How to Implement Music and Movement as Therapy
Music and dance are often viewed as recreational or cultural pursuits, but studies have shown that they have many medical benefits as well - especially when it comes to the brain. Not only do these activities provide health benefits related to mood and stress, but they also change the very anatomy of the brain, making it possible to recover more quickly and more fully from non-traumatic brain injury, degeneration, and even learning disability.
Non-traumatic brain injuries, such as those resulting from stroke, can impact use of the hands, movement, cognition, mood, and a litany of other factors contributing to a good quality of life. Listening to music actually reduces epileptiform discharges (a phenomenon related to seizures) and enhances neuroplasticity - which is exactly what enables the brain to form new neural connections and change over time. Incorporating singing lyrics into music therapy can also aid recovery of aphasic patients (those with impaired speech).
Dance also has amazing effects on the brain. A 2003 Study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that dance, when compared with other physical activities like golf, swimming, cycling, and tennis, was the only activity to lower risk of dementia. Dancing exercises the brain’s cognitive abilities and creates social interaction, both of which contribute to a happy, healthy brain.
In 2012, a study at North Dakota’s Minot State University discovered that Zumba dancing also has a positive impact on visual recognition and decision making - while other studies have shown that dance in general develops novel neural connections related to executive function, memory, and spatial reasoning. For individuals with learning disabilities, brain injuries, or other cognitive difficulties, dance can essentially retrain the brain to be better at these functions.
Brain health is a complex topic that can be influenced by many factors - including music and dance. Both can be used as therapeutic strategies to improve brain recovery from injury, prevent degeneration, and also improve existing cognitive abilities.