Communicate your feelings via Music-Therapy
To communicate your emotions is not always an easy task to do.
In the previous article, we talked about accepting the feeling of not being okay; we acknowledged that even if we are feeling sad, hurt or heartbroken, we should never hide and ignore our emotions. Also, we mentioned that it is good to STOP for a moment, TAKE a deep BREATHE, and understand our feelings.
Can music be a way of expressing and communicating how you feel?

Image by Laura Alzmeter
Music-Therapy and communicating emotions:
Music has been existing since the dawn of time and we all realize that it affects our brain; it stimulates the production of dopamine (the neurotransmitter of pleasure) and inhibits the production of cortisol (the stress hormone).
Using constituent elements of the music and the music itself can help to enter into communication with individuals since it establishes a communication that goes beyond words. Hence, it becomes a bridge between the world of the individual and the outside world.
Precisely on this month, we celebrate the international day of “Music-Therapy” and March is considered as the music-therapy awareness month. But, what is “Music-Therapy”? How we define it? And how it could help us cope with emotions and communicate them?
The first thing to note is that Music-Therapy has nothing to do with a traditional music class or with a knowledge of playing an instrument. Rather, it involves expressing ourselves through sounds and not just music instruments; it embraces sound in all its forms, which can involve instruments, but also tables, wall, chairs, or even our own body.
Thus, Music-Therapy is properly considered to be a practice of care, support or rehabilitation that provides a means of expressing and communicating our emotions and affectivity without words.
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During my year of completing training to become a music-therapist with the “Atelier de Musicothérapie-Bordeaux, AMBx”, I came to recognize through first-hand experience how music-therapy has three core dimensions: emotional, relational, and cognitive. At that time, I experienced a breakdown after a relationship breakup and a car accident. Although my emotions were clear and obvious, and everyone could tell that I was completely down and sad, it was hard for me to express and communicate my feelings. I was shy and sometimes afraid to show my emotions and potentially be open to being judged. Recovering for this involved a long process, and as my training in any case involved many sessions of music-therapy over the course of a whole year. It was a great opportunity to experience the benefits of the therapy, not only to be able to heal, but also to express myself and communicate my thoughts and my feelings. I was able to stand up, to clear my mind, to scream out my anger, to calm down my emotions through music, sounds, instruments and even the sounds of my own body. Many sessions involved cognitive stimulation, whereby my attention was activated, my memory was strengthened, I became better aware of and able to regulate my emotions. In addition, the rapport that my therapist was able to build with me made it easier for me to recall past emotions and begin to communicate them. As things progressed, music therapy facilitated a process that ultimately led towards self-fulfillment, developing the capacity and the will to use my own potential towards my well-being, in areas such as independence, freedom to change, adaptability, balance and integration. In the end, we all know that managing a profound emotion is something that is done over the long term and that the healing process always takes time. Hence, when we are still hurting it is important to give time for ourselves to heal, to restore or improve our sense of self-confidence. To conclude, self-care should involve taking care of our souls as well as our bodies. As such, music therapy can be just what is needed to hasten the healing process for those afflicted by emotional distress, and can make the communication of difficult emotions and a form of emotional catharsis possible. References: https://www.musicotherapie-federationfrancaise.com/ From a music-therapist’s perspective, I would share with you a simple experience.
Music-Therapy towards self-reflection:
Author:
Laura Alzmeter
Article Writer & Content Contributor
- March 21, 2022

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The opinions expressed in this article/publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of GiLE or its members.
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