Music As Therapy
Photo from https://adahome.care/music-therapy-in-alzheimer-and-dementia/ I personally find music very healing. It can calm my soul, encourage tears when I need to release emotions instead of bottling them in, get my adrenaline pumping for work outs, and empower me. Why does music do all this for us? To begin with, I'll explain how we process music. When we put on a favorite song, the music sounds move through our ears as vibrations. The inner ear translates these vibrations into electrical signals which are transported by neurons to the cerebral cortex in the brain. Dedicated regions of the brain detect elements of the signals like the tone, pitch, and rhythm. The brain then puts all this together to sense the musical experiences. Photo from https://www.avnet.com/wps/portal/us/resources/article/how-the-deaf-experience-music-then-and-now/ Now, how does music reduce stress? Stress releases specific hormones and chemicals that activate your brain for “fight or fligh