The death of a loved one can be an extremely difficult situation to cope with. Among all the feelings that might emerge, is one that you can't possibly explain how you feel to someone else.
Sometimes words are not enough to communicate how we are feeling. Music offers the unique ability to create emotion through the instruments that are being played as well as the lyrics themselves. This creates an expression of emotion that goes beyond what words can do on their own. Songwriting can be an extremely helpful tool during the grieving process. Anecdotally, this is known throughout the world of musicians. Many musicians use personal struggle and difficulty as motivation for their songs. The benefits of songwriting, however, have also been studied scientifically. One study found that "Songwriting-based music therapy groups facilitate positive growth in bereaved adolescents, showing improvements across all group domains. (Dalton & Krout, 2005)" Songwriting offers a unique medium for expression of feelings and emotions while also providing a creative outlet at the same time. "The grief songwriting process offers an engaging, containing, and creative model to address bereavement-related issues. (Dalton & Krout, 2006)" If you are struggling with the loss of a loved one and enjoy music, songwriting may provide you with an empowering creative outlet that helps you express how you are feeling. If you have a story about how Songwriting has helped you heal, please share it in the comments below or email us at [email protected]. Citations: Dalton, T.A., & Krout, R.E. (2005). Development of the grief process scale through music therapy songwriting with bereaved adolescents. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 32(2), 131-143. Dalton, T.A., & Krout, R.E. (2006). The grief song-writing process with bereaved adolescents: An integrative grief model and music therapy protocol. Music Therapy Perspectives, 24(2), 94-107 -Sam N, May 7, 2018
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AuthorsTony Ollerton is the Board Certified Music Therapist for the Cole Project ArchivesCategories |