Coping with anxiety and pain management in surgery or other procedures
You’re having surgery, or a painful, scary, medical/dental procedure! What should you use if you’ve heard about how music can improve your experience and even your results? The clinical research grows by the day and the result are clear. Using music chosen by the patient makes a huge difference.
But there is a lot of confusion out there about the difference between Music Therapy and Music Medicine and even Spotify for surgical/medical procedures. Because most people do not know that difference, I thought I would lay it our for you as clearly and succinctly as possible. It’s really not that complicated. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:
What exactly is Music Therapy?
According to musictherapy.org, music therapy is a professional practice that uses music interventions to achieve individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship. In other words, music therapy is only conducted one on one with a licensed music therapist. NO ONE else can do music therapy in a hospital or anywhere else. If a professional musician or a very good amateur musician plays music for patients in any way, it may actually be therapeutic, but you cannot call it music therapy.
Conducting a music therapy session takes time and some knowledge of the patient and why they are there. This takes specific training. Most hospitals do not have time or resources to have music therapists giving tailored sessions to hundreds of patients a day. Many music therapists work in Rehab settings, or on an Oncology Unit. Sometimes music therapists do group sessions with patients who all have the same or similar diagnoses.
A licensed professional music therapist will first get to know you and establish a therapeutic relationship. Then together they create a music intervention with you that has specific, measurable goals in mind. Music therapy deals with many populations, but surgery, typically, is not one. Most hospitals have no more than 3 music therapists.
Unfortunately, many of the research studies that are published say that the patient was given music therapy when they were actually given recorded music. This is something that I am attempting to clarify among professional health care workers.
What exactly is Music Medicine?
Music medicine is often defined as listening to music during medical procedures for a relaxing effect. The advantage over music therapy is that it doesn’t require a trained music therapist so it’s less expensive. It can also be used in more diverse situations where a music therapist wouldn’t be allowed, such as surgery.
Our Music Medicine system is unique because it has been curated by a clinical musicologist who is also a licensed clinical social worker. It has been used around the world in hospitals and clinics. Surgeons and anesthesiologists have recommended our music for joint replacements, aneurysms, cancer surgeries and heart by-passes.
Patients have also chosen it for Ceasarian sections, colonoscopies, cataract surgery and dental work. Because the music has been curated by a professional clinical musician, and the patient will be under anesthesia, a music therapist is not
Because patient-selected music has been shown to have the best effect, the therapeutic playlists are offered in 5 different genres. Surgical Serenity Solutions (” the patient can select from ) offers playlists in Classical, Jazz, New Age, Lullabies, and Memory Care. Most patients choose classical or jazz. We recommend that the hospital stock MP3 players or preloaded headphones in all 5 genres and let the patient choose their preferred genre and the pre-surgery visit
It can be ordered or suggested by the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the nurse, the chaplain, or any clinical professional. This Music Medicine intervention is pre-recorded music that has been specifically curated for a medical need, like surgery, or even specifically for a patient, but not administered in a one on one situation. This therapeutic music can be used, ALWAYS through headphones or earbuds, in just the pre-op area, just during the procedure, or just in the recovery area. We recommend that it be used throughout the perioperative period for maximum positive results. To purchase the headphones or MP3 players, click this link: www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/hospitalheadphones.
Where does Spotify fit in?
Which finally brings us to Spotify! Spotify says very clearly on its website that it’s not for commercial use but many surgeons have told me that they “just use Spotify” and when I mention that a commercial license is required they say they had no idea!
I have been offered calming music when I have an MRI They usually ask what kind of music I’d like to hear in the MRI machine and I respond that I’d like to hear Chopin or Brahms. Maybe some Rachmaninoff, Debussy or Ravel. Then I ask the souce of their music and they laugh and it’s just my own personal Spotify account! When I inform them that it’s illegal to use a personal account they exclaim that they had no idea but continue to load the Spotify! It’s a little mind-boggling to me. https://support.spotify.com/us/article/spotify-public-commercial-use/
Spotify definitely has it’s place, but Spotify is intended for entertainment, not a medical procedure. The pain, anxiety and risk management requirements that enter into a surgical/medical procedure, require carefully thought-out and curated playlists.
Spotify states clearly that it’s not for medical use but hospitals truly don’t seem to be aware of this and Spotify doesn’t seem to enforce its license requirement,
In Conclusion
Two surgeons preparing for surgery
For surgical procedures, before, during and after, Music Medicine is clearly the only viable choice. Surgical Serenity Solutions is the only company offering therapeutic playlists in five different genres that the patient can choose from, delivered in pre-loaded headphones or MP3 players.
Music therapists do not go into surgical procedures and Spotify is not therapeutic music that will entrain your heartbeat and breathing. During surgery, your body responds to the steady pulse of our instrumental playlists and keeps your body rhythms stabilized. When you body is relaxed by music coming directly into your brain through the 8th cranial nerve, you require less anxiety meds, less anesthesia and less pain medication. This also allows you to recover faster and get back to your life!
Our headphones are available to both patients and in bulk for hospitals. The MP3 players are just for hospitals so that they can be branded and given to patients to take home after their procedure!
Again, to purchase the Surgical Serenity Solutions, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/mp3players
Let me know if I can help you in any way! www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/contact-us
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