therapy program may comprise a plurality of lyric sheets wherein each lyric sheet contains the written lyrics of one of the music recordings. Each lyric sheet is presented to the individual before, during or after the individual listens to the corresponding music recording.

0034The music recordings may be played for a plurality of individuals in a group therapy environment. Furthermore, the therapy program is easy to administer so that lower-level and paraprofessional staff, i.e. those without master's or doctoral degrees may successfully run the therapy sessions. Accordingly, the therapy program is advantageous in terms of a facility's efficacious use of staff, resources, time, and finances.

0035The therapy program of the present invention comprises an individually tailored, preprogrammed, and preselected set of instrumental or lyrical music and accompanying activities allowing each clinical treatment facility to have a therapy program that is uniquely its own. Further, in facilities containing more than one ward, special education classroom, or type of unit (e.g., addictions, adolescents, adult, eating disorders, etc.), the therapy program of the present invention may by designed specifically for the needs of each unit, ward, and/or classroom setting. It should be understood that the foregoing relates to particular embodiments of the present invention, and that numerous changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.