pain management | Upstate Music Therapy Center LLC

Music Therapy for Children with Chronic Pain

by Amy Thomas | Nov 2, 2021

Blog written by Katie Pistilli, MT-BC

Chronic pain impacts an individual’s entire life. Not only are there physical symptoms to cope with, but there is the emotional struggle of accepting that the pain is indefinite. While chronic pain is a tragedy for anyone going through it, children experience a special set of challenges. Kids with pain syndromes might have fewer social opportunities to make friends and develop hobbies, adding another layer of complexity and mental health concerns. Kids cope with the same emotional turmoil as adults, if not more, but have a more difficult time expressing it.

Research shows that it is essential to approach chronic pain in children from multiple angles. Not only should the child work with medical doctors to manage their pain and symptoms, but they should also receive mental health support to ensure depression and anxiety are addressed. There is extensive research on how music therapy can assist children in coping with both the physical and emotional symptoms of chronic pain.

Music Therapy Interventions

Music therapy interventions are activities that are meant to address specific goals in a child. For chronic pain, a music therapy intervention may aim to help them relax and distract their mind from the pain. These activities may also prompt conversations to help children accept their pain and diminish feelings of sadness or anger. No matter what the goal may be, a music therapist will always use evidence-based practice or techniques supported by research in their activities.

Music-Assisted Relaxation

If a therapist uses Music-Assisted Relaxation, they hope to help the child relax their body and calm the sensory system. When a child is constantly in pain, their nervous system is on high-alert. This may contribute to anxiety and greater sensitivity to pain. It is important to help children acquire relaxation-based skills so they can independently learn to relax and diminish some of their pain.

Music-Assisted Relaxation can look like:

Playing live music on guitar or piano and reading a script.
Mindfulness-based scripts are often used. The child may be encouraged to write a script that encompasses what brings them peace, positive memories, or favorite things (smells, foods, places)
The therapist may facilitate breathing exercises to music.

Active Music Engagement

Like music-assisted relaxation, Active Music Engagement is also a great way to separate the child’s focus away from their pain and calm their body. These types of interventions are slightly more active on the child’s part and address the thoughts and feelings that they may be experiencing. The goal with Active Music Engagement is to help the child process through thoughts, experiences, and anxieties about the future.

Here is an example of an Active Music Engagement intervention:

Writing a chant about pain experiences and positive outlook on the future.
Participating in that chant with the therapist.
Play along with instruments such as the drums or a xylophone.

Live Patient-Selected Music

Using Live Patient-Selected Music is one way that therapists will help children sort through complex thoughts and emotions related to chronic pain. By using music that the child chooses, the therapist can get a sense of what they may be feeling but can’t express through words.

Using music of the child’s choice, the therapist may:

Encourage the child to highlight words or lines that stand out to them.
Prompt the child to keep the beat of the song with them using instruments.
Pose questions that facilitate discussion about pain and emotions.

Music therapy interventions address chronic pain symptoms in children from both a physical and mental health lens. The interventions above are proven to help calm the child’s body while also addressing the difficult emotions they experience. Research shows that children with chronic pain benefit from a multi-disciplinary approach to their treatment, and music therapy does just that!

Is there a young person in your life who experiences chronic pain? If you think music therapy may benefit them, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Our team of qualified therapists are ready to help.

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Using Creative Arts Therapy to Treat Eating Disorders

by Amy Thomas | Jun 8, 2021

With so many health concerns in our country and worldwide it is easy to focus on the pandemic as the leading health concern. The reality is, especially during the pandemic due to the added anxiety and unpredictability, the intensity for those with eating disorders has risen, and this rise has been documented in children as young as 7 years old.

Worldwide, over 70 million people are estimated to be affected by an eating disorder, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and otherwise specified feeding eating disorders (OSFED). Eating disorders have the HIGHEST MORTALITY RATE of any psychiatric illness. They affect people of all genders, sexual orientations, ages, socioeconomic class, abilities, races, and ethnic backgrounds.

Children are increasingly becoming affected by diet culture and body shame. Studies show 40%-60% of girls 6-12 years old are worried about their body shape or weight. 80% of girls have been on a diet by the 4th grade. Of elementary school-aged kids, 69% of those who read magazines say they have influenced their body image, and 47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight.

While parents are not to blame for eating disorders, they can be a very positive force when it comes to recognizing the signs, seeking out the right type of therapy, and helping their young child recover. Some of the symptoms to look for are the refusal to eat, reduction in portion size, actively dieting, sudden changes in the diet, or social withdrawal. However, some signs that a parent may not as easily notice may include body image concerns, fine hair growing on their body, hiding or hoarding food, weight loss hidden by baggier clothes, a sudden interest in excessive exercising, finding excuses to not be able to eat with others, and becoming angry when offered food.

It takes a team of professionals to join families in helping their child or teenager recover. Good news! When treated EARLY and correctly, eating disorders have the highest and fastest recovery rate!

The therapeutic team is usually a group of clinicians and professionals who can guide the child with an eating disorder through the treatment and recovery process. Because of the complex nature of eating disorders, treatment for an eating disorder can often mean working with several qualified practitioners. Creative Art Therapists may take part in the recovery of a child or teen struggling with a diagnosed eating disorder.

Talk therapy is especially hard for individuals with an eating disorder. They tend to be resistant to talk about the very thing that creates enormous anxiety for them. Creative Art Therapists use music, art, creative writing, and movement to offer a safe space for self-expression and self-discovery.

Creative Art Therapists may choose to use music with or without lyrics for relaxation exercises, learning proper breathing, or to address a particular topic such as body image. Lyrics of the song can be discussed and even rewritten to fit what the individual wants to say or feels. Writing an original piece of music or song with the assistance of the trained professional can be a powerful way to gain new insight. Some clients find improvisation helpful in breaking out of their usual strict and ritualistic thoughts. Younger children tend to prefer upbeat music elevating their mood and distracting them from unhelpful thoughts. Visuals paired with music might even be more engaging for some individuals.

This video is one example of a book adapted into a song that might be used in therapy.

Creative Art Therapists may use art in the treatment of an individual who suffers from an eating disorder. The materials offered can include paint, masks, pastels, boxes, and a few extra materials on the table. The table becomes a place to begin an exploration using color, texture, patterns, shapes, two dimensional or three-dimensional pieces. For people who suffer from eating disorders, art can offer a place of healing or simply an activity of distracting or self-soothing. Art therapy, led by a qualified professional, can allow for a time of rest for a busy mind. For a moment, it can assist in turning the mind from a willful place to a willing and visual perspective toward what recovery may look like, and that it is possible.

Contact us if you or someone you know is looking for help with an eating disorder.

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Holding a Safe Space to Heal from Trauma

by Amy Thomas | Apr 1, 2021

There has never been a more important time to ensure that our staff have a clear understanding of how to approach individuals using a trauma informed lens. During June 2020, U.S. adults reported considerably elevated adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers reported having experienced disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, increased substance use, and elevated suicidal ideation. Consider the impact on children, not having access to school as they have known. And even more concerning, the impact on children in abusive homes without an escape each day.

“Traumatization occurs when both internal and external resources are inadequate to cope with external threat.”

Van der Kolk & Ducey, 1989.

Trauma is caused from an injury or painful experience that has lasting, or potentially lasting, effect on your life. It’s not the actual event that causes trauma but instead the way in which a person experiences the event. Therefore, two people can be involved in the same accident and yet have different responses to that accident. Three children may witness the divorce of their parents and yet need various levels of support ranging from no or minimal therapy to extensive therapy.

Although we provide services to all ages, a large portion of our work is with individuals 21 and under. The statistics of trauma victims in this age bracket is higher than you might expect.

26% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before they turn four.
Nearly 35 million U.S. children have experienced one or more types of childhood trauma.
About 1 in 10 in the U.S. experiences sexual abuse by the time they are 18

As we began providing services remotely for children, we traditionally would see in school, it became clear that as therapists we were going to need to be creative and flexible. Some students did not have the support to get on a Zoom session due to the lack of internet or computer and some were attempting to get on the call alone lacking a parent or guardian to assist them. Other families shared during the Zoom call the impact they were experiencing due to the pandemic, including job loss, mental health challenges, and more.

Being able to identify signs of trauma and approaching all individuals in therapy with a trauma informed lens was a necessity for our staff. Last month, the Upstate Music Therapy Center staff participated in a training offered by the Monroe County System of Care, which was an overview of emotional trauma. Ten of our therapists were able to attend.

Having a trauma informed lens is considered practicing universal precautions. This means being sensitive to the impact of trauma on others and yourself, understanding and utilizing tools to support yourself and others in finding the ability to regulate emotions during times of stress; as well as identifying the system needed to reduce re-traumatization.

Within our staff of Board Certified Music Therapists, three members of our team are also Licensed Creative Arts Therapists. LCATs are trained in psychotherapy and in specific arts disciplines, which may include dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy and art therapy.

Creative Arts Therapists use many forms of psychotherapy, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, and the arts to create an accepting environment for processing past traumatic memories and experiences. We hold a safe space within the session for the client’s emotions and apprehensiveness to rise to the surface and acknowledge how difficult it is looking back and exploring thoughts that they would prefer to keep hidden. The therapist offers creative ways in which the client can process feelings, sensations in their body, dreams, flashbacks, and rumination of thoughts. As the client begins to realize that their level of distress is diminishing through therapy, they become empowered in the process, pushing on toward healing and recovery.

If you, your child, or someone you know are experiencing big emotions, yet are unable to identify where they are coming from, or are having repeated unpleasant thoughts, we invite you to reach out and speak with one of our therapists about ways we can help you uncover and work through the underlying source of trauma and find peace.

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Health Benefits of Drumming

by Amy Thomas | Jul 24, 2020

For years we have seen the research that music, singing, playing an instrument, and even listening to specific music can increase the capabilities of the brain. These activities result in the brain being stimulated on both sides an occurrence called hemispheric synchronization. It is astounding to see brain imaging of a person in the presence of music compared with when they are not. Look at the image below. The brain’s reaction to music shows the dramatic increase in areas that are stimulated, accessed, and can be altered by the musical sound & rhythm.

From the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical, our attention is focused away from a negative stimulus to something pleasant and engaging. Music has a huge impact on the brain and our emotions. Music can alter our breathing and heart rate as well as improve our state of mind. This helps keep things like depression and anxiety at bay. Music can reduce the perception of pain and even alter patterns of pain, depression, and disability. Music occupies the mind with something familiar and soothing. This creates an environment of comfort and a sense of safety.

As we explore the specific health benefits of drumming, you might be surprised at the vast areas within the brain that drumming can impact. It has been determined that drumming synchronizes the right and left hemispheres. We have learned that when the logical left hemisphere and the intuitive right hemisphere of your brain begin to pulsate together, your inner guidance system, or intuition, becomes stronger.

Drumming also appears to synchronize the lower areas of the brain (non-verbal) with the frontal cortex (language and reasoning). This integration produces feelings of insight and certainty. For these reasons, therapeutic drumming may be a powerful tool in helping retrain the brains of people who have some level of damage or impairment. Those diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), have suffered a stroke, or have a neurological disease such as Parkinson’s are appropriate candidates for therapeutic drumming.

Finally, music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves. Slow beats create the slow brain waves that are associated with hypnotic or meditative states. Faster beats may increase more alert and concentrated thinking. When Beta waves used for concentration change to Alpha waves your body and mind will begin to calm and feel more relaxed. This may be helpful to individuals suffering from depression and anxiety.

Professional drummer Alex Rüdinger has faced and battled depression. Drumming has been an integral part of his recovery. His story is quite powerful and worth the read. https://audient.com/2019/04/02/rudi_drums/

What about those who are not professional drummers? Can drumming be helpful to untrained musicians? There have been some comprehensive studies done with individuals suffering from anxiety and depression who have no musical training that has shown very nice results.

The study, Effects of Group Drumming Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, Social Resilience and Inflammatory Immune Response (2016), explored whether a music-making intervention, specifically group drumming, could improve mental health over several weeks. Additionally, in order to ascertain the physiological effects of drumming, the study explored whether psychological responses were found in parallel with a reduction in pro-inflammatory response.

Their hypothesis was that across ten-weeks of group drumming there would be a decrease in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and improvements in social resilience and mental wellbeing. It was determined that ten weeks or more of group drumming for 90 minutes each session did decrease anxiety and depression as opposed to the control group who did not receive group drumming. In addition, they were thrilled to document that these participants also maintained decreased levels of anxiety and depression at the 3-month follow-up.

Considering the many health benefits of drumming it is an excellent option for those experiencing mental health challenges. Are you interested in getting involved in a group this Fall? Send us a message by using our Contact Us link. We would love to speak with you more.

Works Cited

Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Carvalho, L. A., Steptoe, A., & Williamon, A. (2016). Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users. PloS one, 11(3), e0151136.

Remote Live Music for Older Adults Now Available

by Amy Thomas | Apr 1, 2020

In light of current events surrounding COVID-19, Upstate Music Therapy Center has expanded our services to include a selection of online opportunities. Through online music enrichment and music teletherapy we aim to maintain and increase accessibility to music during this time.

Social distancing can be a lonely experience for many. We have been empathizing with older adults and imagining what they are going through knowing they are the at-risk population. Many older individuals may be living in a senior home, and while they once had many visitors, now the doors are closed to loved ones. This is a difficult time for families of the elderly as they cannot experience the companionship and comfort they are used to.

Thankfully, many nursing homes are equipped with technology. Through teleconferencing via the home, we can provide music enrichment to a large portion of residents. Additionally, many individuals have access to their own technology. Whether it be through a smart phone or computer, we find that communication with loved ones is still possible. With the assistance of staff and caregivers, it is our hope that we can help older adults utilize this technology and foster a therapeutic experience.

Upstate Music Therapy Center currently offers a selection of online music opportunities.

Individual Online Music Enrichment or Teletherapy with one of our Board-Certified Music Therapists

Engage through a video conferencing platform such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype
Music activities and interventions will be catered to the participant’s preferences, preferred music, and interests
Choose the duration and focus of the session when registering

We are eager to start exploring these opportunities for older adults. It is our hope that we can find a silver lining in this experience, like technology, to bring comfort and connection to those we love.

If you are reading this and have a loved one who you imagine would benefit from a therapeutic music experience or you know of a nursing home where tele conferencing may be available, please do not hesitate to contact us through email at amy@upstatemtc.com or phone (585) 377-1000.

This blog was submitted by: Katie Hall

News Article

by Amy Thomas | Jan 14, 2011

Check out our “In the News” page for a great article about music therapy and pediatric pain management, co-written by one of our own UMTC therapists. It’s an easy-to-read article for non-music therapists, and it gives a nice overveiw of the basic premises of music therapy, in addition to how music therapy can be used as a part of pain management in children.